MULINO, Ore. — Clackamas County officials were looking for an armed man wearing a motorcycle helmet to conceal his identity who robbed three coffee shops across Clackamas County on Jan. 15-16.
Oregon City Police Department announced on Feb. 14 that the man had been arrested and was identified as 38-year-old Michael Frias. He was apprehended when Oregon City police responded to an alarm set off at Oregonians Federal Credit Union on Feb. 1 and found Frias attempting to break into the bank's night dropbox.
On the morning of Jan. 15, a barista who asked not to be identified was working alone at Keller's Coffee in Mulino when the suspect pulled up to the window.
"Threw a bucket in the window at me," she said. "Pointed a gun at me and told me to give him all the money. I grabbed the money out of the till. He told me to empty my tip jar in the bucket. I did."
While following the Frias' alleged orders, she managed to initiate the emergency SOS feature on her iPhone, which alerted police and some of her emergency contacts.
"Suddenly another car started to pull in and I panicked, thinking this guy is with him and I'm doomed, or there's a guardian angel looking over me. It happened to be a regular who pulled in and [the robber] drove away," the barista said.
According to the Oregon City Police Department, around 7:20 p.m. Saturday, Frias robbed Black Rock Coffee on Molalla Avenue, then hit the Dutch Bros on Main Street about 30 minutes later. Both of those hold-ups were caught on camera.
Frias is facing multiple charges including:
- Robbery I
- 3 counts robbery II
- Attempted assault on a public safety officer
- Unlawful use of a weapon
- Burglary II
- Criminal mischief I
- 6 counts of menacing
- Theft II
Frias is being held in the Clackamas County Jail with a bail set at $400,000.
"When I saw the security footage it made me live it all over again, because I remember that pull up to the window, that helmet and outfit," the barista said.
The suspect was wearing a black motorcycle helmet with a large 'X' made with white tape, with mesh over the face mask portion of the helmet. The man was also wearing a black jacket, black pants and black shoes.
"I don't want to see more people get traumatized over money," the barista said.
Anyone with information about the case is urged to contact the Oregon City Police Department.