CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Police arrest suspected serial robbers, including one 11-year-old

| Crime | West Seattle news

4:15 PM: Last night after two more robberies in unincorporated areas just outside Seattle, police pursued and arrested suspects when the chase ended in Capitol Hill. Here’s the SPD summary:

Seattle Police Officers arrested a 21-year-old, 19-year-old, and 11-year-old wanted for a string of robberies in Seattle and surrounding jurisdictions.

During these robberies, the suspects entered the businesses armed with firearms, stole merchandise and cash, before fleeing in stolen vehicles.

Friday evening at approximately 8:30 p.m., the same suspects committed an additional armed robbery in a surrounding jurisdiction. The suspects were pursued in a silver Hyundai by Tukwila Police into Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood. The pursuit spanned through multiple jurisdictions and involved several agencies including King County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, and Tukwila Police Department.

The males stopped and ran from the stolen car around Spring Street and Harvard Avenue. Officers from Community Response Group (CRG), South, East, Southwest, and K9 Unit contained the area with the assistance of KCSO Guardian One, KCSO K9, and Tukwila PD.

All three suspects were taken into custody without incident and no firearms were located.

Two men were booked into King County Jail, one boy was booked into Judge Patricia H. Clark Children & Family Justice Center, all for investigation of robbery.

The robberies reported last night were in Skyway and just south of South Park. This was hours after a series of robberies early Friday including two in West Seattle. We won’t know before next week which incidents these suspects might face charges in.

5:08 PM: The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says the suspects aren’t expected to have their first court appearances until Monday.

Stef November 16, 2024 (4:20 pm)

The adults should be charged with kidnapping a minor. 11 yrs old smh.

Morgan Graham November 16, 2024 (5:11 pm)

Hopefully multiple counts of child endangerment as well.
Conflicted November 16, 2024 (7:35 pm)

If the parents/guardian didn’t report them as missing, the adults should be charged with endangerment at least imo. King county prosecutors probably won’t do jack and the kid will be used again for crimes.
- K November 17, 2024 (8:35 pm)
  
  In Washington State, child endangerment is charged as Criminal Mistreatment, and the statute requires someone to withhold “the basic necessities of life” to be charged. ; https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9a.42  “Abandonment” is defined in RCW 9A.42.010 as leaving them “without the means or ability to obtain one or more of the basic necessities of life.” Being in the care of a 21- and 19-year old does not fit that definition unless the state can prove neither of those adults were capable of providing the basic necessities of life to the child, which is extremely unlikely. King County prosecutors can’t do anything to the caregivers because there is no statute to charge them under.
Also John November 17, 2024 (6:30 am)

The 11 year old needs to join the other two in jail. Teach him the direction of his future.

Savannah November 16, 2024 (4:22 pm)

Thank you — thank you — thank you (!!!) — major kudos to the following (and whomever else was involved) — King County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, and Tukwila Police Department

Alan November 16, 2024 (4:28 pm)

An ELEVEN YEAR OLD?

Why is an eleven year old out commiting robberies?

It is WAY BEYOND time to start imposing the maximum sentence and also charging the parents of these idiots.

No more kid gloves, ineffective probation, double ankle monitor BS, diversion, blah, blah, blah. It’s only a matter of time before this happens again and we see the parents on t.v. asking why their 11, 12, 13, 14 y/o, etc. was shot and killed by someone they were trying to to rob or victimize.

I’m SICK of this @#$&#, NO MORE!

K November 16, 2024 (7:05 pm)

Who are the parents you think should be charged? Are you saying that whoever is listed on the birth certificate gets charged with a crime? What if the kid hasn’t been in their care most of their life? Or say the child has one set of caregivers their whole life, and you haul them off to jail for doing a bad job parenting. Do you think going into foster care or being bounced between parents will set them on the right path? If they’re in foster care and the kid commits a crime, are you saying the foster parents should then be charged? What about the aunts/uncles/relatives that take kids in when they see things aren’t going well at home? Do you want to charge them? How many people do you think will step in to help troubled youth if they have to worry about facing charges if the kid commits a crime while living under their roof? Parents can be charged if they commit a crime, but charging someone just because they are providing food and shelter for a kid who commits a crime is asinine. Think before you speak.
AJ November 17, 2024 (6:32 am)

HUGE THUMBS UP!
Donna November 17, 2024 (7:11 am)

An 11yo with a firearm committing robberies. That’s extraordinarily dangerous. So many failures leading up to this. But at this young age already this child is badly damaged. It’s hard to say who constitutes the “parents” who should face charges but it’s easy and clear to say that any of those possibilities are not where he should be placed even with home monitoring because we know it’s common to get around that. Such a damaged child needs to be in a secure facility wrapped around with intensive education and treatment for a long period of time. And no, I don’t mean 6 months. I’m not sure we know what the successful programming would even be because it seems like Echo Glen isn’t doing it, but I know it’s not a quick fix.

