Three people, including an 11-year-old, arrested after four gas station robberies within 90 minutes of each other

SEATTLE, WA - Three people, including an 11-year-old wanted for a string of gas station robberies in Seattle and near Tukwila, have been arrested. The other two individuals arrested were a 21-year-old and a 19-year-old. The robberies all happened within 90-minutes of one another.

According to KOMO News, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) said that the group of suspects, dressed in face masks and dark clothing, robbed four different convenience stores in the course of an hour and a half early in the morning on Friday, November 15th. Each robbery occurred in South and Southwest Seattle between 5:25 a.m. and 6:50 a.m. The robberies took place as the following locations: a Shell station in the 7200 block of East Marginal Way South, 5:25 a.m.; a Arco station in the 2800 block of Rainier Avenue South, 5:37 a.m.; a Space Age station in the 7500 block of 35th Avenue Southwest, 6:40 a.m.; and a Shell station in the 4500 block of Fauntleroy Way Southwest, 6:50 a.m.

Police said that the suspects entered the gas stations wearing masks, dressed in dark clothing, armed with firearms and then stole merchandise and cash before fleeing in stolen vehicles. KOMO News obtained security footage of the robbery that occurred at the Shell station on East Marginal Way. That video shows one of the suspects brandishing a firearm that appears to be an assault weapon.

From there, footage shows two clerks hiding in the back room as they were threatened at gunpoint. One of the clerks who was robbed said, "I thought he was going to shoot me. I'm gonna die, that's why I was scared." SPD said that the suspects fled with stolen merchandise and cash; no one was injured.

A blue Kia sedan, believed to be related to the robberies, was recovered from 16th Avenue South and East Marginal Way South. A witness told police that they saw the vehicle driving erratically before hitting a curb. Officers found the vehicle disabled and unoccupied. The vehicle was reported stolen and will now be processed for evidence.

On Friday evening, the King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) said that deputies responded to two armed robberies one at 8:00 p.m. at Skyway Shell Gas Station located at 11809 Renton Avenue S and another one 15 minutes later at the Shell Gas Station at 9525 14th Avenue S. SPD said the same suspects committed an additional armed robbery in a surrounding jurisdiction at approximately 8:30 p.m. Friday evening. The suspects were in a silver Hyundai and pursued by Tukwila Police into Seattle's First Hill neighborhood.

The pursuit spanned through multiple jurisdictions and involved several agencies including KCSO, Washington State Patrol (WSP), and the Tukwila Police Department (TPD) as well as SPD. The suspects eventually stopped the vehicle around Spring Street and Harvard Avenue, jumped out and continued to flee on foot. Officers from the Community Response Group (CRG), South, East, Southwest, and a K9 Unit contained the area with the assistance of KCSO Guardian One, KCSO K9, and TPD. 

All three suspects were found and taken into custody without further incident. SPD said that no firearms were located. The two men were booked into King County Jail and the young boy was booked into Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center. All three are being held for charges relating to the robberies. 

Residents who saw it all unfold said it is upsetting to see how young these suspects are. Karen Evonuik said, "They take it like they are playing a video game because they didn't look afraid the way that they even put their arms up and walked back like, 'okay, you got me' like the game is over."
 
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