On Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed charges against two following a Kent Police investigation into a wild carjacking incident on Feb. 13, 2024.

The two suspects carjacked two vehicles, struck two or more vehicles, and rolled one stolen vehicle.

Ernesto Rojas-Renteria, 26

Robbery in the First Degree (two counts)
Attempt to Elude a Pursuing Police Vehicle
Possession of Stolen Vehicle
Bail was set at $250,000.

Brandy Marie Gomez, 24

Possession of Stolen Vehicle
Attempt to Elude a Pursuing Police Vehicle
Gomez had a first appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, where her bail was set at $15,000.
The first appearance document shared by police did not indicate that she was involved in Rojas-Renteria’s violent crimes.

Charges Against Ernesto Rojas-Renteria, 26:

First-degree robbery: Accused of forcibly taking a Subaru station wagon from a victim on Feb 13, 2024, in King County.
- Used or threatened violence and fear of injury to obtain the vehicle.
- Inflicted bodily injury on the victim during the commission of the crime.
Attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle: Failed to stop when signaled by a police officer and drove recklessly while trying to escape in the stolen Subaru.

Charges Against Brandy Marie Gomez, 24:

Possession of a stolen vehicle: Accused of knowingly possessing a stolen Cadillac Escalade on Feb. 13, 2024, in King County.
Attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle: Failed to stop when signaled by a police officer and drove recklessly while trying to escape in the stolen Cadillac.

From the Charging Documents:

On Feb. 13, 2024 at 12:27 p.m., Kent Police Officers were notified of a stolen vehicle alert (LOJACK) from KCSO Guardian One for a stolen Cadillac Escalade parked at an apartment complex in Kent.
The stolen vehicle, reported stolen out of Pierce County on Feb. 11, 2024, was described as a white, 2002 Cadillac Escalade with no plates
Guardian One tracked the stolen Escalade as it traveled through Kent, eventually stopping at a Shell Station where a male suspect identified as Ernesto Rojas-Renteria entered the vehicle.
Rojas-Renteria, known to officers as a prolific car thief and a suspect in a vehicular homicide, fled in the stolen Escalade, later abandoning it to forcibly carjack a red Ford Explorer.
Guardian One also advised that a female subject had been observed with the driver of the Cadillac. After the driver of the Cadillac had carjacked the Expedition and drove off, the female subject stayed with the Cadillac and drove off in it.
Two victims of the carjacking reported being sideswiped by the stolen Escalade, with one victim forced out of the vehicle while it was in motion.
An Officer pursued the stolen Escalade, later identified as driven by suspect Brandy Marie Gomez, while other officers located the stolen Ford Expedition driven recklessly, resulting in another carjacking.
A victim of the subsequent carjacking described a Hispanic male subject forcibly removing her from her blue Subaru Forester while brandishing a wrench.
The stolen Subaru was pursued by officers, ultimately leading to its crash and the detention of the driver, positively identified as Ernesto Rojas-Renteria.
Ernesto Rojas-Renteria was taken into custody, transported for evaluation, and later booked into the King County Jail.
Guardian One began orbiting a wooded area and identified a heat signature near a small creek that appeared to be a person lying down. Once additional Officers arrived, they moved to the location that Guardian One kept eye on. Officers located the female, detained her, and positively identified her as Brandy Gomez.
Based on the facts and circumstances listed above for this specific case, Gomez was charged with Possession of a Stolen Vehicle, Eluding Police and Hit & Run Attended.

The court set bail at $250,000 after hearing from both sides and found probable cause for Robbery in the First Degree (two counts), Attempting to Elude a Pursuing Police Vehicle, Hit and Run (attended) (two counts), and Possession of a Stolen Vehicle.

The next court dates for both defendants are their arraignments scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.