Kent Police arrested a 50-year-old Auburn man for investigation of first-degree robbery after he reportedly displayed a gun to get cash from a Kent espresso stand.
Officers were dispatched at about 6:45 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 16 to an espresso stand in the 1700 block of Central Avenue South after a report of a robbery, according to a Nov. 17 Kent Police Facebook post.
A 29-year-old Milton woman told officers that a man had ordered a coffee, then pulled out a black gun and demanded money, according to police. She said she handed him money from the till and that he left in a white car. She said she was very shaken up and believed the man would shoot her.
An officer asked the coffee stand for their video surveillance footage and upon viewing it a short time later, was able to clearly see the license plate on the suspect’s vehicle, according to police. Utilizing the city of Kent’s Flock Safety camera system, which captures vehicle license plates at intersections across town, the officer determined that the suspect vehicle was headed southbound into Auburn.
The registered address for the car was a fourplex in Auburn, according to police. With the Flock confirmation that the suspect was headed that way, the officer requested that Auburn Police officers respond to that location to see if the vehicle was present or in the area.
Auburn Police reportedly found the suspect vehicle parked unoccupied on the registered owner’s lawn. Auburn Police set up surveillance on the unit and multiple Kent officers responded that way. At 8:52 a.m., Auburn Police relayed that a male matching the suspect’s description was seen in the unit.
Kent officers arrived and set up additional safety perimeter units around the location. They observed multiple people moving around inside the suspect’s unit and became concerned that the incident could escalate into a hostage situation, according to police. The suspect was last seen armed with a gun, so they called for on-duty Valley SWAT personnel and gear to respond.
Officers were able to contact someone inside the suspect’s unit and requested that everyone evacuate. They complied and were escorted by officers to safety. A sleeping 16-month-old child, however, was accidentally left inside. About this time a woman called 911 to relay that her husband in a neighboring unit had just called her to relay that the suspect had entered their apartment and was hiding in their closet.
Officers quickly entered the suspect’s unit and retrieved the sleeping child. They also evacuated the neighbor and his children from the unit where the suspect was now hiding.
Utilizing their public address system, Auburn officers repeatedly called to the suspect, telling him to come out. He eventually opened the front door but was holding a steak knife to his own throat, according to police. Officers patiently communicated with him, utilizing de-escalation techniques. He finally put the knife down and was taken into custody without further incident.
Kent detectives responded to take over the investigation and took a statement from the suspect, a 50-year-old Auburn man. He was later booked into the King County jail for first-degree robbery.
Nobody was injured during the incident, according to Kent Police.
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