By KENDALL WATSON
Reporter Newspapers
Kirkland police arrested two robbery suspects Feb. 12 for allegedly robbing several Eastside and Snomomish County Hispanic businesses, including two from Redmond, over the past three months.
Kirkland Police Lt. Mike Ursino said investigators from five law enforcement agencies coordinated the ongoing investigation of the two suspects, who were arrested at a residence in unincorporated King County, north of Kirkland city limits. The Department’s Special Response Team, Investigations Unit and Pro-Act Unit worked with agents from U.S. Customs and Immigration to conduct surveillance and serve multiple search warrants on several locations.
Two men, whose identities have not yet been released, were arraigned Feb. 13 on eight counts of robbery but have not been formally charged. According to eyewitness accounts, the suspects are both Hispanic men in their 20s and one is above average height, the other below average and a thin build.
The suspects are believed to be responsible for three different armed robberies in Redmond, including two in a one-week span at the same downtown grocery store just last month.
On Jan. 24, the two men entered Tienda Mi Mazatlan, 16720 Redmond Way, Suite D, and one pulled out a handgun and demanded money from the female clerk. The suspects took off with $600 in cash. Then on Jan. 31, just one man entered the store, pointed a gun at a female clerk and threatened to shoot her if she didn’t hand over the money, according to Redmond Police spokesperson Jim Bove. He then told her to lie down and count to 10, as he ran out of the store with just over $400, Bove said.
The two men are also suspected of robbing Preciado Northwest, 8048 161st Ave. NE, last November 30. Once again, the clerk was threatened with a gun and the suspects fled the store with $2,000 in cash and jewelry, according to Bove.
In addition, the two men are believed to be responsible for a Jan. 16 robbery of a business at gunpoint near the Totem Square Shopping Center in Kirkland. According to the initial police report, the men walked into the store, looked around for a while and then demanded money from a female cashier at gunpoint. They reportedly gestured to handguns tucked into their waistbands and left with an undisclosed amount of money. The employee was unharmed.
Ultimately, Kirkland police were able to track down the two men using fingerprints from the Jan. 16 crime scene, according to Kirkland Police Sgt. Rob Saloum.
Besides Redmond and Kirkland, investigators believe the men are also responsible for first-degree robberies of similar Hispanic businesses in Bellevue, Seattle, King and Snohomish counties over the past three months.
Bove said the Kirkland Police Department deserves a lot of credit for nabbing the armed robbers.
“Kirkland Police did a great job,” Bove said. “This is great news for the community … but at the same time we don’t want businesses to let their guard down. We want them to practice crime prevention as much as possible.”
To report further information, contact Kirkland Detective Audra Weber at (425) 587-3505 or e-mail aweber@ci.kirkland.wa.us.
Bill Christianson, Editor of the Redmond Reporter, contributed to this report.
