UPDATE:
A man who allegedly robbed a Ketchikan credit union Monday is in custody, according to police. KPD’s Andy Berntson says police arrested 54-year-old Arnold Natkong around 3:30 p.m. He’s due in court Wednesday.
Original story:
Police are searching for an alleged small-time robber who demanded just $300 from a credit union in Ketchikan’s West End Monday evening. Ketchikan’s acting deputy police chief, Andy Berntson, says the suspect threatened a teller and demanded six $50 bills.
“He had an item in his hand — which was essentially just described as a bag or a gift bag — kind of alluding to it and saying, in theory, that he would, quote, ‘set it off’ if he didn’t achieve compliance,” Bernston said in a phone interview Tuesday afternoon.
It’s not clear what was in the bag, if anything. The suspect is a man with a medium build thought to be in his 50s or 60s, according to police. Berntson says police are chasing down leads. No one was hurt in the alleged robbery.
Berntson says he “can’t authenticate” a photo of a masked man in a black coat and hood that’s been circulating in Ketchikan Facebook groups. But he says it’s consistent with surveillance video of the robbery. He said the photo was not released by police.
Berntson declined to name the financial institution. But Jessica Gallagher, a spokesperson for Credit Union 1, which has a branch in the West End, confirmed an investigation is underway.
“This is an active investigation and we cannot comment as such. However, we are proud of the way our staff handled the incident and are grateful that they are all okay,” she said.
Berntson says anyone with information about the incident should call police.
“If people have any information about who the suspect is, whether it’s from firsthand information or anything anecdotally that they see or hear, obviously, at any time, we prefer them to call the police department and pass that information on to us so we can get this wrapped up,” Berntson said.
Ketchikan police say they’ve contacted the FBI. The FBI, which investigates crimes against federally-insured financial institutions, hasn’t returned calls for comment.
Ketchikan police can be reached at 907-225-6631.
This story has been updated with additional information.