Three teenagers are in custody following an attempted robbery at a North Seattle grocery store Wednesday afternoon.
On June 22nd, shortly after 4:00 pm, the three suspects–two 14-year-old females and one 15-year-old female– entered the store near NE 123rd Street and 15th Avenue NE. The suspects went to the deli section of the store and took a couple of sandwiches and combination meals they had ordered and then put the items inside a backpack. The group then left the store without paying for the items. When the Loss Prevention Officer contacted the group outside of the store, one of the suspects produced a Swiss Army knife and opened the blade. The Loss Prevention Officer backed off, and the suspects ran off northbound.
Officers were called and located the trio hiding several blocks away. One of the suspects was listed as a runaway and had a misdemeanor warrant. The three suspects were positively identified and arrested. It is believed that the same three suspects were involved in a similar robbery at a store at the Northgate Mall a week earlier, where they set off a fire extinguisher in a security office and attacked a security guard.
Officers booked the three teens into the Youth Service Center for the latest incident and forwarded the case to detectives for investigation.