Man, three teens arrested in connection with nearly 80 violent robberies in King County

KING COUNTY, Washington — A man and three teenagers were arrested Thursday in connection with nearly 80 violent robberies in King County, Seattle police said.

At a news conference Friday afternoon, Detective Brian Whicker said authorities arrested a 15-year-old, two 16-year-olds and an 18-year-old in connection with the crimes after coordinated surveillance.

In early September, several law enforcement agencies in King County began investigating a trend of thefts from late-night gas stations, convenience stores and fast food restaurants. SPD said violent crimes also included carjackings, burglaries and shootings.

The crime spree totaled 78 known cases throughout King County, including at least 22 in the city of Seattle. It is likely that at least 100 people were terrorized during these armed robberies and carjackings. Fortunately, police reported no serious injuries.

Whicker said the Seattle Robbery Unit, with assistance from the Gun Violence Reduction Unit, conducted surveillance and became aware the suspects frequented Federal Way. During their surveillance, teams became aware of a carjacking in Bellevue that matched descriptions of previous crimes. Surveillance teams saw the suspects enter a building.

“Seattle Police SWAT operators were mobilized, as were the Guardian One helicopter and King County K9 units,” Seattle police said.

With the help of Guardian One, police were able to track the suspects once they left the apartment. According to Whicker, the suspects were driving recklessly and ran several red lights.

Police deployed a Terminator (tire deflation device) on which the suspects eventually drove. As they stopped to attempt to change their tire, a SWAT team intervened and arrested two of the suspects. The other two suspects were briefly chased on foot before being taken into custody.

Chief Tom Mahaffey said two firearms were recovered during the arrests. One of the firearms was equipped with an extended magazine that police said was visible “in almost all of the surveillance footage from these robberies.”

The four people arrested Thursday were presented to judges on Friday. A King County judge set bail at $100,000 for the 18-year-old man in the case.

The three teens, ages 15 and 16, remain in custody, although one was sure he would be released today, according to the conversation shared by Seattle Whicker during Friday’s press conference .

“The conversation led to him basically saying, ‘Can I be incarcerated because I’d like to be released tomorrow’. That kind of took me away and I said you’re not getting out tomorrow and he said that if I’m incarcerated today, they’ll let me out tomorrow. I let him know that wasn’t going to be the case, but they think once they’re incarcerated, they’ll be released the next day,” the detective explained. Whicker.

He said it was something they saw with several juveniles; they believe an arrest is a quick step in and out.

Acting Seattle Police Chief Sue Rahr stressed about the crimes that these crimes aren’t just about kids playing cops and robbers.

“These children are very, very dangerous and our system needs to find a way or we need to find a way for our system to properly balance the cognitive abilities of a minor against the dangers that they present,” Rahr said.

In a way, she says they are more dangerous because they are more impulsive and unpredictable.

Whicker said the suspect was under the impression that if he was incarcerated Thursday, he would be released Friday.

Mahaffey said investigators believe the suspects are responsible for at least 78 documented crimes, including 22 that occurred in Seattle.

“In total, SPD arrested five individuals associated with these various thefts and other crimes,” Seattle police said.

Seattle Police are working with other law enforcement agencies to continue their investigation.