Craigslist Decoys Help Bank Robber Escape by Inner Tube

"In an elaborate robbery scheme that's one part The Thomas Crowne Affair and one part Pineapple Express, a crook robbed an armored truck outside a Bank of America branch in Monroe, Wash., by hiring decoys through Craigslist to deter authorities.

"It gets better: He then escaped in a creek headed for the Skykomish River in an inner tube, and the cops are still looking for him. 'A great amount of money' was taken, Monroe police said, but did not provide a dollar value.

". . . . the robber, wearing a yellow vest, safety goggles, a blue shirt, and a respirator mask went over to a guard who was overseeing the unloading of cash to the bank from the truck. He sprayed the guard with pepper spray, grabbed his bag of money, and fled the scene.

". . . . The robber had previously put out a Craigslist ad for road maintenance workers, promising wages of $28.50 per hour. Recruits were asked to wait near the Bank of America right around the time of the robbery -- wearing yellow vests, safety goggles, a respirator mask, and preferably a blue shirt. At least a dozen of them showed up after responding to the Craigslist ad."

More at cnet news. (Thanks, Ben!)