University Place Bank Robber Gets Long Sentence

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA - A 50-year-old Tacoma man who robbed a bank in University Place last winter was sentenced on Monday to 15 years in federal prison. Authorities described Vincent Fields as a serial bank robber after he knocked off four banks around Puget Sound beginning in mid-February.

Fields' robbery spree was halted in March after he robbed a bank in Renton. After fleeing the Renton Highlands bank, a GPS device in the bag of cash Fields stole led police to him.

Renton police tracked Fields for about 10 minutes before taking him into custody in the downtown Renton area - but not before he crashed his car into another driver.

Fields' first robbery happened Feb. 15, 2017, at a Wells Fargo bank in Tacoma. On March 7, he hit a Wells Fargo in University Place, and then tried to rob another Wells Fargo branch nearby. Fields used a sub-machine gun during the robberies, according to U.S. Attorney Annette Hayes.

Fields has a long history of crime. At the time of his robbery spree, he was under federal supervision for a 2012 cocaine trafficking conviction. He also has prior convictions from 1995 for second-degree murder and possession of cocaine.

Caption: Renton police take Vincent Fields into custody on March 22, 2017, in the downtown Renton area.

Photo courtesy Renton police