Two robbery suspects are now in custody following armed robberies last night in the Central District and Montlake neighborhoods.
Last night, at 9:50 pm, a woman was robbed at gunpoint while she was walking in the 1700 Block of 24th Avenue. According to the victim, the suspects, described as two black males, approached her and took her purse before fleeing northbound on foot. The victim was not injured and was able to call 911.
About 15 minutes later, 911 received a call regarding two suspicious black males in front of a residence in the 300 Block of 22nd Avenue East. The suspects matched the description of the earlier incident. Officers responded along with a K-9 team and conducted a search, but did not locate the suspects.
While officers were investigating the two incidents, a second armed robbery occurred at Boyer Avenue East and East Edgar Street at around 10:30 pm. A woman was approached by two black males and robbed of her wallet and cell phone at gunpoint. The victim was not injured. She did tell officers that at least one of the suspects was riding a bicycle. Again, the suspects left northbound.
Realizing that the suspects were generally headed in a northbound direction, several East Precinct officers headed up to the University District to search for them. About 10 minutes after the Boyer robbery, an officer saw two black males riding bicycles in the area of 42nd Avenue and Roosevelt. Both suspects matched the physical description provided in the earlier robberies. The two suspects were stopped and identified. One suspect had a BB gun in his waistband and the other admitted that he had a BB gun in his backpack.
The suspects were detained while the victims were brought by and they positively identified both males as the correct suspects. Both suspects were then arrested. During a search of the suspects, the victim’s stolen property was recovered. Officers were also able to recover the victim’s purse from some nearby bushes.
The suspects, ages 18 and 16, were interviewed by Robbery Unit detectives. Following the interview, the 18 year old suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery and the juvenile suspect was booked into the Youth Services Center for the same charge. Robbery detectives will be responsible for the follow up investigation.