Westwood Police ID Bank Robbery Suspect

Michael Tucker, 45, the suspect in a Somerville bank robbery last weekend, was identified from the bank surveillance photo by Westwood Police, who had knowledge of him from an unrelated investigation.

Tucker is the suspect in the Saturday morning robbery of Citizens Bank in Union Square, Somerville. He was arrested early Tuesday morning at a Red Roof Inn in Salem, NH, Somerville Police said.

He was located at the hotel overnight and agents from the FBI, Violent Crimes Task Force, U.S. Marshals Service, Somerville Police and Salem Police converged on the hotel. Tucker was arrested on the charge of a federal parole violation warrant and will also be charged with the Somerville Citizens Bank robbery, police said.

The robbery happened at the Citizens Bank at 40 Union Sq., at about 11:20 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13.

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According to a press release sent by Somerville Police on Saturday afternoon, he slipped the teller a note demanding cash and saying he had a gun. He then fled through the back exit of the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.

"We have three very good photos of this guy," Somerville Police Deputy Chief Paul Upton previously told Somerville Patch. However, the suspect "looked like any other person in Union Square on a Saturday," he said.

Westwood Police were able to assist with the identification of Tucker because of their familiarity with him from a previous crime. On Oct. 4, the Shell Station on the Northbound lane of Route 1 was broken into overnight. While no one was there to witness the crime, video surveillance cameras picked up images of a suspect taking lottery tickets. 

Westwood Police Detective Stokes was able to identify Tucker through physical evidence recovered at the scene, as well as by showing the pictures around to parole officers, one of whom recognized him. Tucker had been convicted in 2002 of two other bank robberies, and had just been released from federal prison in  March.

"It's a testament of his ability to close cases," Westwood Detective Paul Toland said of Stokes' ability to find out who committed the initial burglary by using all of his resources and networking with other law enforcement agencies.