Man Arrested After Employee Abducted, Bank Robbed

A Seattle bank robbery began Tuesday with the apparent abduction of a bank employee at his Tacoma home and ended with an arrest in Bellevue, authorities said.

One robber forced the employee to drive to his bank branch, First Interstate on Madison Street, and open the vault. The robber escaped with nearly $78,000, the FBI said.

Michael Dell McLeod, 21, of Seattle, was arrested a short time later in suburban Bellevue.

McLeod, who told police he’s a former First Interstate employee, was charged with armed bank robbery. The FBI also searched for a second man.

The incident began early Tuesday morning at a Tacoma home, the FBI said, when Daniel Paskett was awakened by strange noises and went downstairs, where he was met by two masked men armed with handguns.

The robbers bound Daniel Paskett and placed tape over his eyes, the FBI said. One robber, dressed in a business suit, took Paskett to his car and they drove to First Interstate’s Madison branch in Seattle, where Paskett worked, the FBI said.

The two went inside the bank, where Paskett opened the vault and the robber removed cash as well as a video tape from the security system.

The robber fled and Paskett called police. About half an hour later, a Seattle police officer got a tip that a man walking in Bellevue had property taken from the robbery.

Bellevue police said two Seattle detectives arrested the man, who was armed with a revolver. A large sum of money was recovered from his backpack, along with a business suit and a paper with Paskett’s phone number, the FBI said.