Man arrested for stabbing Northgate gas station clerk over mask requirement

Seattle police have arrested a teen suspected of stabbing a Northgate-area gas station clerk on Monday who told him he needed to wear a mask to enter the station’s convenience store.

Officers identified the 18-year-old suspect and determined a possible address in the Northgate area. Police surveilled the home for several hours Wednesday. When they knocked on the front door, they were told the suspect was not home after speaking with a family member. As they were speaking, officers caught the suspect attempting to sneak out the back door.

The suspect was apprehended by officers who were waiting for him.

Police booked the suspect into King County Jail and will work with the prosecutor’s office as the case moves forward.

The gas station employee was stabbed Monday in the chest and abdomen but it is believed that he will survive. The gas station is located in the 2100 block of Northgate Way.

The prosecutor’s office says Edil Pineda-Mencia had his first appearance Thursday. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office argued that the suspect is a danger to the community and asked a judge to hold him in jail on $150,000 bail. The judge agreed and also found probable cause for second-degree assault with a deadly weapon.

To file criminal charges, the prosecutor’s office explains that law requires the office to receive additional investigation documents from the Seattle police, typically sent after a first appearance. The office anticipates having those documents by Monday. Pineda-Mencia is expected to remain in the King County Jail on the bail amount sent by the judge prior to that charging decision. When charges are filed, a judge can order a defendant to remain in jail on the same bail amount.

This is the first incident involving Pineda-Mencia that’s been referred to the prosecutor’s office, either for a first appearance or a case referral.

The KIRO Radio Newsdesk contributed to this report.

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