FERNDALE, Wash. — A 32-year-old Mexican national was detained on November 13, 2025, and charged with 1 count of robbery and 4 counts of attempted robbery according to a news release from the US Department of Justice.
Edgar Oscar Gonzalez Barragan is accused of robbery and attempted robbery of 3 tribal casinos and a Shoreline, Washington, bank branch in August 2025. He was arrested on August 11, 2025, hours after the bank robbery.
According to records filed in the case, on the evening of August 1, 2025, Gonzalez Barragan allegedly brandished a silver handgun when he approached the cashier window at the Tulalip Quil Ceda Creek Casino and demanded money from the till. The cashier pressed the panic button and refused to hand over any money despite the gunman’s threat to shoot guests. Gonzalez Barragan ran from the scene.
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Click for more informationTwo days later, on August 3, 2025, Gonzalez Barragan was identified as the person who robbed the Silver Reef Casino on the Lummi Nation Indian Reservation in Ferndale, Washington. Again, he allegedly used a silver handgun to demand cash from the cashier. He fled from the casino on foot.
On August 9, 2025, Gonzalez Barragan allegedly attempted to rob the Little Creek Casino on Squaxin Island Tribal land in Shelton, Washington. Gonzalez Barragan is alleged to have removed a gun from his pocket and demanded cash. After the teller told him there was no cash in the till, he ran the from the scene.
Later that same day, the Riverside Fire Authority reported that a $12,000 piece of equipment called the “Jaws of Life” was stolen off their fire truck. Surveillance video helped law enforcement identify a vehicle associated with the theft. Ultimately, law enforcement was able to connect the vehicle with Gonzalez Barragan.
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Click for more informationFinally, two days later, August 11, 2025, Gonzalez Barragan walked into the U.S. Bank branch in Shoreline and demanded money. The teller heard what sounded like a large object hit the counter and was fearful the man had a gun. The teller handed him money from the till, and he left. When Gonzalez Barragan was arrested that day, he was wearing the same clothing he wore during the bank robbery.
Cell phone location data and other evidence place Gonzalez Barragan in the vicinity of all the robberies and attempted robberies.
The case is being investigated by the FBI with assistance from many law enforcement agencies, including the Kent Police Department, the Ferndale Police Department, the Federal Way Police Department, the Marysville Police Department, the Centralia Police Department,, the King County Sheriff’s Office, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, the Lummi Nation Police Department, the Tulalip Police Department, the Squaxin Island Police Department, and the Department of Homeland Security
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Click for more information– U.S. Attorney’s office, Western District of Washington (November 13, 2025)
The Centralia Police Department investigation into the “Jaws of Life” theft was detailed in an August 12, 2025, press release.
On 08/09/2025 at approximately 2 PM, a piece of rescue equipment known as Jaws of Life was stolen from a Riverside Fire Authority vehicle while the crew was in Washinton Park attending to a call for service. The jaws of life are a crucial piece of equipment for RFA personnel to extract victims from vehicle collisions and are valued at about $12000. Centralia PD patrol officers responded to the scene and immediately began a theft investigation. Officers quickly obtained surveillance footage of the suspect walking away from the fire department vehicle with the stolen equipment. A bulletin was created with a photo of the suspect and his vehicle and a short time later, Centralia PD was advised that this suspect appeared to be the same person who attempted an armed robbery at a casino located in Mason County.
The following day, Centralia PD detective Mitch King began investigating the theft. He learned that the license plate on the Toyota vehicle the suspect had been driving had been recently stolen from another Toyota in Olympia. Using the Flock Safety search function, Det. King was eventually able to locate the suspect vehicle from a previous day in Kent, WA. He was able to identify the vehicle as being the correct one due to subtle differences in the vehicle that made it unique. Det. King began coordinating with JNET, the FBI, HSI, Mason County Sherriff’s Office, and the Kent Police Department to locate the vehicle and the suspect.
At approximately 8 PM, Kent PD located the suspect vehicle and arrested the suspect in Centralia’s theft and the attempted robbery in Mason County. The suspect was positively identified through multiple surveillance photos taken of him while he was committing his crimes. He was identified as 32-year-old Edgar Gonzalez-Barragan of SeaTac. Custody of Gonzalez-Barragan was transferred to the Centralia Police Department.
Gonzalez-Barragan was driven back to Lewis County where he was booked into the Lewis County Jail for Theft 1st degree.
– Centralia Police Department (August 12, 2025)
According to court records, Gonzalez Barragan pled guilty to the 1st-degree theft charge related to the “Jaws of Life” theft in Lewis County Superior Court on October 3, 2025. He was sentenced to 3 months in custody with credit for 54 days already served in the Lewis County Jail while awaiting trial. He was released from jail custody on October 22, 2025, according to jail records prior to being detained on November 13, 2025.
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