At about 2:11 a.m. Monday morning, Kent Patrol Officers were dispatched to Soos Creek Elementary School for an alarm, which revealed visual confirmation of an intruder inside the school.
Multiple Officers on Sgt. Stewart’s crew immediately responded, quietly got out on foot, and formed a perimeter around the building. They were quick to arrive, so there was a good likelihood that the burglar was still inside. Officer Nixon communicated that he had located a broken window as they worked their way around the building looking for a point of entry. He stated he could hear someone moving inside the building, so Officers began to sprint to that location. As Officer Tudor was running, suddenly the southernmost West door popped open, and he saw a “bewildered” looking suspect standing in the doorway holding several items. She quickly discarded the stolen items in her hands and took off running in an attempt to escape.
Officer Tudor yelled several times for the suspect to stop, but she continued to run southbound, ignoring repetitive commands. Multiple Officers gave chase and the suspect, a 23-year-old Kent woman, periodically turned around to see if they were still pursing her. She could not have known this at the time, but these Officers have stamina and even running with the extra weight of their heavy Police gear, were not even close to tapping out. Eventually Officer Tudor, (now referred to as ‘‘The Flash” by his sergeant) caught up to her as she approached a perimeter fence. He prevented her from getting over the fence, and Officers took her into custody.
It was later determined that the suspect had used an axe to break a window to gain entry into the school. She was booked into the King County Jail for Burglary 1st degree. The suspect faces additional charges of Possessing Stolen Property 3, Malicious Mischief 2, Possessing Burglary Tools, Possessing Dangerous Weapons on School Grounds, and Obstructing.
“Great tactics and great teamwork by this Patrol crew,” police said. “Due to their quick arrival and coordinated efforts, the suspect was prevented from causing additional damage, and the stolen items were all recovered.”
