Seattle woman accused of robbing 9 banks using airsoft gun, handwritten threats charged

A 24-year-old Seattle woman has been charged with multiple counts of robbery after allegedly robbing or attempting to rob nine banks across the city over one year.

Leena Chang was charged with eight counts of first-degree robbery and one count of attempted first-degree robbery after targeting banks from Queen Anne to West Seattle, according to documents filed in King County Superior Court.

String of bank robberies in Seattle

The string of robberies occurred between June 2024 and July 2025, during which Chang allegedly used handwritten notes to threaten bank tellers, and at times brandished what was believed to be a firearm, or claimed to have one.

Investigators noted that Chang allegedly entered several banks disguised as a customer, and quietly passed the threatening messages to employees that demanded cash, then escaped with thousands of dollars, according to KIRO 7.

Chang was arrested on July 7 after police said she had committed a robbery hours earlier at the Washington Federal Bank on California Avenue Southwest.

Detectives claimed she was walking near her University District apartment carrying items pictured in the bank’s surveillance footage, which included a wallet, green bag, and other accessories.

An airsoft pistol, and $1,799, were recovered from Chang, including a note that read, “I have a gun. Give me all the money from your register (except bait $). No tracking device. No silent alarm. Keep it discreet,” according to KIRO 7.

Law enforcement searched Chang’s apartment and discovered additional evidence that included disguises and other notes used in the robberies, and a notebook which detailed each bank robbery location, dates, and the amounts of money stolen.

One of the notes, written on the inside of an envelope, read, “Put $4,000 in 50s and 100s in here. Count from clean stock. Remain silent. No panic button. No dye packs, trackers, bait money. You have 30 seconds. I’m not kidding.”

Prosecutors said Chang allegedly attempted or successfully robbed nine locations, including:

• Wells Fargo, 1600 Queen Anne Avenue North, on June 28, 2024.
• US Bank, 2746 Northeast 45th Street (inside QFC), on September 7, 2024.
• Key Bank, 9735 Holman Road Northwest, on November 21, 2024.
• US Bank, 4200 Southwest Edmunds Street, on January 13, 2025.
• HomeStreet Bank, 4036 East Madison Street, on March 18, 2025.
• Sound Community Bank (Mountlake Terrace, attempted), on March 14, 2025 (not yet charged).
• WaFd Bank, 4800 Rainier Avenue South (attempted), on May 8, 2025.
• US Bank, 3124 West McGraw Street, on May 12, 2025.
• WaFd Bank, 4102 California Avenue Southwest, on July 7, 2025.

“She took immense personal satisfaction from her ability to rob banks and outsmart law enforcement,” Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brynn Jacobson wrote in a bail request. “The fact that she was a focus of a significant law enforcement investigation appears to have been a source of great pride for her.”

The state asked for Chang’s bail to be set at $500,000, and her arraignment is scheduled for July 23.

‘The Jake and Spike Show’ weighs in

“I don’t think bank robbing tactics have changed much. She’s slipping tellers’ notes and carrying a firearm, it kind of amazes me,” KIRO fill-in host Greg Tomlin said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “Perhaps it’s my own ignorance and naivete that that’s still the way robbing a bank is done nowadays.”

Chang implemented common practices that have been used numerous times in the past when attempting to rob a bank, most notably, using a written note to guide the process discreetly.

“In the story, it says there is what appeared to be a firearm,” KIRO host Spike O’Neill said. “It’s a totally different crime to rob a bank and to rob a bank with a gun.”

Firearms, knives, and explosives qualify as an armed robbery under federal law, according to Bulldog Law. Additionally, the United States v. Gray ruling set a precedent for realistic-looking toy guns enhancing a robbery charge because they can induce a defensive or violent reaction.

“Well, she was caught because she did it eight times. You think about the first seven times she did it, she built a track record,” Spike said. “This woman wrote a memoir. She kept copious notes of all her exploits with the intent of what? Selling her story to the tabloids someday?”

Bank robbing sprees in Seattle aren’t rare. William Scott Scurlock, nicknamed “The Hollywood Bandit,” robbed a total of 19 banks in Seattle between 1992 and 1996. Scurlock used elaborate disguises for his robberies inspired by the movie “Point Break,” which ultimately totaled roughly $2.3 million in stolen funds.

Listen to the full conversation below.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

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