Kent teen arrested after alleged armed ATM robbery, foot chase

A 17-year-old boy from Kent allegedly tried to commit an armed robbery at an East Hill bank on Monday, but left his gun behind.

At approximately 8 a.m., Kent Police Department (KPD) officers were dispatched after reports of an attempted robbery at an ATM, KPD announced.

Victim’s child in car during attempted robbery

At the scene, officers found a 36-year-old victim who had called 911 to report a masked suspect demanding cash while pointing a gun at him. KPD noted that the victim had a child in his car at the time of the crime.

The victim told officers that the suspect did not take any money and fled in a silver Toyota. The victim gave officers a description of the suspect, though he did not have a license plate number.

While multiple officers were responding to the scene, Flock Safety Cameras were sending out notifications of a stolen silver Toyota in the area. Using the information, Officer Bezon located the suspect vehicle in a nearby parking lot and initiated a traffic stop.

The suspect matched the ATM victim’s description, but the suspect refused to pull over, fleeing toward Renton.

KPD officers pursued the stolen vehicle onto MLK Jr. Way S., but lost sight of it due to heavy traffic. The pursuit was then ended.

Officer Hamilton then located the stolen silver Toyota in a nearby intersection where the suspect had collided with another vehicle. When Officer Hamilton pulled up to the car, he saw the suspect attempt to grab something from the car.

Witnesses nearby were yelling that he was the suspect driver. When the officer told the suspect that he was under arrest, police said he immediately ran off.

Suspect reaches for gun in his waistband

The officer chased after the suspect on foot and noticed the suspect reaching into his waistband.

“The victim of the attempted robbery had given a good description of the gun involved, so there was no doubt the suspect was likely armed,” KPD stated. “The waistband is a common location for suspects to hide their guns.”

While the two were engaged in an on-foot chase, the suspect stumbled, and the gun fell onto the sidewalk. The suspect got up and tried to run again, ignoring several commands to stop.

KPD eventually used a Taser to stop the suspect from fleeing, and he was placed into custody without further incident. A Glock 17, allegedly dropped by the suspect, was recovered from the sidewalk along with magazines.

KPD noted the original victim and his young child were not injured. Fire personnel responded to the scene, and no serious injuries were reported. Several witnesses at the scene stayed and provided critical statements and evidence. A witness also located a mask matching the suspect’s.

The suspect is a 17-year-old boy from Kent who was booked into the King County Juvenile Detention Center on multiple felony charges, including eluding, gun possession, and hit-and-run.

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