Alleged “Bicycle Bandit” Indicted for Theft and Escape

An Arlington man could face a mandatory minimum of 122 years in prison following his indictment on charges that he robbed banks, then escaped from custody in a hospital by overpowering and kidnapping a guard.

A federal grand jury indicted 42-year-old Wossen Assaye Thursday on charges including bank robbery, escape, kidnapping and firearms offenses.

Assaye was arrested in March, charged as the "bicycle bandit" who had robbed a dozen banks in Virginia, sometimes fleeing on two wheels.

Authorities said he tried to kill himself while in custody and was taken to Inova Fairfax Hospital. While there, prosecutors said he overpowered and briefly kidnapped one of his guards. He then fled the hospital and evaded authorities for nine hours during a frantic search that ended in the District of Columbia.