Bank robbery getaway was perfect — except he couldn’t find the freeway

A California man accused of robbing a Key Bank branch in Tacoma was arrested after he became lost after fleeing the bank and couldn’t find the freeway.

Tacoma police said David Curry, 53, told officers he was desperate for cash because his wife took their child to Indonesia.

According to court records, Curry rented a car in Sacramento, California, where he lived, and kept driving until he hit Washington, where he chose the Key Bank branch at 8402 Pacific Ave. because it was just off the freeway.

It was about 4 p.m. Thursday.

Curry carried a BB gun under his clothes and a note for the teller, explaining how he wanted the money and urging the teller to hurry.

He approached a teller and handed over the note, then demanded cash before she could read it.

“The suspect then lifted his shirt, indicating he had a gun and asked the teller if she saw this, pointing to a bulge in his shirt,” according to court records.

The teller gave him money. Curry left the bank.

Police arrested him shortly afterward after spotting his car nearby.

“He said he became lost when he left the bank and was unable to get back onto the freeway,” records say.

Pierce County prosecutors charged Curry with first-degree robbery. He was ordered jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail after pleading not guilty to the charge.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 6:29 AM with the headline "Bank robbery getaway was perfect — except he couldn’t find the freeway."