A suspect was arrested Wednesday evening following a series of burglaries within a 24-hour period at a Newport Shores neighborhood residence while homeowners were traveling overseas.
At approximately 2:50 p.m., Bellevue Police Officers responded to an ongoing burglary at the 3600 block of Lake Washington Blvd SE. Upon arrival, law enforcement witnessed two suspects – a 43-year-old male (first suspect) and another middle-aged male (second suspect) – were in the process of allegedly stealing merchandise from the residence – including a safe with over $100,000 inside. The second suspect and driver of a black BMW car saw responding Officers and immediately fled the scene – colliding and causing minor damage to the Officer’s vehicle.
The first suspect and driver of a black Chevy Avalanche also attempted to elude law enforcement, however, the vehicle became stuck between a tree and the Officer’s vehicle. This prompted the suspect to flee Officers and run southbound onto Lake Washington Blvd SE. Bystanders informed Officers the first suspect drove off from the area in a box truck with no license plates attached. Bellevue Officers were soon able to find and arrest the suspect while driving on an Interstate-90 onramp.
The first suspect was arrested for Residential Burglary, Theft of a Motor Vehicle, and Hit and Run Unattended Vehicle charges. The Chevy Avalanche used in the incident was previously reported stolen.
A further investigation by Officers connected Wednesday’s case to one from Tuesday at the very same residence. This case began at approximately 8:44 p.m. in the evening where suspects matching the descriptions of Wednesday’s suspects allegedly broke into this residence and took a safe with paperwork inside, jewelry, and a Yeti cooler.
For both incidents, Officers noticed the suspects did not conduct any forced entry with an alarm system engaged and all doors of the residence locked.
So how did the suspects gain entry? According to police reports, the victim – a 64-year-old male – parked his black BMV at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport just before his overseas trip. It was there where the vehicle was allegedly stolen. The suspects then used the victim’s garage door remote to open the garage door and enter the property. Since the incident, the victim has reported the BMW as stolen.
The Bellevue Police Department continues this investigation due to the second suspect remaining at large. Any updates on this case are forthcoming.
Additionally, law enforcement urges the public to take some simple precautions to prevent someone from trespassing your home using a garage door remote:
- Don’t leave your remote in your vehicle
- Purchase a key chain opener/remote
- Secure the emergency release on the door
- Lock the door from your garage – preferably deadbolt
- Never leave your garage door open
Bellevue Beat Blog 