Man Arrested For Robbing, Assaulting Elderly Couple In BA Home Invasion

Authorities have arrested a man who reportedly forced his way into the home of an elderly Broken Arrow couple, held them at knifepoint, assaulted them and stole valuables.

Broken Arrow Police Cpl. Leon Calhoun says the robbery occurred about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 800 block of Lynwood Lane at a home that sits along the greens of The Club at Indian Springs.

According to the family, the suspect got away with cash, credit cards, checks, a gun and the woman's wedding ring.

Michael Tanner Lank, 30, of Tulsa, was arrested Wednesday afternoon. Detectives with the Tulsa Police Department said when they arrived at Lank's home to interview him, the couple's credit cards and state ID card were in his pants' pocket, an arrest report says.

According to a public Facebook post attributed to a family member, the 84-year-old man was held with a butcher knife to his throat by an intruder who went room to room taking items.

The suspect was wearing a ski mask over his face, along with a heavy coat and gloves, according to the victims' family.

"He physically assaulted my grandfather multiple times and in great description told him what he was going to do to him," a Facebook post says. "The threats this man made were so horrific that my granddad will not repeat them."

The Facebook post has gone viral in Green Country, garnering nearly 7,500 shares and more than 800 comments and 550 "likes" by noon on Wednesday. BAPD confirmed the Facebook post's validity by issuing a statement to the media at 12:40 p.m.

When the man's 83-year-old wife came home from her shopping trip during the process of the robbery, "she barely made it to the garage before this monster caught and assaulted her," the post says.

Lank also is the suspect in another robbery in Tulsa, according to police.

On Sept. 25, witnesses told police they were supposed to meet Lank for drinks that night, but he showed up late to meet them and was sweating, the arrest report said. When they returned home, they found their back door kicked in and master bedroom ransacked. They reported missing jewelry, a safe and other items, the report says.

The next day, Lank pawned their jewelry at a Tulsa pawn shop, declaring he had owned it for six years. The pawn shop owner identified Lank in a photo lineup, according to police.

He was booked Wednesday on complaints of false declaration of ownership and possession of stolen property for that incident.

A complaint of first degree robbery by force or fear was later added.