Former soldier accused of masterminding bank robbery extradited from Canada

A former Army Ranger accused of masterminding a bank robbery in Tacoma two years ago and then claiming he'd done so to draw attention to war crimes he'd witnessed in Iraq, will be arraigned in U.S. District Court this afternoon after being extradited from Canada this morning.

Federal prosecutors said 21-year-old Luke E. Sommer, of Peachland, B.C., agreed to extradition and was transferred in U.S. custody today.

He faces charges for armed robbery, conspiring to commit armed robbery, brandishing a firearm in relation to a violent crime and possessing a hand grenade, according to the U.S. attorney's office.

According to court documents, Sommer recruited two other U.S. Army Rangers — Chad Palmer and Alex Blum — and two Canadian nationals — Tigra J.A. Robertson and Nathan R. Dunmall — to participate in the August 2006 robbery of the Bank of America on South Tacoma Way.

A sixth defendant in the case, Scott A. Byrne, is alleged to have acted as a "consultant" in planning the robbery.

Federal police and prosecutors allege that Sommer discussed his plans at length with Byrne, recruited Blum to drive the getaway car and provided Palmer and Dunmall with loaded fully automatic AK-47 assault rifles.

Prosecutors said Sommer and Robertson carried loaded semiautomatic hand guns and wore soft body armor as protection when they entered the bank wearing black masks and military garb, ordered tellers to turn over money and open the vault.

The men are also accused of threatening to "waste" bank employees if they did not comply, court documents indicate.

The men, who escaped with more than $50,000, were caught after a bystander noted the license plate of the getaway car and police traced it back to Fort Lewis where evidence of the crime was discovered in the barracks, according to prosecutors.

Sommer was arrested at his parents home and placed on house arrest pending extradition, but he fled and was later arrested in Richmond, B.C.

All the other defendants in the case have entered guilty pleas. Chad Palmer and Alex Blum are scheduled to be sentenced on June 19. Tigra Robertson and Scott Byrne are scheduled to be sentenced on June 20. Nathan Dunmall is scheduled to be sentenced on June 27.

Prosecutors said that while Sommer originally said he planned the robbery to draw attention to war crimes he witnessed in Iraq, he has not provided evidence to support that claim.

They said, instead, he planned to use the proceeds of the robbery "to start a crime family to rival the Hell's Angels."

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com