UPDATED w/VIDEO: Safety fliers distributed in wake of Pierce County robbery spree
Posted By Stacey Mulick on November 3, 2009 at 12:45 pm
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Pierce County law enforcement agencies are handing out safety information at fast-food restaurants today in response to a series of armed robberies of restaurant managers by two men posing as cops.
They also released surveillance video of a robbery Oct. 25. A Burger King employee was pulled over by the suspects at the entrance to a gated community. The robbers handcuffed the driver and put him in the trunk, Pierce County sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer said.
The men have been in a vehicle equipped with red and blue police-type lights. They've stopped their victims after the employees left their fast food restaurants in the early morning hours.
The victims are held up at gunpoint. Investigators believe the two men are responsible for four incidents since early October.
"These guys are dangerous," Troyer said.
In two cases, the bandits have escorted the employees back to the closed restaurants so the businesses could be robbed of cash.
In the most recent incident early Sunday, a woman was sexually assaulted in Tacoma after she told the robbers she didn't have the keys to the restaurant. In another incident, the two robbers demanded the car keys from a couple they'd pulled over in Tacoma. The man refused and ran away; the robbers left in their vehicle.
In the safety flier, law enforcement officials strongly encourage drivers to not immediately stop if they are being pulled over by an unmarked police car. Troyer offered these tips for trying to determine whether you're being stopped by a marked or unmarked car: look for a light bar, high-end lighting equipment and obvious markings of a police vehicle.
Here are the tips in the flier:
If you are being pulled over by a vehicle with red and blue flashing lights (other than a fully marked police car) you need to:
* Call 911 immediately
* Maintain your speed, do not stop
* Head toward a well lit area (grocery store, gas station, etc.)
* Tell the 911 dispatcher where you are and that you are being pulled over by an unmarked vehicle
* Ask the 911 dispatcher to verify you are being pulled over by a police officer* Ask the dispatcher to send a fully marked police car to your location
*Pull over and stop ONLY if the dispatcher tells you it is a police officer
* If possible, try to get a license plate of any suspicious vehicles that may be following you or hanging out around your restaurant and call the police IMMEDIATELY
"All of our police dispatchers are aware of this," Troyer said of the robbery spree. "If you maintain your speed and check out who is behind you, there is no officer that is going to take you to task for that."
Officers in marked and unmarked police cars also are aware of the robberies.
The fliers are being distributed today by officers of the Lakewood, Tacoma and Pierce County sheriff's departments. It's also being sent to other law enforcement agencies in Pierce County for distribution.
The robbers have been in vehicles described as a dark, newer model SUV and an older black Honda with tinted windows. The cars have red-and-blue lights on the dashboard.
Both robbers are described as thin white men, 20 to 25 years old and about 5-feet-8. They’ve been seen wearing dark-hooded sweatshirts, dark hats, bandannas and gloves. They’ve also been armed with handguns.
Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests and charges filed in the case. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
Reach Crime Stoppers at 253-591-5959.
Sounds like they're saying its ok to talk on your cell, (assuming you have one), while driving.
In this particular case, runner5375...I imagine the police will not be issuing citations for talking on a cell phone while driving.
I do find it interesting, though...that in 8 out of 10 police officers I see driving down the road...8 are talking on cell phones as they drive.
The video is amazingly clear. Disturbingly horrifying. This makes my heart race because it can happen to anyone. Nobody is immune. The community is at great risk until these thugs are captured and buried beneath the prison. There are so many guys doing this type of crap on our local highways, it's scary, it's sad, it's maddening and it needs to stop.
And the state is releasing 1,600 inmates early....
I am not gonna stop I will drive home and call police i don't have a cell. and besides if it isn't a patrol car who's to know ?.
runner5375 it's not against the law to call 911 on your cell phone while driving.
The cops are exempted from the cell phone while driving law and several others. I'll bet that ticks people off.
I find it disturbing that another car drove by while these masked thugs were walking around in plain view, while committing this crime.
Is it possible...that the driver of the passing car didn't see anything strange about a couple of big guys walking around in ski masks manhandling another guy and putting him in the trunk?
Studies have indicated that drivers using cell phones show a level of impairment comparable to mild intoxication. IMPO...police officers are no less likely to have their driving skills impaired than any other driver.
If they need to talk on the phone, they ought to use a hands free unit.
"MasterAtArms says:
November 3, 2009 at 4:17 pm
And the state is releasing 1,600 inmates early.... "
Not to Worry !
Their all "non-violent" !
In a related update, local law enforcement agencies have indicated that they do not want citizens to pull over for ANY unmarked police vehicle until such a time as these criminals are apprehended.
I would like to add some advice. If you don't own a cell phone, or don't think you can afford some of the packages...Sprint offers a Nextel i335 by Motorola for only $29.99, and a basic Sprint Everything Data 450 for $69.99per month.
There are also a number of pay as you go packages, in which you can purchase as many minutes as you want, or as few as you want.
At any rate...a cell phone can be a lifeline if you find yourself stalled on the side of the freeway, or notice that you are being followed late at night as you commute home.
Please consider these options.
Is there an alternate link to this video? It won't play for me.
delicate answers i like it