Video: 12, 13-year-old boys arrested for carjacking with gun

Seattle Police (SPD) arrested two boys — 12 and 13 years old — for allegedly carjacking at least one person at gunpoint and leading police on a chase before they tried to run away.

SPD reported the carjacking started in the Greenwood neighborhood Tuesday night at approximately 8:30 p.m. According to the SPD blotter, officers were in the area of Aurora Avenue North and North 88th Street investigating reports of two boys walking around with a handgun, when they were then dispatched to a carjacking at gunpoint nearby.

“The woman told police she’d just gotten home when she was approached by two suspects who tapped on her windows, pointed a gun at her and told her to get out,” SPD wrote in a public statement.

“One of the suspects fired a shot into the air,” SPD’s statement continued. “She told police she gave them her Subaru Outback and her belongings. They drove off in the car. The woman called 911 from a nearby gas station and worked with police to try to track her Subaru.”

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An hour later, officers were dispatched to the Bitter Lake neighborhood where a man reported an attempted carjacking at gunpoint had just occurred.

“Two men tapped on his driver’s side window and passenger’s side window,” SPD’s report stated. “He said both had handguns and demanded his car. He refused to give the suspects anything and one of them fired a shot into the air before getting into what appeared to be the car from the first carjacking and leaving the scene.”

Shell casings were recovered at both locations of the reported crimes.

The stolen Subaru Outback was shortly located by law enforcement near North 125th and Aurora Avenue North. King County Sheriff’s Office brought in its helicopter to assist in tracking the two minors. A pursuit was issued and authorized for SPD.

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Officers first attempted to stop the suspects near Wallingford Avenue North and North 82nd Street, but they sped away, hopping on State Route 99 in the stolen car. The vehicle pursuit came to an end at Seventh Avenue North and Thomas Street, according to SPD.

“The 12-year-old and 13-year-old boys tried to run away and tossed the guns during a foot pursuit, but both were arrested,” SPD wrote in its public statement. “The guns were also recovered.”

The two boys have been charged with robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm, while the 13-year-old — the alleged driver of the stolen car — is also being charged with attempting to elude a police vehicle. They are currently booked in the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center.

Crime among minors has developed into a troubling trend in Washington, according to Sgt. Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. While the data can be vague and hard to decipher for tracking youth crime in the state, Moss believes there has been a noticeable uptick in crime committed by those under 20.

“A lot of the really, really bad stuff you see on the news is all teenagers and young adults, and that is super concerning,” Moss said on The Gee and Ursula Show late last year. “Aggravated assaults, armed robbery, burglars where they break into the business with a stolen vehicle and then steal another vehicle to get away. When we find these people, they are all juvenile offenders.”

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.