Three of five teens who escaped from youth detention center have been found
Jan 26, 2022, 9:51 AM | Updated: Jan 28, 2022, 7:08 am
Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie. (WA Dept. of Children, Youth, & Families)
(WA Dept. of Children, Youth, & Families)
A group of five inmates reportedly escaped from the Echo Glen Children’s Center on Wednesday morning. As of 5:30 p.m. Thursday, two of the five escapees remain at large.
A 15-year-old teen was taken into custody without incident in south King County on Thursday afternoon. The teen was convicted in 2021 for first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm stemming from a 2020 homicide.
At 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, a second Echo Glen escapee was detained by the Kent Police Department without incident at East Hill in Kent.
Then, at around 5:30 p.m., the King County Sheriff’s Office reported that a third suspect had been arrested, thanking Kirkland Police Department “for their valuable assistance,” in a social media post in reference to the third arrest.
The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) confirmed with KIRO Newsradio that the third suspect was arrested “near the Totem Lake area” of Kirkland.
Two other escapees and the gray Ford Fusion taken Wednesday remain outstanding.
Anyone with any information is asked to call 911.
It was first reported Wednesday by the KCSO that five males between the ages of 14 and 17 appeared to have taken a state vehicle to leave the facility. The sheriff’s office later identified the convicted teen, age 15, for the safety and well-being of the public.
“These juveniles assaulted multiple members of the staff here at Echo Glen,” Sheriff Sergeant Tim Meyer told KIRO Newsradio. “Their injuries fortunately are very minor. They were able to obtain the keys to a 2018 Ford Fusion and then fled the area.”
The Ford Fusion is gray with Washington license plate: 27545E.
The escapees have been previously charged with “possession of stolen property, possession of firearms,” Meyer continued.
Echo Glen is located in Snoqualmie, and is classified as a “medium/maximum security facility.” It provides treatment for both younger male and female offenders who have committed felony-level crimes. That includes assault, murder, arson, and burglary.
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