Between November 19th and November 22nd, four strong armed ‘purse snatch’ robberies occurred in the Rainier Valley area. Two teens were responsible for the robberies and were seen leaving in a white sedan. Most of the victims were approached from behind and did not get good descriptions of the suspects. A pattern worksheet and bulletin describing each incident had been distributed department-wide.
On November 25th, two teens were arrested in Rainier Valley for driving a stolen white Honda. The Robbery Unit was contacted and the suspects were questioned by detectives. Both denied involvement in the robberies and were booked into the Youth Service Center for Auto Theft.
Last week, detectives interviewed a victim who talked to one of the suspects before being robbed. She viewed a photo montage and positively identified one of the suspects previously arrested in the stolen Honda.
On December 21st, Robbery detectives tracked the identified suspect to an address in Tukwila. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Robbery office for processing. The suspect denied involvement in the series of robberies. He was booked into the Youth Service Center for Investigation of Robbery.
Detectives continue their investigation in an effort to apprehend the second suspect.