CRIME BLOTTER

Brazen thieves hit the same dealership days apart during working hours in Lynnwood

Feb 20, 2025, 5:23 AM | Updated: 5:24 am

Brazen thieves hit the same dealership days apart during working hours in Lynnwood...

Thieves hit the same Lynnwood dealership twice in two days. (Courtesy KIRO-7)

(Courtesy KIRO-7)

LYNNWOOD, Wash. — Two cars are stolen in two days from a Lynnwood dealership.

In the 12 years that Nima Salestani has owned Seattle Finest Motors, he told KIRO 7 he’s never seen anyone just walk up and steal a car during business hours.

“They’re just getting bolder and bolder. It is crazy,” Salestani said.

“It just happened so fast, so quick. Just came in, grabbed the car and left like there is nothing is there to stop them,” he said.

It started Saturday at 10:30 a.m. when surveillance video caught a pickup pulling up to the shop next to a brand new Toyota Tacoma.

“We had a car just running in the front over there. Just getting the car warmed up for a customer to show up on a test drive,” Salestani explained.

In the video, a man hops out of the truck and hops into the Toyota. He peels out of the parking spot and nearly strikes an employee.

Salestani says the truck made it down White Center and it hasn’t been seen since. He says it cost at least $20,000.

“It costs us all the money for the car because the insurance cost has been through the roof lately. You have a claim or two, you can’t even get insurance anymore.”

If you have seen these two suspects below, call the police.

To make matters worse, it happened again on Monday just after 6 p.m.

Surveillance video shows a man, who seemed like a promising buyer to Salestani, finishing up a test drive.

“ He had an insurance card. He had everything. And then, you know, all of it was stolen. So it was, it was a fake I.D. The insurance was not real,” Salestani explained.

The man waits for the employee to step out, grabs his coat from the back seat, jumps into the car and drives away.

Salestani says Lynnwood police were able to recover the Jeep in Everett about 30 minutes later.

Fortunately, the Jeep is back in the lot without any damage.

He’s still down thousands of dollars and says it impacts everyone.

“It’s a small business. And we employ about 50 people here. Fifty people make a living from this business and if we go through financial hardship, everybody else is going to be affected by it as well,” Salestani said.

Crime Blotter

reward Lakewood (1)...

James Lynch

Reward increased to $50,000 in 2002 Lakewood murder case

The reward for information about the whereabouts of Liban Abdulkadir Sheikh has increased to $50,000.

2 hours ago

King County Sheriff's Office investigates deadly Burien shooting...

Regan Gallo-Fenz

26-year-old man killed in Burien shooting; death ruled homicide

One person is dead after a shooting in Burien, and the King County Sheriff is investigating the incident near the 15300 block of First Avenue.

3 hours ago

crane...

MyNorthwest Staff

Man arrested after reportedly climbing up to 30 stories on construction crane in Seattle

A 27-year-old man was arrested after he reportedly climbed 20 to 30 stories high on a construction crane in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood.

4 hours ago

Ted Bundy...

Associated Press

Utah authorities are connecting serial killer Ted Bundy to another 1970s homicide

DNA connects serial killer Ted Bundy to the death of a Utah teenager, more than 50 years after her body was discovered by a hunter.

4 hours ago

Blue Origin employee arrested...

Luke Duecy

Former Blue Origin worker faces federal charges in child exploitation case

A Seattle man who works at Blue Origin, is facing federal charges accusing him of distributing child sexual abuse material and attempting to entice a minor.

6 hours ago

Everett apartment shooting...

MyNorthwest Staff

1 killed, 1 injured in shooting at south Everett apartment complex

The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office is searching for a suspect after two people were shot in a parking lot in south Everett.

10 hours ago

Brazen thieves hit the same dealership days apart during working hours in Lynnwood