A stolen vehicle recovered at the Bellevue Square Mall yesterday led to the arrest of four suspects, two of whom were wanted in connection with separate felony crimes. Yesterday at 11:50 a.m., Bellevue Police Officers responded to the Bellevue Square Mall Parking garage. An observant Security Officer with the Kemper Development Company located an unoccupied stolen Kia in a parking garage. While at the scene, Officers learned from Security Officers that five suspects who had been seen in the vehicle were inside the mall. Police located the five suspects in the area, and a foot chase ensued. Officers were able to detain four out of the five suspects and placed them in custody. Three of the four suspects were juveniles, two 15-year-olds and one 16-year-old. Officers recognized one of the 15-year-old juveniles as a suspect in a felony assault incident in Bellevue that occurred on September 10th in which the juvenile had allegedly threatened a female with a firearm and then fled the scene in a stolen vehicle. One juvenile was released to his mother, one was booked into the King County Youth Center for possession of a stolen vehicle, and one 20-year-old adult male was booked into the King County Jail as he was found to be in possession of credit cards that did not belong to him. Further investigation found that these credit cards had been stolen in an armed robbery earlier in the day in Tukwila. Tukwila Detectives were notified and are following up.
Bellevue Police Captain Rob Spingler, speaking about this case, stated: “Police agencies in the region and across the nation continue to see a high number of Kia and Hyundais being stolen and used in other crimes.” Spingler continues, “this case should serve as a reminder to owners of these vehicles to be sure to update their theft prevention software through the manufacturer, utilize an alarm system, or utilize a steering wheel lock.” The Bellevue Police Department will be holding two steering wheel lock giveaway events later this month. The events will be held at the following locations:
September 23 10 am – 2 pm Bellevue Police Crossroads Substation
September 24 1 pm – 5 pm Bellevue Police Factoria Substation
Bellevue Beat Blog 