Police arrested an armed robber in the Chinatown-International District Wednesday evening and found his weapon stashed with some snacks.
Shortly before 6:00 p.m., a Community Service Officer witnessed a man steal a laptop and bag from a restaurant in the 600 block of South King Street. The suspect fled into Hing Hay Park, where a group of park goers attempted to stop him. The man fired a gun to get away – thankfully striking no one.
Witnesses reported the suspect then ran into a store at 4th Avenue South and South Jackson Street. Police arrived and caught the suspect fleeing out the back entrance. After taking the suspect into custody, officers returned to the store and recovered a loaded firearm stashed behind some chips in the snack aisle.
After being arrested, the 20-year-old man claimed he had swallowed narcotics and therefore was transported to the hospital for observation and treatment. When he is medically cleared, he will be booked into the King County Jail for robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
The Department recently posted about a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the city, but detectives do not believe this incident was racially motivated.