A 35-year-old Seattle man was arrested last week after police say he committed an armed robbery in Kent while fleeing in a vehicle taken during an armed carjacking in Seattle, according to the Kent Police Department.
Kent officers were conducting routine patrols around 10 p.m. when Valley Com 911 broadcast a BOLO (“Be On the Lookout”) alert for an orange 2008 Jeep Patriot involved in a Seattle robbery and carjacking. The vehicle was last seen near 108th Ave SE and 192nd Street SE and was heading toward Kent.
According to police, Flock Safety cameras detected the Jeep as it moved westbound from South 240th Street and 132nd Avenue. Officers began converging on the area, but the driver appeared to be intentionally evasive. Dispatchers reported that the Jeep had been stolen at gunpoint in Seattle and that the suspect was believed to be armed. Nearby law enforcement agencies also moved into Kent to assist.
As officers searched for the vehicle, an armed robbery was reported at a business in the 10200 block of SW 256th Street. Police said a suspect pointed a gun at a store clerk and demanded money, but the clerk ducked behind cover and the suspect fled. The description matched the Seattle carjacking suspect, and witnesses saw the man leave in an orange Jeep.
Flock cameras alerted again, this time locating the vehicle near Smith Street and Titus Street in downtown Kent. Officers responded to the area while investigators on scene confirmed probable cause for first degree robbery in the Kent incident.
A short time later, King County Sheriff’s Office deputies located the Jeep on Kent’s East Hill. After a short pursuit, deputies used a PIT maneuver to stop the vehicle. Police said the suspect tried to run, but a King County K9 located him quickly. Kent officers then took the man into custody.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the Jeep, and the Kent robbery victim positively identified the driver as the suspect. Police said the man attempted to avoid booking by claiming he had swallowed drugs, but he was medically cleared at a hospital and booked into King County jail.
Kent Police said they later learned the suspect had entered a Seattle store before the carjacking, pointed a pistol at a clerk and a customer, and stole money, products and the customer’s Jeep keys. Multiple packs of cigarettes reported stolen in the Seattle robbery were found in the vehicle, along with additional evidence.
“We want to thank the King County Sheriffs’ Deputies and officers from neighboring police agencies who came into our city once alerted that he was in our area,” Kent Police said. “Sometimes it takes a law enforcement village to capture a suspect who is determined to flee and, on this call, our South King County village showed up.”
