Four teens arrested in connection with 78 violent crimes in King County

SEATTLE – Four teenagers were arrested in connection with nearly 80 robberies throughout King County, Seattle police announced Friday.

Seattle Police Department officials on Friday said four males – a 15-year-old, two 16-year-olds and an 18-year-old – were arrested in connection with the crimes. Police said the group was connected with 78 total cases, 22 of which were in Seattle.

They targeted gas stations, convenience stores and restaurants, typically wearing face coverings, brandishing firearms and demanding cash and personal items, Assistant Chief Thomas Mahaffey said during a news conference.

Interim Chief Sue Rahr said the “terrifying” string of crimes ended with an arrest involving several automatic weapons. Two firearms were recovered during the arrest, Mahaffey said.

“Juveniles have poor decision-making, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous,” she said. “In some ways, they’re more dangerous because they’re more impulsive, they’re unpredictable.”

Mahaffey said multiple agencies surveilled the suspects. After a carjacking in Bellevue on Thursday, detectives saw the suspects driving the vehicle in Federal Way near an apartment, deployed a device to deflate their tires and arrested the four after they pulled over.

SPD first became aware of the group in September, police said.

In one instance, a suspect fired an automatic weapon into a convenience store when an employee, aware of robberies in the area, locked the door and refused to let him in, police said. The employee was not hit. In another case, a convenience store clerk was kicked in the head.

Mahaffey said investigators are going through evidence and fingerprint analysis to establish probable cause for all 78 crimes. Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors anticipate getting additional cases from Seattle police or the King County Sheriff’s Office by Tuesday.

“It’s important for the community that we have clear accountability, and we will,” McNerthney said.