Seattle police searching for suspects who carjacked, assaulted woman in U-District

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is looking for four suspects involved in a carjacking and assault of a woman in the University District.

SPD Detective Eric Muñoz told KIRO Newsradio a 35-year-old woman was carjacked Friday around 1:30 a.m. in the 5200 block of 22nd Avenue Northeast.

According to Muñoz, the woman told the responding officer carjackers held a gun to her chest and another to her side as they stole her Subaru Forester.

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The woman described the suspects as four Black men in their late teens to early 20s, stated an SPD Blotter post. They were wearing black beanies and face coverings, along with black clothing.

The woman was upset, but not hurt.

“The officer noted that she was crying, very disturbed, but she was not injured, so that’s a very good thing,” Muñoz said.

According to the blotter post, police found the Subaru traveling along Interstate 5 South and followed it. The suspects led officers on a chase until crashing the stolen car in Burien at 4th Avenue Southwest and Southwest 130th Street, near Hazel Valley Elementary School. The suspects then ran off on foot.

Muñoz said officers with the King County Sheriff’s Office and SPD began a manhunt to search for the suspects. They conducted a canine search and used the Guardian One helicopter. However, the suspects were not found.

The Subaru was taken to the North Precinct for an evidence search, stated the blotter post. A handgun was found inside and investigators are working to figure out who the gun belongs to and if it was stolen.

A handgun was found inside a stolen car in Seattle. (Photo courtesy of SPD)

The SPD Robbery Unity has taken over the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.

“Robbery detectives are all over it and so we do hope that we’re going to find some success and get some evidence so that we can apprehend these individuals that committed this horrible crime,” Muñoz said.

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SPD also shared a few safety tips. The first is to park cars in a well-lit area. If someone senses danger, police urge them to go back inside and when possible, ask someone to walk them to their car.

Officers also recommend checking cars from a distance, taking note of anything suspicious and making sure to have keys ready. Also, people should not pay attention to their phones more than their surroundings.

Before getting into the car, police said to check the back seat and once inside, to lock the doors immediately. Finally, SPD recommended that drivers look around their cars as they leave and check the mirrors before pulling away.

Contributing: James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.