Here’s how police identified a 72-year-old bank robbery suspect in Kennewick
When a man was caught on camera robbing a bank Thursday, it didn’t take police long to recognize him — by his walk.
Keith H. Foster, 72, of Kennewick, is accused of entering the Chase Bank on 30 Vista Way with a note demanding money about 11:45 a.m., Commander Isaac Merkl said. The suspect was wearing a full ski mask covering his face.
The teller handed over a “significant” amount of cash, and then the robber walked out of the building.
He didn’t make any threats or display a weapon, Merkl said.
He slipped away from the area before police surrounded the bank. Officers used a drone and a police dog to try and track him, but that proved unsuccessful.
However, because Foster has a lengthy criminal history dating back to the late 1980s, police say the mask wasn’t enough to disguise him.
“He is somebody that we know of and he has a specific walk that allowed us to identify him,” Merkl said during a Thursday afternoon news conference.
Police used that information to track him on security cameras on neighboring businesses.
Once police identified their suspect, it just took some patience to find him, they said. Officers then watched an apartment on the 3300 block of West Ninth Avenue that Foster has a connected to. He was arrested when he came outside.
Detectives allegedly found money they say was taken in the robbery when they searched the apartment.
He was being booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of first-degree robbery.
This story was originally published June 13, 2024 at 6:10 PM.