SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Spokane police say officers responded so quickly to a bank robbery that the robber was still inside at a teller’s window.
Officer Jennifer DeRuwe (DeROO) says plainclothes Detective Paul Lebsock walked into the Banner Bank branch on Tuesday afternoon to confirm the robber’s location. Then he held a man at gunpoint until other officers could come inside.
Officers arrested Shawn P. Hoffman for investigation of first-degree robbery.
The robber had claimed there was a bomb in the bank so bank personnel were evacuated and a section of Riverside Avenue was closed while a bomb squad unit checked the building. No bomb was found.
FBI Resident Agent in Charge Frank Harrill complimented the Spokane Police Department for the quick response.
