Update: ‘Polite’ Roxbury robbery suspect arrested

Just announced by King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart:

The armed robber dubbed the “polite robber” by local media was arrested this afternoon by Sheriff’s detectives and the SWAT Team. He was taken into custody without incident about 2:00 PM. His demeanor at the time of arrest is unknown.

The arrest took place at a residence in the Top Hat neighborhood where the man was living. The location is not far from the Shell Station at 2805 SW Roxbury that he allegedly robbed on Saturday, February 5th about 11:20 AM. He was carrying what appeared to be a semi-automatic pistol during the robbery.

The video of the robbery, complete with sound, was released by the store owner has since “gone viral”. The suspect was quickly identified from tips.

The man arrested is a convicted felon, including convictions for Forgery and Armed Robbery (!). He is 65 years old.

Here’s our previous story.

35 Replies to "Update: 'Polite' Roxbury robbery suspect arrested"

  • Danielle February 7, 2011 (4:12 pm)

    He was just arrested on my street. (sw 115th) Neighbors say he’s a real creepy guy….no kids by the way. Just him and his wife rent out the bottom of this house that use to be a daycare. Im glad they caught him. Creepy to think that someone who would do this (and other armed robberies in the past) lives 5 houses down. I just took my 3 year old nephew on a walk right past his house on Saturday. His red truck is now being searched. Bomb squad just left. Weird. Active day on our block.

  • onceachef February 7, 2011 (4:13 pm)

    I guess he missed prison…

  • CB February 7, 2011 (4:15 pm)

    I’ve read and watched all of the reporting on this. How on earth can he be called polite when he pulls out a firearm and threatens the store owner? He is a dangerous armed criminal and will serve a long and tough prison sentence for his actions.

    Good job law enforcement! Enough with the “polite” label.

  • JanS February 7, 2011 (4:15 pm)

    he’s 65..and he was claiming he had to feed his kids? How old are they, 40? Everyone has a story, huh…

  • Alki Resident February 7, 2011 (4:24 pm)

    I knew I couldn’t buy his sob story.I wonder how many churches and outlets he tried to get donations from as well.Pathetic.What a way to cry wolf when there truly are people struggling to make ends meet for their REAL children.This guy truly deserves the book thrown at him,he couldn;t have robbed a nicer, more generous man.

  • KBear February 7, 2011 (4:25 pm)

    CB, it’s called irony. And if it made people pay attention to the story and helped identify the bad guy, then calling him the “polite robber” was a good thing.

  • cjboffoli February 7, 2011 (4:28 pm)

    Nice work KCSO and SWAT!

  • austin February 7, 2011 (4:29 pm)

    “His demeanor at the time of arrest is unknown.”
    .
    LOL

  • Alex February 7, 2011 (4:40 pm)

    Just goes to show that he was completely full of crap. It’s interesting that people sometimes make up elaborate lies just for the sake of lying, as he didn’t need to say any of that BS to get the money. All the people who said that the video made them cry or that they felt bad for him were duped.

  • I. Ponder February 7, 2011 (4:42 pm)

    That someone seemed “creepy” means nothing. The neighbors of many serial killers are often quoted as saying “nice guy. kept to himself”.

  • miws February 7, 2011 (4:48 pm)

    I wonder if his previous prison stint provided him access to professional acting lessons.

    .

    Normally, I tend to have no sympathy for anyone that chooses to commit such a crime, especially when a business employee or owner is put at risk by having a gun pulled on them, and although I had no sympathy for this guy, and absolutely do not think, that even if true, his “reason” would have been justified, I have to admit this touched me a little. I thought he actually felt bad.

    .

    Well, back to being cynical, I guess….

    .

    Mike

  • Genesee Hill February 7, 2011 (5:00 pm)

    Yes, I guess he did miss prison. Amazing! He may be getting really close to the third strike.

  • smash the state February 7, 2011 (5:07 pm)

    AMF

  • pigeonmom February 7, 2011 (5:24 pm)

    As soon as he said “I have kids” my bullsh*t meter went off the charts.

  • Genesee Hill February 7, 2011 (5:55 pm)

    You bet, pigeonmom. My BS meter went off the charts as soon as he pulled the gun. “Idiot” is way too kind of a word to describe this piece of trash…

  • Adam February 7, 2011 (6:15 pm)

    Even polite sociopaths are still sociopaths.

  • Alex February 7, 2011 (6:17 pm)

    “My BS meter went off the charts as soon as he pulled the gun.” Good point. It’s not like he could be some nice family man who’s just trying to make it in this economy, that just happens to have gone out and picked up a handgun as the means to being a provider…

    If you need a few hundred dollars to buy food or pay rent? Sell the handgun.

  • Amanda February 7, 2011 (7:05 pm)

    What an ass.

