The man fatally shot by a county policeman Wednesday morning after an unsuccessful bank robbery attempt in Silver Spring has been linked to a Christmas Eve bank robbery, Montgomery County police said Thursday.
The man was identified as Mikyas Mehary Tegegne, 31, of no fixed address. Montgomery County District Court documents from 2017 list a Falls Church, Virginia, address for Tegegne.
Police said they believe Tegegne acted alone when he entered BB&T Bank, at 1100 Wayne Ave., armed with a handgun.
After approaching a manager, Tegegne claimed he had a bomb in his backpack and demanded $20,000.
Authorities said a bank employee set off a silent alarm.
Tegegne left the bank before obtaining cash and was confronted by the patrolman near the Silver Spring Metro station in downtown Silver Spring, authorities said.
Ofc. Christopher LaPointe shot and disabled Tegegne, who was taken to Holy Cross Hospital where he died, police said.
The police said LaPointe has been with the department for two and a half years and was placed on paid administrative leave while the case is reviewed.
Police on Thursday would not say whether they’ve determined how Tegegne planned his getaway or why they believe this bank branch was selected.
Police believe Tegegne also committed a robbery at Sandy Spring Bank in Silver Spring on Dec. 24.
The police would not say what kind of gun they found on Tegegne’s body or describe the device found in the backpack.
Roads around the bank were closed for several hours while bomb-squad technicians examined the backpack.
