Kent Police are searching for a man in connection with an attempted robbery that left a female clerk injured April 8 at the Days Inn motel, 1711 W. Meeker St.
A man wearing a quilted coat, stocking cap and a white cloth over his face, reportedly brandished a large knife and demanded money from the clerk at about 8 p.m. April 8, according to a Kent Police media release.
He is described as a black male between 5 feet, 10 inches and 6 feet tall in height, weighing between 175 to 200 pounds. The stitching of his coat created a pattern of squares.
When the clerk, a 41-year-old Kent woman, hesitated to give him any money, the man jumped over the counter. She struck the man with a telephone receiver and in the ensuing struggle, he stabbed her in the leg. He then fled the premises when he didn’t find any cash.
He reportedly had arrived at the motel in a dark-colored mini-van and entered the building through the back door. When he fled the building, he jumped into the passenger side of the van, according to police. Surveillance cameras at the motel recorded much of the incident.
Paramedics transported the woman to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where she was reported in stable condition Thursday. Police also interviewed the woman at the hospital.
A 21-year-old man staying at the motel heard the noise at the front desk from his room and ran to the lobby.
The man with the knife had left, but the guest helped treat the injured clerk until paramedics arrived.
“The young man who ran to the lobby and provided first aid to the victim is to be commended for his quick and potentially life-saving action,” Kent Police Chief Steve Strachan stated in a press release.
Kent detectives evaluated the videos to develop leads on the knife-wielder.
Anyone with information about the man with the knife or van driver should call Kent Police at 253-856-5800.
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