Gunman In North Seattle Robbery Remains At Large

A Seattle police SWAT team raided a hotel on Aurora Avenue in North Seattle in a search for an armed robber who struck a nearby Money Tree store.

Police said the robbery occurred at 4:30 p.m. Monday when a man entered a check cashing business held a gun to someone’s head.

Mike Bergstrom was eating a late lunch in the storage room of a Sleep Country store when he heard swearing and shouting coming from the Moneytree next door. He said he didn't realize there was a robber inside the check cashing store, holding a gun to the head of a customer and demanding money.

"It was nothing obvious that it was a robbery, just obvious someone was angry and rude," Bergstrom told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Karen O'Leary.

An officer who heard about the robbery during roll call at the start of his shift said he recognized the description of the robber and his pickup truck. He said he had talked to the man several days ago.

That officer spotted the man's truck in the hotel garage around 9 p.m. and SWAT officers were called to the Comfort Inn at North 137th Street and Aurora Avenue North.

When KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Rick Price arrived shortly after midnight, the street was full of uniformed police, SWAT officers in battle gear and an armored SWAT vehicle.

Price said after evacuating guests nearby, officers smashed their way into a room on the second floor with rifles drawn. The room was empty.

Police said the man had been staying at the hotel for about a week.

Seattle police said the robber is described as white, with a shaved head, wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap over a blond wig. Officers said the man should be considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone with information about the robbery or the man’s whereabouts is asked to call Seattle police or 911.

Moneytree, Inc. released a statement about the incident, read it here.