After 28 years on the run, 60-year-old Steven Lee Wright was arrested after an unfortunate flip of a coin — literally.
Wright told a police officer he had the choice between heads or tails — rob a bank or turn himself in. When the coin landed face-up, on with his robbery he went.
The aging felon was out of money, according to court documents, which is why he robbed the bank.
FBI task force agent Brett Hawkinson said that Wright not only admitted to robbing the bank but was forthright about his fugitive status, voluntarily explaining to police that he was wanted in Michigan.
According to court records from the Michigan Department of Corrections, as reported by the Oregonian, Wright was issued an arrest warrant in 1983 for violating parole. He had previously served time for armed robbery and breaking and entering.
The Oregonian reported that Wright walked into a Portland bank and demanded “money now” at about 5:30 p.m. He left with $2,567 and was spotted by a passersby who promptly dialed police.
When officials arrived, they found that Wright was armed with a derringer, a stun gun, brass knuckles, a folding knife and a can of pepper spray.
Investigators believe the fugitive had been living in Oregon under a fake name — either “Stafford Julian Coolbaugh” or “Timothy Morris McKellar.”
Wright was shackled and booked in Multnomah County Jail.
