Two 16-year-old girls were arrested last night after they knocked down a woman and stole her purse while she was near the Mount Baker Light Rail Station.
Just after 9:00 pm last night, South Precinct officers were dispatched to a call of a strong-armed robbery in the 3000 Block of Rainier Avenue South. The call indicated that two teenage females wearing black jackets had knocked down a victim and taken her purse. As the responding officer was enroute to the call, he saw two females matching the suspect description walk out of the Wendy’s restaurant in the 2500 Block of Rainier Avenue South. The officer noted the location and continued in to meet the victim.
The officer made contact with the female victim who told him the following: She had just stepped off the bus with a large group of people. She was walking underneath the Light Rail Station when she heard someone behind her. She turned around and the two female suspects pushed her to the ground. One of the suspects punched her multiple times in the face while the other suspect grabbed her purse. The victim attempted to hold onto the purse until the strap eventually broke. Both suspects then ran northbound. The victim had a cut to her lip and redness around her left eye, where she had been punched repeatedly. She also had several scrapes to her knees.
The victim gave a more detailed descritption of the suspects, which matched the females he had seen at the Wendy’s. The officer broadcast that information to fellow officers.
Officers contacted the two suspects at the Bartell Drugs in the 2300 Block of Rainier Avenue South. The victim was able to positively identify the two teenage girls as the correct suspects. One of the suspects had the victim’s driver’s license and credit cards on her, as well as some cash. Officers were able to locate the victim’s purse in a garbage can inside the Wendy’s, and the property was returned to the victim.
Both 16-year-old suspects were later booked into the Youth Services Center for Investigation of Robbery.