  • datamuse February 7, 2011 (7:27 pm)

    CB: I dunno, but I keep thinking of the robbery scene in Thelma & Louise

  • wsguy February 7, 2011 (7:44 pm)

    I wonder how polite he would have been if the store owner said “I’m sorry but I can’t give you my money I have kid’s and rent to”

  • Sherry February 7, 2011 (9:01 pm)

    HOW QUICK WE ARE TO JUDGE!!!!! Being OLD, ill health and no money can do strange things to you (experience). When you don’t have money and cannot get help-and believe me it is not easy to get help Your mind does strange things!

  • Lux February 7, 2011 (9:12 pm)

    Really, Sherry? You can’t be serious. Did your “experience” lead you to commit armed robbery?

  • JumboJim February 7, 2011 (9:46 pm)

    You really think Sherry would admit it here if she did??

  • CB February 7, 2011 (9:48 pm)

    Come on folks, this guy is an addict of some kind. He needed cash to score. His apologies were nothing but crocodile tears. I wonder how “polite” he would have been had the store owner refused to cooperate?

    He’s facing some serious time because of the gun:

    http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.94A.533

  • cjboffoli February 7, 2011 (10:58 pm)

    Sherry: Personally, I’m not judging this man for having hard times, or even for perhaps making some bad choices. I doubt there’s a person reading this page who can’t relate to either of those things at some level.
    .
    I’m judging his act of pointing an instrument of deadly force at another human being for money. Once he did that I think he lost the right to have his actions defended or explained by any kind of discussion about how he got there.

  • Mindy Bowler February 7, 2011 (11:05 pm)

    Hey that guy lived in my brothers house (in the basement). My brother said he was a very quiet and polite man. He just got very behind on rent. I guess now we can add crazy to the list too. Feel bad for my poor church going brother who came home from work and was attacked by a swat team. He was forced to the ground by five swat men with lasers on their guns pointing at him. He just got home from work and was ambushed outside of his house, and had no clue what the heck was going on. He never guessed the guy was a robber. My brother was released moments later, when they found the robber hiding in the closet. He confessed to everything and told the swat team my brother had nothing to do with it. My brother and his wife are very shook up, but thankfully ok. The man lived there alone (no family there). And yes I used to have a daycare there for 4 years. Thankfully it was not there when this happened. Glad he’s out of my brothers house…

  • Mean Dean February 7, 2011 (11:35 pm)

    The people expressing sympathy for this guy are a card or 2 short of a full deck. How ridiculous! Save your sympathy for the guy who had the gun drawn on him, you don’t think that counts as “hard times”? And he (the clerk) probably DOES have kids to feed and rent to pay!

  • Sb February 8, 2011 (3:40 am)

    I used too work with him, he was arrested when we worked together for theft. He has no kids, and is not polite, he is a condescending ass and I hope he gets whatever he deserves.

  • sun*e February 8, 2011 (9:12 am)

    Clearly “polite” does not mean “nice”… lesson learned. Glad he was found and arrested.

  • Norma Berube-Adler February 8, 2011 (9:39 am)

    Criminals should be locked up. Rude, kind, mean, nice -who cares. Must do the time since he clearly did the crime.

  • taru423 February 8, 2011 (9:42 am)

    I worked with this guy for a few years at a community college just within the last year. He attended college, got his associate’s degree and was enrolled in the Bachelor’s program for hospitality management. He seemed to be doing well. He had just met someone and was having a great time. Then he started to fall behind in his classes, he started not showing up for work, he dropped out of the bachelor’s program and disappeared. He was doing well in the program, and probably could have ended up teaching in the hospitality program if he’d managed to see it through. He is very well read and has a biting acerbic wit. During our conversations, he admitted that he had spent time in jail for forgery and bank robbing. I recall being absolutely stunned at the admission. He stated that he was desperate and needed money and knew he had done a foolish thing.

    None of this excuses his recent gun toting behavior. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t feel close enough to anyone at the school to say what was going on with him, perhaps he could have gotten some help. I believe the fact that he walked into that store with no disguise, knowing full well that cameras were going to capture his every movement, was a desperate cry for help. I’m sure that now he will pay for his actions, but I doubt he’ll get the help he needs.

    • WSB February 8, 2011 (9:44 am)

      I just published a story with details of his past. He was a somewhat notorious bank robber, it turns out:
      http://is.gd/ALZtSj

  • onceachef February 8, 2011 (9:48 am)

    The irony of it all…he couldn’t pay rent, committed a felony and now we, the taxpayers, will pay his “rent” in prison…maybe he had this in mind all along?

  • Joe Camel February 8, 2011 (11:04 am)

    That last link has a VIRUS – **insult deleted**

    • WSB February 8, 2011 (11:13 am)

      Joe, no virus, sorry. That’s a link to our previous story, which included an embedded KING 5 video clip. What “virus” did you think you’ve contracted here?

Sorry, comment time is over.