Lakewood Police Arrest Serial Armed Robbery Suspect at Subway Restaurant

Lakewood detectives and investigators caught Joshua Nitschke and Cassandra Koepke after Nitschke robbed the on Sunday night around 7 p.m.

The duo was responsible for the string of 30 robberies that occurred around Pierce County including University Place starting in May.

Local authorities were watching the Subway restaurant when Nitschke went in to commit the robbery. The culprits had knocked off various stores and Little Caesar's Pizza restaurants but police were successful in catching the robber in the act

After the robbery, Nitschke was taken into custody without incident in his vehicle, parked a short distance away. Koepke, who is Nitschke’s girlfriend, was waiting in the car for him and was aware of what he was doing. She did not participate in the robbery on Sunday and was not driving the car.

The weapon used in each of the robberies was recovered. It turned out to be a toy gun. Nitschke cooperated with detectives and confessed to a total of 30 robberies. He admitted he was doing them to support a drug habit. Both were booked into Pierce County Jail this morning and will appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.

Lakewood PD worked cooperatively with the Tacoma Police Department and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department to conclude the investigation.