Darryl William Young, Armed Bank Robbery, WA 2023

Darryl William Young, 66, of Seattle, Washington, is headed to federal prison for 180 months after pleading guilty to a five-bank robbery spree that terrorized communities across the state. The 66-year-old admitted to three counts of Armed Bank Robbery and two counts of Bank Robbery, crimes committed in a relentless five-week stretch in the summer of 2016.

The first two hits came fast and brazen. On June 8 and June 18, 2016, Young walked into a Key Bank and a Wells Fargo in Seattle, flashed a pistol replica at tellers, and demanded cash. He got it—without a shot fired, but with fear as his weapon. He left both banks with stolen money, vanishing into the city as investigators began connecting the dots.

He didn’t stop. On June 29 and July 1, Young struck again—this time in Issaquah and Woodinville. At a Key Bank in Issaquah and a Banner Bank in Woodinville, he approached tellers, demanded money, and walked out with cash. Surveillance footage captured his movements, his mannerisms—clues that would soon land him in handcuffs.

The final robbery, on July 11, 2016, at a U.S. Bank in Selah, was more subtle—but no less threatening. Young asked a teller to break a $10 bill. Then, he made a gesture implying he was armed. The teller believed him. She handed over money. Young left—but not for long. He was arrested later that same day, ending his crime wave.

On February 14, 2018, U.S. District Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. handed down a 15-year prison sentence, followed by five years of court supervision. Young was also ordered to pay $14,000 in restitution. The prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Seal, emphasized the calculated nature of the crimes and the trauma inflicted on bank staff and local communities.

Joseph H. Harrington, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, stood firm: ‘This office will continue to prosecute to the fullest extent any person who uses the threat of violence to victimize the community and commit crime.’ The case was a joint blow by the FBI, Selah Police Department, Yakima County Sheriff’s Office, Seattle Police, Kennewick Police, and King County Sheriff’s Office—a reminder that when federal and local forces align, no spree goes unpunished.

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