Alki resident November 16, 2024 (4:58 pm)

Children are being used for these crimes for the simple fact that they won’t serve time or much time at all. The parents need to be charged as do the older kids who instigated these robberies. Thankful to all of the agencies who pursued these guys. Throw the book at them.

K November 16, 2024 (7:05 pm)

Who are the parents you think should be charged? Are you saying that whoever is listed on the birth certificate gets charged with a crime? What if the kid hasn’t been in their care most of their life? Or say the child has one set of caregivers their whole life, and you haul them off to jail for doing a bad job parenting. Do you think going into foster care or being bounced between relatives will set them on the right path? If they’re in foster care and the kid commits a crime, are you saying the foster parents should then be charged? What about the aunts/uncles/relatives that take kids in when they see things aren’t going well at home? Do you want to charge them? How many people do you think will step in to help troubled youth if they have to worry about facing charges if the kid commits a crime while living under their roof? Parents can be charged if they commit a crime, but charging someone just because they are providing food and shelter for a kid who commits a crime is asinine. Think before you speak.
- Alki resident November 16, 2024 (7:34 pm)
  
  And and what if he has no parents and were raised by wolves? Good lord give it a rest..The judge and prosecutors will take it from here.
  - Neighbor November 16, 2024 (10:34 pm)
    
    This is a bad faith reply. Please try opening your mind.
- capital won November 17, 2024 (6:31 am)
  
  Agreed K, there are so many factors that need to be accounted for before advocating for draconian, emotion-based punishment. When all you have is a hammer, all you see is nails. This city, and country, needs to start focusing on creating more effective tools for this job than the hammer. Sweeping criminals, especially young and still impressionable ones, under the rug is only making more long term problems for our society to struggle with.
- Mellow Kitty November 17, 2024 (8:22 am)
  
  K, I agree with you to some degree. Jail time for the parents is a bit extreme. Perhaps a huge fine is in order for the guardians – like a 6 figure fine. A solid hit to the wallet leaves a clear message.
  - K November 17, 2024 (3:53 pm)
    
    But the question is… WHO gets the fine? How do you define “parent”? And how do you expect anyone to want to help troubled youth when they need to worry about charges or 6-figure fines if the child commits a crime while living under their roof, even if only a day?

c November 16, 2024 (5:11 pm)

I suspect there’s going to be a lot of folks who know “exactly what we should do to fix this” and I definitely don’t have that answer, it’s just profoundly sad that this has happened/does happen.

Pursue early and often November 16, 2024 (5:21 pm)

Great job, SPD!

Realitycheck November 16, 2024 (5:50 pm)

These kids are emboldened because they know there will be people who will be coming to their defense saying, “they’re just kids caught in a corrupt system” That coddling/excuse making is why these crimes will only escalate. Kids are given the green light to do anything.

Jameson November 16, 2024 (6:10 pm)

It’s time these judges actually hild these criminals accountable and that goes for the 11 year old child as well. This is getting out of hand, ridiculous & downright dangerous. Armed robbers all with weapons pointed at store clerks need to be locked up for a long time. No more second chances, no more home monitoring with ankle bracelets that get removed, no more probation, the only solution is that the judge needs to finally locking up violent criminals even juveniles & not let them off easy anymore before someone gets killed. These crimes aren’t just minor petty crimeswe are talking about, they are armed & dangerous criminals & must be held accountable for terrorizing the city. It’s only a matter of time an innocent store clerk gets ruthlessly murdered by criminals who have no remorse.

K November 16, 2024 (7:09 pm)

The judges are following the law. If you feel the law doesn’t provide strict enough penalties, it’s the legislature you need to talk to, not judges.
- Jameson November 16, 2024 (8:42 pm)
  
  @ K No that’s incorrect. The judges are not and that’s the issue here. They are choosing the soft end of sentencing, release before trial, home monitoring vs jail time. It’s been shown n reported time & time again that it’s the judges that are the issue here. Many repeat offenders get released due to the judge’s decision not the laws the way they are written. Judges have the final say in sentencing & many times are choosing to be soft on these dangerous criminals. For what reason? I am not sure but would love to know. But it continues to happen over & over again . Many of these individuals are repeat offenders of violent dangerous felony level crimes but weren’t held accountable by the judge previously & let off easy. This must end now before someone is killed again! . The judges need to start taking the prosecutors recommendations for sentencing, follow it & quit feeling sorry for criminals at the expense of citizens being terrorized.

Duffer November 16, 2024 (7:17 pm)

The 11 year old’s parents should be charged for the crimes committed by the 11 year old. Maybe then, parents will be, well, parents.

K November 16, 2024 (8:14 pm)

See comment above. Y’all are on this high horse about parents, and not one of you has any definition of the word that holds up under even the slightest scrutiny. You don’t even know who you want to be charged, you guys are just “Me mad. Moar charges. Hulk smash.” The real world doesn’t work that way.

