Omari Moore, 22, suspected of robbing 10 hotels from Federal Way to SeaTac, was arrested Oct. 29 after a tip to Crime Stoppers helped police locate Moore in Tacoma.
He was identified in a police lineup by a hotel clerk at one of the targeted establishments. Moore appeared in court Thursday for arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree robbery and two counts of second-degree robbery.
Moore is being held on $250,000 bail, said Monica Schmuck, Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office personnel. Moore was charged in the Sept. 26 robbery at Tacoma’s LaQuinta Inn; Sept. 27 robbery at Tacoma’s Extended Stay America; Sept. 28 robbery at the Best Western-Tacoma Dome; and the Oct. 1 robbery at Tacoma’s Holiday Inn. Moore is scheduled to next appear in court Dec. 9.
Moore has not been charged or positively linked to two similar robberies that occurred in Federal Way, but local police are confident the suspect in its cases is Moore, Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock said.
The latest robbery in Federal Way happened at about 8 p.m. Tuesday. The suspect entered Federal Way’s Comfort Inn, 31522 Pacific Highway S., jumped over the counter and demanded money from the clerk. The suspect stole $230 in cash, according to police records.
What appeared to be a weapon — either a knife or handgun — was seen in the suspect’s waistband, Schrock said. Nobody was injured in the incident and the suspect fled on foot. Police were unable to conduct a K-9 track because of high pedestrian and vehicle traffic near the area, she said.
A similar robbery took place an hour and a half later in the SeaTac area. The suspect in that crime matched the description of the man who robbed Comfort Inn, Schrock said. Six Tacoma hotels have been robbed. Two Federal Way hotels, one Fife hotel and one SeaTac hotel were targets of the serial hotel robber.
Schrock described the suspect in Federal Way’s cases as a black male in his mid-20s to 30s, weighing about 200 pounds, standing about 5 feet 10 inches tall with some facial hair. He wore a gray or dark-colored puffy fur-trimmed jacket with a hood and light-colored gloves. The descriptions match that given in the Tacoma cases prior to Moore’s arrest, according to a Crime Stoppers bulletin.
“We are going to pursue charges against him for the two robberies in Federal Way, but the investigation is ongoing,” she said.
Anyone with information about the Federal Way cases is asked to call detective Doug Laird at (253) 835-6724.
Contact writer: jhoward@fedwaymirror.com
