3 teen ‘Kia Boyz’ are free, for now, after judge’s recent ruling

Three of the self-proclaimed “Kia Boyz,” 15, 16, and 17 years old, were arrested after being caught fleeing from two stolen Hyundai vehicles, a stolen gun and drugs on Dec. 20.

Last week, a judge in Washington ruled the Seattle Police Department (SPD) initial stop lacked probable cause and was illegal because police didn’t confirm the car was stolen before the stop was made.

“Because there was no probable cause before the stop was made, there wasn’t probable cause for any of the other crimes,” said Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO).

That means the three teens are free, at least for now.

“Prosecutors argued there was probable cause. The court said ‘no.’ And that doesn’t mean that the case is going to go away. If Seattle Police get us more information, we can bring that additional information before the court again,” McNerthney said.

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More on what happened the night of Dec. 20

On the night of Dec. 20, SPD was alerted to someone throwing items out of a Hyundai in Seattle’s University District, according to a post from the SPD Blotter.

When police arrived, they found four male suspects between 14 and 17 years old in or around a stolen Hyundai with damage consistent with a stolen vehicle.

When police attempted to contact the group, all four subjects ran from them, SPD reported.

There was also another stolen Hyundai nearby. In addition, a stolen handgun and “a vast quantity of cannabis products” were recovered.

Two Tasers dropped by the suspects during the pursuit were recovered as well, the Blotter post noted.

Eventually, all four suspects were taken into custody without incident.

Three of the four suspects have appeared in court. A fourth, 14, was also arrested but he has not appeared in court yet.

Calls to SPD for comment have not yet been answered.

Contributing: Steve Coogan, MyNorthwest

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