Fitness Dude November 16, 2024 (8:07 pm)

We need another youth detention facility in King County.

Derek November 16, 2024 (10:04 pm)

No. Absolutely not.
Desperately Seeking Saka November 16, 2024 (10:17 pm)

Amen, Fitness Dude. We absolutely do. Complete with a boot camp program run by former USMC drill instructors.
- Derek November 17, 2024 (11:52 am)
  
  So you want the state (us) to pay for programs to undo bad parenting? no no no no
AK November 18, 2024 (10:27 am)

Yes! More Juvenil Detention centers if your not going to lock them up in jail!

Jm November 16, 2024 (9:40 pm)

They should arrest the parents of the 11-year-old.

K November 17, 2024 (7:20 am)

See above comment. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you, too, have no idea who should be considered a “parent” when making such an asinine recommendation. Demanding punishments for anyone and everyone adjacent to a crime doesn’t make you look cool, it shows a poor understanding of how the world works and in this case, what families look like. There are real world consequences for actions like that, and you don’t have the first clue not just who you think should be arrested, but what the actual consequences would be. Life is not a video game. Grow up.

momosmom November 17, 2024 (6:52 am)

The parent(s) should be or could be at least charged with RCW 26.44.050 neglect of a minor child. https://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=26.44.050

K November 17, 2024 (3:49 pm)

That’s not citing any charges for parents, just the WAC that governs law enforcement’s ability to remove a child from the parent’s care if evidence of abuse or neglect exists. That will rarely result in charges for the parents, except in cases of severe physical or sexual abuse. Neglect (which comprises the overwhelming majority of child welfare cases) are generally not charged criminally. After the WAC you cited is invoked, the next step in the process is a 72-hour Shelter Care hearing, where, the state must PROVE that the child is 1) at imminent risk of physical harm 2) at risk due to conditions in the home and 3) the parents refuse services to correct any deficiencies that are found. If the state cannot prove these things within 72 hours, the child is returned to his/her parents or legal guardians. You can thank HB 1227 for that. The legal threshold to remove kids from their parents’ care is incredibly high in this state. Physical or sexual abuse are charged based on the violation that was committed. Neglect is only charged as Criminal Mistreatment, but as you can see in the statute, the only way to get that charge is by depriving a child of the basic necessities of life. https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9a.42 Lessons about consequences and being grounded for getting in trouble in school are not basic necessities of life. There is no charge in the state of Washington for simply being a caregiver to a child who commits a crime.
- momosmom November 18, 2024 (8:16 am)
  
  @K— Thank you for the clarification on the RCW’s. Let us just hope the Parent(s) are at least held liable for something, anything on that 11 yo child whether it be the crime(s) and or just for not knowing where the child was at, at those hours of day and night!

Alki resident November 17, 2024 (9:44 am)

One major problem with our system and contributing to ongoing youth gun crimes/violence: according to the ST “ it takes four convictions for gun possession before a juvenile can be held for any length of time on firearms charges in Washington.”

Actually Mike November 17, 2024 (3:31 pm)

Agreed. That’s beyond ridiculous and overdue for a change.
anonyme November 18, 2024 (9:11 am)

That’s ridiculous. Any crime involving a gun should involve severe penalties for the first offense, regardless of age.
- K November 18, 2024 (10:17 am)
  
  Good luck fighting the NRA and the Second Amendment folks on that one.

KT November 17, 2024 (10:12 am)

“Taken into custody without incident”. Helicopter, K9s, multiple police agencies….. Huh?

WSB November 17, 2024 (10:15 am)

That basically means no injuries, not “quietly arrested.” I listened to much of this though it was out-of-precinct and not clear at the time if they were the same suspects. They were hiding for a while but basically surrounded so they eventually came out with their hands up – TR

Sillygoose November 17, 2024 (2:29 pm)

Bravo to all of thee officers! Badges united across different jurisdictions is a WIN WIN!! The parents/guardians of these youth should also be charged for endangering multiple citizens in multiple communities with the unlawful crimminal acts of their juvenile children. Jail time until they’ve paid restitution for their crimes and suffering caused.

Admiral-2009 November 17, 2024 (4:55 pm)

It’s unbelievable that a 11 year old is involved, this kids parents need to be held accountable.!

Sad November 18, 2024 (7:48 am)

Sigh, 11 yr old is so sad. So young. Wow

snowskier November 18, 2024 (11:46 am)

Thank you very much to the coordinated police effort to catch this dangerous group. As for the 11 year old, we don’t know his family situation or background but I think we can all agree no one wants this kid going to ELEMENTARY or MIDDLE SCHOOL with their kids. We have a juvenile detention facility for kids who do these exact type of things. Use it. Keep him locked up, give him help and support, sentence him appropriately but please, please, please don’t let him back out during the process. The rest of us deserve to be safe from this group.

Sorry, comment time is over.