A man escaped with an undisclosed amount of money from a Chase Bank located on the same block as the police station.

Covington Police Chief Kevin Klason said police received a report at 5:06 p.m. on Sept. 26 that an unknown male presented the bank teller with a note implying he had a weapon and demanded money. The teller complied and the alleged robber left the building and escaped in a vehicle backed into a parking stall.

Police said multiple employees at Chase Bank, 16735 SE 272nd St., witnessed the crime. Klason said a citizen witness took note of the man alleged to be the thief as he entered the car. Police have obtained security footage of the alleged theft and the King County Major Crimes Unit is now handling the case. Specifics of the note are not being released.

The Chase bank is located inside a Fred Meyer, on the West side of the shopping pavilion across Southeast 272nd Street. The Covington police station sits on the other side of the road inside city hall.

Klason said the call was dispatched at 5:08 p.m., and the first two units arrived three minutes later. Klason noted that there are not always deputies stationed at the police station itself and that the general protocol is for bank tellers not to trigger any alarms or call police until the suspect is out of the bank and the victim is no longer at risk. Klason said police also have specific procedures to follow before entering the scene of a potential bank robbery.

“I’m sure there was a minute or two delay before we got the phone call,” Klason said. “…The guy, unfortunately, as in most cases, gets a head start.”

Employees at the Covington bank directed all questions to the corporate office, which did not return a message form the Reporter. Fred Meyer has its own security on scene, according to Klason, but it is mainly for internal theft or shoplifters.

A security officer stood guard at the door on Sept. 29.

The alleged thief is described as a black male wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt in his mid 20s to early 30s. Klason said the note given to the teller was taken as evidence to be searched for fingerprints.

Klason said there are typically “a couple” bank robberies in the city each year, often picking up towards the holiday season, which coincides with the higher number of hours of darkness.

Detective Mike Mellis, with the Major Crimes Unit, said police are trying to identify the suspect internally before releasing his photo. Authorities are also checking into whether the suspect is linked to other robberies in the area.

“We have some pretty solid leads on this case,” Mellis said. “It’s not one where a guy walks in and vanishes into thin air.”

Klason said he is always surprised by bank robbers, proximity to a police station and number of witnesses notwithstanding.

“To me, it’s bold whether it’s crowded or not,” he said. “I don’t have that kind of nerve. We don’t know what is driving these people. If he can walk out and hardly anyone is the wiser, by then the person has disappeared into the crowd and gone.”