'Tour de Banks' Robbery Suspect Pleads Not Guilty

The 29-year-old man dubbed the "Tour de Banks" robber pleaded not guilty Monday to eight counts of first-degree armed robbery, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Cristian Cornel Babalai was charged Oct. 16 in King County Superior Court. Babalai lived in Woodinville on the 18000 block of 142nd Ave NE during the time of all of the robberies, according to court documents. He reportedly moved to Bothell earlier this month, where he was arrested Oct. 12.

Court documents link Cristian Cornel Babalai to eight robberies from May through September, three of which were in Woodinville at Key Bank, Union Bank and Bank of America. The others include two banks in Bothell, one in Monroe, one in Arlington and one in Mill Creek. Authorities dubbed Babalai the “Tour de Banks” bandit for his alleged use of a bicycle to escape the crime scenes.

He remains in jail on $2 million bail.

For previous Patch stories about the case, click here.