BATTLE GROUND Wash. (KPTV) – Around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, a search warrant was executed at a Battle Ground home in connection with a Nov. 6 bank robbery along with others.

Two people believed to be involved in more than a dozen bank robberies in Washington and Oregon have been arrested.

Andrew Bekman, 31, and Amira Askey, 28, were charged with first-degree bank robbery.

Investigators said they believe Bekman and Askew robbed the Umpqua Bank in Salmon Creek on Nov. 6 and are suspected of being involved in other bank robberies in the Vancouver/Portland metro area beginning in June 2024.

FRONT COVER: Duo robs a bank in Vancouver.

During the execution of the search warrant, clothing matching that worn during several robberies was seized, along with weapons, ballistic vests and stolen cars. A note was also found that read: “This is a robbery. I have a gun. Empty your house.”

The robbery happened on Nov. 6 when a man and a woman wearing masks robbed the Umpqua Bank in Salmon Creek around 5 p.m. The man implied he had a gun and the suspects left with an unknown amount of cash.

A tip from a citizen helped identify both suspects.

After being arrested, Bekman and Askew confessed to the Umpqua bank robbery and several others.

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