Bellevue Police End Violent Crime Spree

A violent crime spree committed by a group of armed suspects was brought to an end last night by the Bellevue Police Department.

Last night shortly after 8 p.m., Bellevue Police Officers responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Union76 gas station located at 2421 148th Ave NE. An employee at the station reported that he had just been robbed at gunpoint by three masked suspects. The suspects left the area before police arrived.

While Officers were investigating the first robbery, a second 911 call was received at 8:40 p.m. from an employee of the Shell gas station located at 11 148th Ave SE. The employee reported that three masked suspects were inside the store and were holding an employee at gunpoint. Two Bellevue Police Officers were a short distance from the second robbery and arrived within seconds. The three suspects ran out of the store just as Officers were arriving. Officers caught one suspect, a 16-year-old male Auburn resident, a short distance away and took him into custody.

Additional Officers responded to the area, including Bellevue Police K-9 Officer Lange and his partner Ghost. After a K-9 track, Ghost successfully located and apprehended a second suspect in a nearby greenbelt at 9:08 p.m.. That suspect, a 16-year-old male resident of Tacoma, was taken into custody by Officers and treated for a K-9 bite. The third suspect was not located and Bellevue Detectives will be working to determine the identity of that person.

Investigating Officers located a white Toyota RAV-4 parked across the street from the location of the second Bellevue Robbery. Investigators learned that the vehicle had been stolen earlier that day in a carjacking that had occurred in Burien. Investigators learned that during the carjacking there was a shootout between the owner of the vehicle and the suspects. Bellevue Police impounded the vehicle as a part of their investigation, and the vehicle is no longer being sought by police.

Bellevue Police Chief Steve Mylett, in speaking about this investigation, stated: “I could not be more proud of my Officers for their hard work in taking these dangerous suspects into custody without any injuries to Officers, the suspects, or members of the public. It is very fortunate that no one was seriously injured during the suspects’ daylong crime spree.”