The man suspected of attempting to rob the Centralia TwinStar Credit Union Monday morning has been booked into Lewis County Jail.
Michael Anthony Lar, 57, had been recovering at the Harborview Medical Center after being shot twice by a Centralia Police Officer just after 6:42 a.m. Monday at the Gold Street credit union.
Lar was shot in the hip and arm by a Centralia Police Officer who pulled a female employee from the bank when she mouthed the words “he has a gun.” Lar allegedly fled the scene shortly after the shots were fired, though police engaged in a four-hour standoff with the building. He allegedly held a gun to the head of 28-year-old bank employee and a knife to her throat after breaking in a window, according to Centralia Police.
He was arrested in the downtown area of Olympia at about 10 p.m. Monday.
Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden said he doesn’t know whether or not Lar will be charged in Lewis County, but that it looked likely. The FBI was assisting in the investigation to determine if Lar is responsible for additional robberies in Grays Harbor County, Pierce County and Ellensburg. He could potentially face charges in Federal District Court.
The semiautomatic handgun and short-blade knife allegedly used in the robbery were recovered near the bank Thursday. A search warrant was executed on Lar’s Seattle home Thursday evening by the Ellensburg Police Department, according to Centralia Police.
If Lar is prosecuted in Lewis County, he could be charged Friday afternoon, Golden said.
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Eric Schwartz: (360) 807-8245
