Port Angeles police search for man in attempted bank robbery

Port Angeles police search for man in attempted bank robbery

PORT ANGELES — Police continued their search Saturday afternoon for a man with a tattoo on the back of his left hand who unsuccessfully tried to rob 1st Security Bank at 134 W. Eighth St. at 9:30 a.m. Friday, they said.

“Nothing was taken,” Police Chief Brian Smith said Saturday morning.

The man was described by police as about 6 feet tall, middle-aged and white with a tattoo on his hand. He had a goatee or beard and wore a possibly Carhartt-branded hooded gray or tan jacket, a baseball cap and blue jeans.

The man waited for an open teller before showing one a handwritten note demanding money in large bills, Cpl. Clay Rife said in a press release.

The man tapped on his pocket as though he had a weapon in it, according to a bank employee, Rife said in an interview.

The man did not take out a weapon or threaten anyone with a weapon, Rife said.

Before the teller could fulfill his demand, the man walked quickly out of the bank, Rife said.

The man waited for about a minute before fleeing, Rife said in an interview.

“The bank employees were following their procedures,” he said.

The man took the note with him.

Following initial reports from police dispatch, police looked for a gray-colored Hummer in which it was reported that the man fled, Rife said.

Officers learned the man had fled on foot northbound on Oak Street and west through the alley between Seventh and Eighth streets.

Police set up a containment area but could not locate the man.

The bank lobby was closed following the robbery attempt. The drive-through window remained open.

Anyone with information on the attempted robbery should call 360-452-4545.

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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.

Reporter Sarah Sharp contributed to this story.