Right place, right time: Kent police arrest teen for armed carjacking in Renton
Feb 27, 2025, 5:44 AM
Stock image of a pair of handcuffs. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A sergeant with the Kent Police Department was in the right place at the right time to catch a teen accused of carjacking someone with a gun.
The 16-year-old was arrested Wednesday morning after the car happened to roll through the same intersection as the sergeant in the East Hill area.
Around 6 a.m., a sergeant heard a Valley Com 911 call to be on the lookout for a car that was stolen in Renton.
The vehicle, a silver Jetta, was being followed out of town by a Kia that was also stolen.
Just as dispatch finished up their description, the sergeant saw a silver Jetta pulling up to the intersection, followed by a Kia.
The department said the Jetta had a temporary plate, and the Kia was too far back to confirm the plate number, so the sergeant casually changed lanes to follow them. The sergeant called for backup and gave updated locations so his officers could get ahead of them and set up spike strips.
At one point, the sergeant said he watched the cars pull next to each other to talk, and he was able to grab the Kia’s license plate and confirm it was the stolen vehicle.
The department said the driver of the Jetta eventually caught on that they were being followed and tried to get away, hopping onto State Route 167 (SR 167) and then taking the exit onto Willis Street. However, the driver misjudged a turn and slid into a grassy ditch.
Kent police said when they arrested the driver, he had a sight used to help a shooter in aiming in his pocket. Renton officers took custody of the teen and will be handling the remainder of the investigation.
The driver of the Kia managed to escape.
“We are hoping that the incredibly speedy arrest of their buddy will give them pause before cruising our streets again with their stolen items,” the department wrote online. “You can’t successfully run from a K9, a fitness-oriented police officer or a radio transmission. Fortunately for Kent, we have all of those.”
