Man accused of robbing 2 banks in Eugene charged after police chase

Police lights

A man accused of robbing two banks in Eugene 10 days apart in September was charged with two counts of robbery in the second degree following a chase with officers Monday that ended near Dexter, according to Eugene Police.

Police say Bryan Michael Makarowsky, 34, went into Chase Bank at 2840 Willamette St. a little before 4:25 p.m. Monday and made threats about having a gun in order to rob the bank, according to Eugene Police Department spokeswoman Melinda McLaughlin.

Makarowsky fled the scene, McLaughlin said, before police were alerted and flooded the area.

Financial crimes unit detectives had been working on a Sept. 16 robbery at Columbia Bank on Coburg Road across the street from the Oakway Center mall and had a vehicle of interest they suspected was linked to the Chase Bank robbery, McLaughlin said.

‘It’s very unsettling’:Deadly hostage situation at Springfield-area day care rattles neighbors

The Lane County Sheriff’s Office and Oregon State Police officers located the suspected vehicle, and when police tried to make a traffic stop, it fled, McLaughlin said. The officers pursued the vehicle southbound on Interstate 5 toward Goshen. The suspect, later identified as Makarowsky, headed east on Highway 58 and was stopped near Dexter, McLaughlin said.

Makarowsky was taken into custody and arraigned on the robbery charges Wednesday. A pre-trial conference court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 2. Makarowsky is lodged in Lane County Jail.

Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Contact him at lkrauss@registerguard.com, and follow him on Twitter @LouisKraussNews.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Man accused of robbing 2 banks in Eugene charged after police chase