Police Department

Chief's Statement regarding arrest of four robbery suspects

Monique Cotton, Public Information & Communication Director, 509.363.8285

Monday, January 27, 2014 at 4 p.m.

Incident #:13-423279 & 14-002415

Below is the statement the Chief delivered to the media today, regarding the work of Spokane Police Major Crimes, Spokane Police Patrol, and the Patrol Anti-Crime Team, in the location and apprehension of 4 suspects connected to the two recent Garland-area bank robberies.

View the video of his statement.

After thorough investigation and relentless follow up, Spokane Police Major Crimes detectives have arrested four people believed to be connected to two bank robberies in the Garland District.

One robbery occurred on December 20, 2013 at U.S. Bank (3909 N. Lincoln) and the other occurred on January 3, 2014 at Washington Trust Bank (3810 N. Maple).

The following suspects are in custody, all facing charges of First Degree Robbery:

• 23-year-old Adrian Morris
• 24-year-old Darren Morris, Jr.
• 28-year-old Tyree Wortham
• 28-year-old John Jones – 4 prior felony convictions (Riot w/ A Deadly Weapon, 2nd Degree Robbery, 3rd Degree Assault, Harassment)

All four suspects are known to law enforcement in various states throughout the country.

Since the robberies occurred, detectives have been collecting evidence and identifying persons of interest.

Over the weekend, detectives developed information regarding the location of the vehicle believed to be the getaway car in both of the incidents - a stolen, silver Dodge Durango.

This information was relayed to SPD Patrol and our Patrol Anti-Crime Team, and within hours, all four suspects were in custody.

Adrian Morris and Darren Morris, Jr. were both arrested getting into the stolen Durango at a residence in the 800 block of W. Cora. A search warrant was executed at this location and our detectives recovered a .22 caliber handgun.

Additional follow-up led to the location of the two other suspects. Tyree Wortham at a residence in the 4000 block of N. Post and John Jones at the Spokane Arena where he was attending a hockey game.

We would like to thank the community for their assistance, through tips and other information, in bringing these dangerous people to justice.

In each of the bank robberies, the suspects displayed very aggressive behavior and threatened those inside the banks with handguns.

The Spokane Police Department will not tolerate criminal or other behavior that threatens the safety of our community.

We will relentlessly pursue those persons who threaten our residents, businesses, and visitors and bring them to justice even at the risk of personal injury.

Just yesterday, one of our officers was hit by a vehicle as he was attempting to place a suspect under arrest for two outstanding felony warrants.

The suspect, 27 year-old Laci Anthony, sped away from the scene after hitting the officer, abandoned the vehicle she was driving and was arrested nearby after a short pursuit.

This is yet another example of Spokane Police Officers placing themselves between the members of our community and those who seek to harm them, in order to protect public safety.

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