Police hope public can help ID suspect in Seattle parking garage robbery

SEATTLE -- A bizarre robbery in Seattle’s Central Business District.

Police call it a crime of opportunity--something that could’ve happened to anyone.

Now detectives are asking for your help identifying the suspect after robbing and threatening to kill a local businessman, David Wing, in downtown Seattle.



He had just parked his car and was getting his laptop out, rearranging stuff in his car. He was about to walk inside the Wells Fargo Center off 3rd and Madison when detectives say a man walked by and turned to the driver.

"He was screaming. He looked very nervous and very agitated and kind of on high alert," said Wing.

Then the man casually got into the passenger seat.

"He just gets in the front seat like he actually belongs when, in fact, he's the suspect," said retired Detective Myrle Carner of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.

Inside the car, the suspect threatened to kill Wing, screaming obscenities about the driver getting him out of there.

"'You're going to drive me out of the building!'" Wing said the suspect yelled at him. "I said I'm not going to drive you out of the building ."

Inside the car the suspect noticed Wing's laptop. Wing tried to grab it and the suspect jerked it out of his hands. In surveillance video, the suspect eventually walks away like the stolen item was his own property.

"There's no question in our mind that he was there with the intent to steal something," said Carner of the suspect.

"'If you try to stop me--anyone tries to stop me--I'll kill you on the spot'," the suspect said to Wing.

"It was about two seconds of figuring out, is this real or not?"  said Wing. "The first thing I thought about is just keep the car between him and me."

Seattle Police say Wing did the right thing.

In the surveillance video, you can see the vehicles lights flash.

"I was hitting several buttons on the top of my key," explained Wing. "I was trying to get the alarm to go off."

Now Seattle Police are reminding people to be extra vigilant

"It goes back to just being aware of your surroundings," Carner said, adding that anyone could've been the victim. "One of the key things to me is when your approaching your vehicle you should have your keys in hand. Nowadays just about every vehicle has an alarm system on it. You can unlock the vehicle and so forth. If you're walking towards your vehicle and you see anything suspicious, back off.  And if you're really nervous about it, activate your alarm."

The suspect is still on the loose.

He's described as a white male, 30 to 50 years old, 6'3" and 220 pounds. Police say he had gray hair, gray facial stubble and was wearing a blue shirt, jeans and gray sneakers. If you know his name, Crime Stoppers will pay you a cash reward of up to $1,000 if the information leads to an arrest in the case. Call 1-800-222-TIPS or use the P3 Tips App on your phone to submit it anonymously.