Serial bank robber suspected in 7 holdups in Pierce County held without bail
A serial bank robber suspected in seven holdups in Pierce County in the last 13 months has been criminally charged.
Shane Hammond, 30, pleaded not guilty Monday to five counts of first-degree robbery. He was ordered held without bail. More charges might come in the future, according to prosecutors.
Authorities say Hammond robbed seven banks and shoplifted in one drug store between December 2021 and March 2022. Surveillance footage helped identify him, but Hammond’s distinctive Acura MDX played the biggest role in him getting caught.
The car had two luggage rack bars on top, damage to the front bumper and passenger side and tinted windows except for one, which had been broken out. When Tacoma police first had contact with Hammond in April 2021, he told them that he and his girlfriend were living in the vehicle.
The Acura could be seen on several security cameras at the bank robberies. Police impounded it in January but did not arrest Hammond because they did not realize his involvement with the bank robberies at the time.
Inside the car, detectives allegedly found a black glove matching one left at a crime scene.
Hammond is believed to have acted as the getaway driver for two Tacoma bank robberies in December 2021 and robbed the other five himself.
In each case, the robber handed a note to a teller demanding money. In one case, Hammond abandoned clothing worn in the holdup that he was also seen wearing on surveillance video Feb. 2 after being caught shoplifting at a drug store, charging papers say.
At the most recent bank robbery, Tacoma police say Hammond used a marker to draw tear drop tattoos near one eye, apparently in an attempt to disguise himself.
Robberies connected to Hammond include:
▪ Dec. 19, 2021, at O Bee Credit Union in Tacoma
▪ Dec. 21, 2021, at a Key Bank branch in Milton
▪ Jan. 14 at a Columbia Bank branch in Tacoma
▪ Jan. 18 at a TAPCO Credit Union in Tacoma
▪ Feb. 2 at a Columbia Bank branch in Fircrest
▪ Feb. 7 at an Alaska USA Federal Credit Union in Tacoma
▪ Feb. 28 at a Key Bank branch in Tacoma
