Man threatens road crew, steals from laundromat — then shatters front door to escape, cops say

A man was arrested early Wednesday following quite the busy morning in Bend, Oregon.

Police received reports that a man was threatening a city road construction crew with a handgun at about 3 a.m., according to The Bulletin and a news release from the Bend Police Department.

One of the victims told police that the man was “slapping his pant’s waistband and screaming that he had a gun,” police said. The man was gone by the time police arrived, but witnesses described him and told police which way he went, according to the news release.

While police searched for the man, they received another call from a nearby laundromat, according to KTVZ. The caller said a man stole from the business, Cathy’s Express Eco Laundromat, and shattered a glass front door to escape, according to The Bulletin.

Police continued to search the area and found a man, identified as Brian Carl Kennedy, who matched the descriptions given by victims and witnesses, police said.

Police said that Kennedy entered the closed laundromat and wouldn’t leave when staff told him to, according to the release. That’s when he allegedly stole from the cleaners and threw rocks to “effect his escape,” police said.

Kennedy was taken to the Deschutes County Jail on suspicion of first-degree burglary, third-degree robbery, attempted fourth-degree assault, menacing, second-degree criminal mischief, disorderly conduct and third-degree theft, according to police.