On Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021, an armed robbery suspect was killed in a fatal one-car crash after fleeing from Kent Police.
Police say that just after midnight, Officers were dispatched to the East Hill Market at the 23800 block of 108th Ave SE (map below) in regards to a robbery with a gun.
The store clerk stated that the suspect had been loitering in the store, and then approached the counter, pulled out a gun and demanded money. The suspect then fled the store when customers walked inside.
Responding Kent Officers noted that the description of the suspect was similar to the description of the suspect in a robbery that had occurred at another nearby convenience store about an hour earlier. During the first robbery, the suspect had demanded cigarettes and threatened the clerk with a handgun.
One responding Officer located a suspicious vehicle rapidly leaving the area from a nearby parking lot. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, but the suspect fled and continued to elude the officer. A short time later, the suspect’s vehicle suddenly veered off the road and collided with a tree at a high speed. The force of the collision appears to have resulted in the male being ejected from his vehicle. Arriving officers immediately provided lifesaving efforts, which were continued until taken over by fire personnel.
Tragically, the male did not survive his injuries.
Kent Police are not releasing the name of the male, but he is described as a 25-year old Des Moines resident.
A handgun was located near the deceased male at the crash location. Initial review of the surveillance video from the first armed robbery indicates that the suspect in that robbery and the male who fled officers are the same person. It does not appear that any of the police vehicles made contact with the suspect’s vehicle during the pursuit.
Kent Police have called upon the King County Sheriff’s Office to conduct an independent investigation of the collision.
