Seattle Bank Robber Served Time For Spokane Robberies

SEATTLE — The robbery suspect who was shot and wounded by police following a West Seattle armed robbery and chase had been arrested for several armed bank robberies in Spokane in the late 1990s.

Police spokeswoman Renee Witt says the man had a gun in the SUV and officers feared for their safety Tuesday when they fired. The suspected robber was given preliminary medical treatment on scene and then taken to Harborview Medical Center.

Another man was apprehended a short time earlier when he jumped from the moving vehicle during the police pursuit.

Douglas Michael Cox, the suspect who was shot and wounded by police, pled guilty in June of 1998 to three counts of armed bank robbery here in Spokane. Cox was charged in four bank robberies which took place between December of 1997 and April of 1998 and pled guilty to three of those robberies. Cox displayed a pellet gun during each heist.

In September of 1998 he was sentenced to 45 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $13,140 in restitution.

Cox was released from prison for the robberies in Spokane and went right back to robbing banks unsuccessfully on May 2nd, 2002 when he held up a Columbia Bank branch in Fife. He was arrested following a brief chase with Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies and was taken into custody again.

KOMO TV
in Seattle described Tuesday morning’s police chase following the bank robbery as a “massive police response” that was mobilized to apprehend the thieves. At one point witnesses saw officers firing at the suspect’s vehicle as they converged.

“Video from AIR4 [news helicopter] showed several of the SUV windows shot out,” they added. 

The bank robbery occurred at a West Seattle Wells Fargo branch. FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs says an armed man in a wig and a black dress forced customers to the floor, jumped over the counter and fled to a waiting SUV with an unspecified amount of money.

No one in the bank was hurt during the heist.

Police then chased the SUV toward downtown Seattle. The first arrest occurred on Capitol Hill, where one man jumped out.

The pursuit continued into downtown Seattle where police blocked the getaway vehicle near First Avenue and Spring. Douglas Michael Cox was taken into custody after being shot by officers.

Cox, coincidentally, was just released from prison again on June 6th.