Bellevue Police Investigate Fatal Crash Involving Pedestrian

This morning at 10:48 a.m., Bellevue Police and Fire departments responded to the 1300 block of 120th Avenue NE for a report of a pedestrian that had been struck by a vehicle. When officials arrived, they located a street sweeper truck on the east side of 120th Avenue NE, and a deceased person underneath the vehicle. Early information indicates that the sweeper truck, which was being operated by a private contractor and was involved in construction activity at an apartment complex on the east side of the roadway, was backing up in a closed lane of 120th Avenue when the collision occurred. The driver of the sweeper truck is cooperating with the investigation, and no impairment is suspected on the part of the truck driver. The pedestrian is a 44 year-old male and a is a resident of Bellevue. Identification will be made by the King County Medical Examiner once the victim’s next of kin has been notified. (BPD case #18-9944)

Bellevue Police Make Arrest in Gun Store Burglary, Investigation Continues

Yesterday morning at 5:00 a.m., Bellevue Police investigators, assisted by members of the Bellevue Police SWAT team, arrested a suspect in connection with a December 26th burglary of a Bellevue gun store. The suspect, a 17 year-old juvenile male who resides in Kent, WA, is also suspected in at least two other similar burglaries in the area.

On December 26th, three suspects used a stolen vehicle to ram through the front doors of the West Coast Armory in Bellevue. The suspects stole 72 firearms and one silencer. Investigators learned that the suspects were wearing the same clothing as the suspects in the burglary of a marijuana store in Bothell on December 13th in which a stolen vehicle was also used to ram through the doors of the business. Armed with this connection, as well as other additional evidence, investigators were able to locate the suspect, who was the passenger in a stolen vehicle being driven in Auburn. When the suspect was arrested, the vehicle he was found in had the same license plates as whose that were seen on the stolen vehicle used in the Bothell marijuana store Robbery. A stolen handgun was found at the suspect’s feet when he was arrested. That handgun had been stolen from Renton in a separate theft.

The suspect was booked into King County juvenile detention for investigation of burglary in the second degree, theft of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle, and possession of MDMA with intent to deliver. The other four occupants of the vehicle were also arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, however they are not believed to be involved in the Bellevue burglary case. The investigation in this case continues, and additional arrests are possible in the future.

Series of Bad Decisions Ends With Man’s Arrest in Bellevue

What started as a routine trip to the car wash ended in a melee and an arrest this past Sunday in Bellevue. Yesterday afternoon shortly before 3 p.m., Bellevue police responded to a road rage incident in the parking lot of the Brown Bear car wash in the Factoria neighborhood of Bellevue. While responding, police learned that there was a minor rear-end crash involving two vehicles that were waiting in line for the car wash. One of the drivers got out of his car to take photos of the damage to the vehicles. The other driver then reportedly got out of his car, pointed a handgun at the victim, and made threats.

The license plate of the suspect's vehicle.
The license plate of the suspect’s vehicle.

When police arrived, the suspect, a 40 year-old Bellevue resident, refused to exit his vehicle or follow the Officers’ instructions. Officers attempted to remove the suspect from the vehicle, and the suspect fought, punching one of the Officers in the face. The suspect allegedly threatened to kill the police and made disparaging comments about the victim’s perceived ethnicity. Police used a taser to subdue the suspect, who was arrested. The Officer that was punched had a minor injury and was transported to the hospital as a precaution. The suspect’s vehicle, a red Chevrolet Camaro with a custom license plate “DIRTBAG”, was impounded to the Bellevue Police Department for a search warrant.

The suspect is expected to be charged today in King County Superior Court with first degree assault with a firearm, assault on a police officer, malicious harassment, obstructing police, and resisting arrest.

Bellevue Police Seek Assistance Identifying Theft Suspects

Investigators with the Bellevue Police Department are looking for your help in identifying two suspects that went on a crime spree this past December. The suspects stole credit cards at three different restaurants in Lynnwood, Woodinville, and Bellevue, and then attempted to use the victim’s stolen credit cards to make fraudulent purchases at area stores.

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These  two suspects committed three separate thefts on December 9th.

On December 9th, the two female suspects shown in the photos and video stole a wallet from a purse while the victim was dining at a Panera bread restaurant in Lynnwood. The suspects then used the stolen credit cards to purchase gift cards from a grocery store in Lynnwood. That same day, the suspects went to Panera Bread in Woodinville and committed another theft, then immediately attempted to use the victim’s credit card at a store in Lynnwood. Later that same day, the suspects stole a purse from a victim at Maggiano’s restaurant in Bellevue and used the stolen credit cards to buy gifts cards at a Bellevue grocery store.

The Bellevue Police Department is releasing surveillance images and video of the two suspects in an attempt to identify them.

Crimestoppers of Puget Sound is offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of these suspects. Individuals with information about this case can contact Crimestoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), or may submit a tip online.

Bellevue Police Bolsters Hiring Efforts With New Website, Recruitment Campaign

Today the Bellevue Police Department unveiled a new website aimed at recruiting new police officers to the department. The website, www.protectbellevue.com, is just the first step in an updated comprehensive recruiting and hiring effort for the Bellevue Police Department. The initiative includes a website, online ads launching this month and search engine optimization.

Continue reading “Bellevue Police Bolsters Hiring Efforts With New Website, Recruitment Campaign”

Bellevue Police Detective Marks 40 Years as a Cop

When Molly McBride was hired by the Bellevue Police Department in January of 1978, Bellevue was a sleepy Eastside suburb of just 70,000 residents, a far cry from the bustling city it is today.  Detective McBride recently marked her 40th anniversary as a Bellevue Cop, and is the longest serving member in the history of the Bellevue Police Department.

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Detective Molly McBride is the longest serving member in the history of the Bellevue Police Department

Molly was hired on January 16th, 1978 and her first duty in the department was a patrol officer, a position she held for the first seven years of her career. Molly was one of only ten females in the police department at a time when law enforcement was primarily a male dominated profession. In February of 1985, Molly was promoted to Detective in the investigations division.  While in Detectives, she investigated property crimes, crimes against persons and assaults. Molly was the first female to be assigned to the Detective Unit.

In June of 1997 until March of 2011, Molly returned to the patrol Section. During that time, Molly was selected by her peers as Officer of the year for her work ethic and outstanding ability to deal with people in crisis. During her second stint in patrol, she became a field training officer, helping to train a number of new officers as they learned the ins and outs of police work. Molly put her people skills to good use as a member of the Department’s Hostage Negotiation Team, and has successfully negotiated resolutions at a number of incident scenes. Molly became a peer counselor and has participated numerous times on interviews of Police Officer applicants. Nearly every current member of the Bellevue police department has had Molly involved in some portion of their hiring or training process.

In March of 2011, 25 years after her first experience as a Detective, Molly returned to the Investigations Section as a Special Assault Unit Detective, where she investigated crimes against children.

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Detective McBride during her first stint in the investigations unit in the 1980’s

In October 2016 she transferred to the hiring unit as a background investigator, checking the background of individuals that were applying to become Bellevue Police Officers.

Molly has been married for 38 years. She met her husband John McBride while both were Officers at the Bellevue Police Department. The McBrides open their home every year on Thanksgiving and Christmas to all Bellevue Police Officers that have to work on those holidays, providing a full holiday meal to those Officers that must be away from their families.

Molly has no plans of retiring any time soon.