Seattle police, in coordination with local and federal partners, made a major arrest in mid-February linked to a string of robberies where the suspects used stolen vehicles and equipment to take about $1 million and cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage.
In October 2024, a Seattle police detective was assigned to investigate a string of burglaries in which large safes and ATM machines were being stolen and torn apart. The crew of suspects, four in total, that were observed on surveillance videos appeared to have planned each of these crimes, often stealing and utilizing multiple stolen vehicles and construction equipment. These stolen vehicles were taken days prior to the burglary and, in many cases, used to gain entry to the business and access to the safe or ATM.
Additionally, these vehicles were often used to transport the stolen items away from the scene, where using fire department ‘Jaws of Life’ tools and other fire extrication-type equipment, they were opened, the contents removed and then discarded. In total, approximately $1 million have been stolen, and $500,000 worth of property has been damaged.
The SPD detective, working in conjunction with the King County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Kent Police Department, DOC, USAO and the Attorney General’s Office conducted a successful arrest operation on Feb. 19 in which the leader of the crew was arrested.
The suspect was booked into King County Jail for three counts of Theft 1st and three counts of Malicious Mischief.
Incident Number: 2024-284633