Heist suspect says he waited out SWAT team, then returned to bank for car keys

The prime suspect in the Jan. 25 attempted robbery of TwinStar Credit Union in Centralia said he was in hiding in brush next to the bank for 12 hours, during which time police arrived, investigated and left the scene, according to court documents. When the SWAT team left, the suspect told police, he went back in the bank to look for his car keys, court papers say.

Centralia Police Chief Bob Berg said there is no reason to disbelieve Michael Lar's claim he was on the scene while SWAT teams swarmed feet away.

"It looks like the area he chose to hide in was pretty good," Berg said, adding that he's forming a panel to analyze the response and follow-up to the attempted heist.

Berg said more information would be released after a review of the incident.

According to court documents, Lar said he escaped through the same window he broke to gain access to the building. Two Centralia police officers responded to the scene at 6:42 a.m. Jan. 25 after a report of suspicious circumstances made by an employee in the parking lot.

Officer Neil Hoium said he met another employee at the south entrance of the credit union, and she mouthed the words "he's got a gun" and motioned with her finger. Hoium grabbed the 28-year-old and pulled her away, and then the suspect holding what appeared to be a firearm became visible.

As the woman ran from the suspect, Hoium fired two shots from only feet away and retreated.

When backup arrived, they were unsure where the suspect was. Thirty officers patrolled the scene, apparently while the suspect — believed to be Lar — hid feet away.

Police thought he was inside the bank. They threw a phone inside the building and attempted to contact the suspect through a radio frequency being broadcast inside the credit union, and they detonated flash grenades.

Lar was arrested in Olympia after 10 p.m. when a taxi cabdriver and a hotel employee reported he was acting suspiciously and appeared to be injured.

That night, he allegedly spoke with Centralia police officers while being treated at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for bullet wounds to his hip and arm.

"You know, I have nothing against that cop or I am not mad at that cop that shot me," he told police, according to court documents.

He added that he wished the credit-union employee had heeded his demands, according to court documents.

The documents say Lar admitted throwing a rock through a window to get in the building. When there was no alarm or police response, he entered.

He took the 28-year-old woman hostage when she arrived for work and at one point struck her over the head with the pellet gun he used, according to police. Officers initially believed he was carrying a semi-automatic firearm.

He said he waited for 12 hours while police engaged in a standoff. After four hours, police realized he was not inside and they investigated the scene. When police left, Lar told police he returned to the bank to look for his car keys.

When he couldn't find the keys, he hailed a cab to Olympia, according to court documents. The taxi driver later reported the incident, leading to Lar's arrest.

Lar is in Lewis County Jail on $1 million bail and charged with robbery, kidnapping and assault. Lewis County Prosecutor Michael Golden said he is awaiting documentation of previous robberies by Lar, and that he could pursue life in prison.

Lar is being investigated in connection to similar robberies in Ellensburg and Ocean Shores, Gray Harbor.