SEQUIM — A man allegedly robbed Kitsap Bank in Sequim on Wednesday, Sequim Police Department detectives said.
The man remained at large Wednesday night. Late Thursday afternoon, the city of Sequim released surveillance images of the man, described as a white male with a heavy build, about 6 feet tall and sporting a gray beard.
Det. Kyle Resser said law enforcement responded to an alarm at the bank at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and discovered bank employees outside in the 1300 block of West Washington Street.
A man wearing a blue face mask and armed with pepper spray requested cash from a teller and sprayed the inside of the bank, Resser said.
Police said the man fled the scene on foot, and eyewitnesses said he may have proceeded to a vehicle and left the vicinity.
Resser said the suspect took an unknown amount of money.
The Sequim Police Department, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deputies and a Port Angeles Police Department canine officer searched the area but were unable to locate the man.
No injuries were reported, police detectives said. There appeared to be no immediate threat to public safety.
Clallam County Fire District 3 staff said they were requested to bring a fan to air out the bank so law enforcement officers could commence their investigation inside.
Isaac Turner, an employee at nearby T-Mobile, said he and a coworker saw law enforcement surround the bank about 3:40 p.m. and they were later told it was a robbery.
They said they saw officers and a canine officer search the area, so they stayed inside for about two hours until the scene was cleared.
Staff at Walmart, another nearby store, said they were not advised to go into lockdown by law enforcement.
Resser said detectives will follow up and seek better video of the man to help with his identification.
The FBI has been notified, responded to the scene and is assisting in the investigation, Sequim Police staff said.
Anyone with pertinent tips should contact the Sequim Police Department at 360-683-7227 or by email at ContactSPD@sequimwa.gov.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
An image captured by Kitsap Bank’s surveillance cameras shows a man described as a white male with a heavy build, about 6 feet tall and sporting a gray beard, according to the city of Sequim.
