Suspect in Washington state hid behind bush before robbing woman at gunpoint
Deputies in Pierce County, Washington, are looking for the person who stalked a woman outside of an ATM, and then robbed her at gunpoint. (FOX 13 Seattle)
A Washington state woman was stalked and robbed at gunpoint at an ATM amid a continued crime crisis raging on the West Coast.
Surveillance video, obtained by FOX 13, showed the robbery taking place by a Bank of America in Parkland, Washington, a suburb of Seattle, on Thursday, Sept. 26.
The footage captured a figure in a ski mask hiding in the shadows as an unsuspecting woman arrives at the bank and goes about withdrawing money from the ATM.
After the woman had withdrawn her money, the suspect emerged from the bushes and approached the woman, holding her up at gunpoint and demanding her money.
SEATTLE BUSINESS OWNERS WARN VIOLENT CRIME IS HAPPENING ON A NEAR HOURLY BASIS: ‘THIS IS MADNESS’
The female victim was robbed at an ATM in Parkland, Washington. The suspect was seen hiding in the bushes prior to the robbery. (FOX 13)
The Pierce County Sheriff's office said that the ski-masked suspect retreated – along with the $1,000 and the victim's passport.
"It's a random act of violence," Sergeant Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said.
"That makes him extremely dangerous to our community," he said. "We want to get this person in custody because we don’t want him to do this to someone else."
The suspect approached the female victim and robbed her, police said. (FOX 13)
The ATM robbery comes after local business owners have voiced their continued concerns about the crime crisis.
Pat Callahan, the CEO of Urban Renaissance Group, told the Business Journal that while there has been some improvement, the crime problem is still yet to be solved. He claimed that many tenants at his downtown property are considering leaving the area.
"Really, what's happening now is all the fentanyl use is bringing consistent crime to the area, and it's festering," he said.
Violent crimes in Seattle surged in 2021 and 2022 after the government defunded the police. (FOX 13 )
URG Executive Vice President Shawn Jackson echoed his sentiments and told the outlet that conditions have become "somewhat extreme." He revealed that one individual recently started a garbage truck fire near the company's Joshua Green Building.
"These are property damage events that happen quite frequently," he said. "We can't let the challenges of several concentrated blocks in our downtown define our identity."
The Space Needle stands over the Seattle skyline as Mt. Rainier is seen in the background on March 13, 2022 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
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Commercial real estate broker Tom Graff said the current approach to crime is not working and is "not sustainable."
The business leader's sentiment comes as the number of violent crimes in downtown Seattle fell by 10% in 2023 from 2022. It was the lowest number since 2018.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Pierce County Sheriff for comment.
Fox News' Nikolas Lanum contributed to this report.
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