Bellevue police arrest 17-year-old suspect in gun store burglary, others

The Kent resident is suspected in robbery of Bothell marijuana store, theft of Renton handgun.

Bellevue police arrested a suspect in the December burglary of a Bellevue gun store Tuesday morning, Bellevue police recently announced.

Investigators, assisted by members of the department’s SWAT team, arrested the 17-year-old male, who resides in Kent, at 5 a.m. Feb. 13. Police believe the suspect is connected to at least two other similar burglaries in the area.

On Dec. 26, 2017, three suspects used a stolen vehicle to ram through the front doors of the West Coast Armory in Bellevue. The suspects stole 72 firearms and one silencer.

Investigators learned that the suspects were wearing the same clothing as the suspects in the burglary of a marijuana store in Bothell on Dec. 13, 2017 in which a stolen vehicle was also used to ram through the doors of the business.

Armed with this connection, as well as other additional evidence, investigators were able to locate the suspect, who was the passenger in a stolen vehicle being driven in Auburn. When the suspect was arrested, the vehicle he was found in had the same license plates as whose that were seen on the stolen vehicle used in the Bothell marijuana store robbery. A stolen handgun was found at the suspect’s feet when he was arrested. That handgun had been stolen from Renton in a separate theft, Bellevue police said in a news release.

The suspect was booked into King County juvenile detention for investigation of burglary in the second degree, theft of a firearm, possession of a stolen firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle, and possession of MDMA with intent to deliver.

The other four occupants of the vehicle were also arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, however, they are not believed to be involved in the Bellevue burglary case.

The investigation in this case continues, and additional arrests are possible in the future.