Bellevue Police Seek Robbery Suspects

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating suspects involved in a series of robberies in Bellevue and Redmond. Over the past two weeks, police in Bellevue and Redmond have responded to three separate robberies with a similar pattern.

At approximately at 3:30 p.m. on May 8th, an 18-20 year old African American male suspect wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans approached an Indian female and grabbed the gold necklace from her neck. He then fled the area on foot.

Then, on May 19th around 6:37 p.m., another Indian female who was walking across the SR-520 overpass on 148th Ave NE had her necklace snatched from her neck by a young black male suspect. Bellevue traffic cameras captured video of that robbery:

A similar robbery occurred in the city of Redmond on May 10th. Redmond Detectives

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Redmond Police released this composite sketch of the suspect in a May 10th robbery.

disseminated a composite sketch of the suspect in that case.

This series of robberies matches the pattern of nine other robberies that occurred in Bellevue and Redmond in 2017. No arrests have been made in those cases.

Anyone with information regarding the suspects in any of these cases is asked to contact Crimestoppers of Puget Sound by calling 1-800-222-TIPS or at www.crimestoppers.com. Tips remain anonymous, and information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Bellevue City Council Recognizes National Police Week, Bellevue Police

The Bellevue City Council recognized the sacrifice made by law enforcement officers this week by issuing a proclamation in support of our nation’s police officers. To kick off last night’s city council meeting, the council recognized May 13 – 19 as “National Police Week.” The proclamation commends the community’s police officers who “play an essential role in safeguarding the safety and freedom of all those who live, work, and visit Bellevue.”

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The Bellevue City Council and Mayor recognized members of the Bellevue Police Department and the sacrifice of all law enforcement officers by issuing a proclamation recognizing  National Police Week.

In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. Established by a joint resolution of Congress in 1962, National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others.

The Bellevue Police Department is nationally accredited, with 184 commissioned employees and a total staff of 225. The full proclamation is available to read online.

Four Suspects Arrested After Armed Robbery in Bellevue

Four suspects are in custody following an armed robbery involving a gun at a neighborhood store in Bellevue this afternoon. Today shortly after 3:30 p.m., a clerk at the Little Store, which is located at 2810 West Lake Sammamish Parkway SE, called to report that she had just been robbed. The clerk told dispatchers a male suspect entered the store, pointed a gun at her, and demanded cash. The clerk gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash, and the suspect left the store and fled in a vehicle that was occupied by three other men.

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The suspect vehicle was stopped by Mercer Island Police in South Seattle. Photo credit: Dustin Gagne KING-TV

The clerk was able to provide police with a description of the getaway car, and a short time later a Mercer Island Police officer located a vehicle matching the description being driven westbound on I-90 on Mercer Island. The officer called for backup, and with assistance from Washington State Patrol troopers as well as additional Officers from Mercer Island, the suspect vehicle was stopped near the intersection of 19th Avenue South and South Forest Street in Seattle. All four occupants of the vehicle were detained. Police later learned that two of the suspects had outstanding arrest warrants. The primary suspect was positively identified by the clerk and taken to the Bellevue Police Department for questioning by Detectives.

The suspect, a 24 year-old Seattle resident, is not being named at this time as he has not yet been charged with any crime. The vehicle the suspects were stopped in was impounded to the Bellevue Police headquarters as evidence.

 

 

 

Bellevue Police Warn of Phone Scam Twist

Today, the Bellevue Police Department received several calls from concerned residents regarding an apparent phone scam. The scam is familiar – someone claiming to be from the IRS calls and threatens legal action if payment isn’t made. The caller often has a foreign accent and claims that the victim owes back taxes and will be arrested if they don’t pay. The residents that received these types of calls today, however, noticed that the suspect was able to “clone” the phone number of the Bellevue Police Department’s Factoria substation – 425-452-2880, so when the suspect called the caller would see “Bellevue Police” on their caller ID.

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Phone numbers – including those of government agencies – can easily be cloned by scammers.

The Bellevue Police Department would like to remind residents that our Officers will never call you to demand payment. This is a further reminder that any phone number can easily be cloned to appear on someone’s caller ID, so you should not assume that just because a number appears to be a legitimate government entity that the caller is in fact a government employee.

If you suspect that someone is impersonating a Bellevue Police officer on the phone, take the individual’s name and badge number, and then hang up and call 911 or NORCOM non-emergency at 425-577-5656.