Apparent Kent robbery victim ends up getting arrested

Kent Police found out that a reported robbery didn’t turn out to be as it first appeared.

Detectives took several extra days to determine what happened during a dispute between two men at about 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 15 in the 24000 block of Pacific Highway South on the West Hill. One man had a gunshot wound and the other man a cut on his hand.

A 22-year-old man called 911 to report that he was a robbery victim, said Kent Police spokeswoman Melanie Robinson in an email.

“Investigators have since debunked his account and he was in turn placed under arrest,” Robinson said.

Police arrested the man Tuesday for investigation of first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and for possession of a stolen firearm, Robinson said. The man reportedly robbed a 17-year-old Federal Way man.

“The suspect robbed the victim at gunpoint for the victim’s phone,” Robinson said. “The victim actually grabbed the gun wherein a confrontation ensued, during which the victim had control of the gun and fired one round which went through the suspect’s hand and his leg.”

The teen sustained a cut on the hand from the altercation over the gun.

“This was a random incident, and the victim was not known to the suspect,” Robinson said.

The man arrested is a transient with his last known address in Federal Way, Robinson said. He is expected to be charged later this week by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.