Kent Police arrested a 17-year-old Kent male for investigation of attempted armed robbery, eluding and other charges after he reportedly tried to rob a man at a East Hill ATM.
The teen fled in a silver Toyota which led to a police pursuit and his eventual arrest after he collided with another vehicle, according to a Feb. 17 Kent Police Facebook post.
Officers responded at about 8 a.m. Monday, Feb. 16 to a bank on the East Hill regarding an attempted robbery at an ATM, according to police. A 36-year-old Kent man called 911 to report that a masked suspect had demanded cash while pointing a gun at him.
The teen didn’t receive any cash and took off in a silver Toyota, according to the man, who gave officers a detailed description of the vehicle but didn’t have a license plate number.
Multiple officers responded to the area and the city’s Flock Safety cameras were sending out notifications of a stolen silver Toyota nearby, according to police. An officer located the vehicle in a parking lot and initiated a traffic stop, but the driver fled towards Renton, dropping down the hill to northbound Highway 167.
Officers pursued the stolen vehicle onto Interstate 5 where due to traffic they lost sight of the vehicle and terminated the pursuit, according to police. As officers took the MLK Jr. Way South exit, they located the silver Toyota in a nearby intersection. The teen reportedly had struck another vehicle.
As an officer pulled up, he saw the teen trying to grab something from the car, and witnesses were yelling he was the suspect driver, according to police. The officer told the teen he was under arrest, but the boy immediately fled on foot.
As an officer chased him on foot, he saw the teen reaching into his waistband, according to police. As they were running, the teen stumbled and a gun fell from his person to the sidewalk.
The teen got up and began to run again, ignoring repeated commands to stop, according to police. The officer used a Taser to stop the boy from fleeing and he was placed into custody without further incident. The handgun the teen reportedly dropped, a Glock 17, was recovered from the sidewalk along with multiple magazines.
The man at the ATM, who had a young child in his car with him, were not injured, according to police. Fire personnel responded to the vehicle collision scene and no serious injuries were reported. Multiple witnesses at the crash location stayed and provided critical statements and evidence. A witness reportedly located a mask matching the teen’s mask near the stolen car.
Officers booked the teen into King County Juvenile Detention Center in Seattle on multiple felony charges related to the attempted robbery, eluding, gun possession along with other charges for the hit-and-run, according to police.
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