‘Kia Boy’ charged with 5 counts of robbery, other felonies
Dec 27, 2023, 7:27 PM | Updated: 7:29 pm
New Kia cars are displayed on the sales lot. (Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
After terrorizing the region for months, according to prosecutors, one of the self-proclaimed “Kia Boys” was in court Wednesday to answer to a series of charges, including robbery, unlawful imprisonment and taking a motor vehicle without permission.
The suspect, Ardrell Davis, was charged with a total of seven counts, including five counts of robbery in the first degree. Bail was set at $500,000.
Davis, 18, is a resident of Lakewood.
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The charges stem from an incident on Sept. 19 when two gas stations in the Eastgate neighborhood of Bellevue were robbed. During one of the robberies, one suspect violently assaulted the clerk by hitting him in the head with a gun before fleeing with cash and items from the store.
Shortly after the two robberies, a Bellevue Police Department crime analyst discovered four similar robberies that had occurred in Tukwila, SeaTac, White Center and Burien. Those robberies occurred on the same night as the two Bellevue robberies.
Further investigation by Bellevue Police, the King County Sheriff’s Office and Tukwila Police Department detectives revealed the same suspects were likely involved in all six robberies.
“These individuals terrorized our entire region, and I am very proud of the work of the many detectives, deputies, officers and crime analysts who worked tirelessly to make sure that these individuals were held accountable for their actions,” Bellevue Police Chief Wendell Shirley told KIRO Newsradio. “The residents of the entire Puget Sound region can sleep better knowing that these dangerous individuals are off the streets.”
At the time of the arrest of Davis and fellow suspect Ralphe Manuma earlier this month, Bellevue Police Department detectives called this one of the most prolific cases they had taken on.
“It’s one of the most prolific groups he has encountered in his multidecade career here at the Bellevue Police Department. So, this is a big win for law enforcement. More importantly, this is a win for the community and folks that drive these cars,” Officer Seth Tyler, a department spokesperson, said to KIRO 7.
Detectives learned Davis was also the suspect in multiple felony investigations, including possession of a stolen vehicle, eluding police and a specific incident that occurred in Lakewood Sept. 12. That incident, which was captured on security footage, involved a suspect in a stolen Kia taunting the victim and her young children as his associates stole her Kia minivan.
Davis was later identified in the security footage.
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“I think there’s an idea that you can get away with stealing a KIA of Hyundai and commit crimes and get away with it. That’s not true,” King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney said. “We’re going to prosecute and we’re going to keep prosecuting those crimes and any other crimes that go along with it.”
Manuma — who’s also 18 years old — is due in court Jan. 3.
Contributing: KIRO 7
