Kent Police arrested a 16-year-old Seattle male for investigation of attempted homicide after he allegedly fired multiple shots into his ex-girlfriend’s Kent apartment.
Officers responded at about 8:20 a.m. May 4 to a report of a domestic violence incident involving a gun, according to Kent Police.
Dispatch advised officers that a 16-year-old male from Seattle, armed with a gun, arrived unexpectedly at his former girlfriend’s residence at The Central Flats Apartments, 23240 88th Ave. S. The teen allegedly pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend and threatened to shoot her if she didn’t let him inside. The female called 911. When officers arrived, the teen had just fled the area, according to police.
As officers searched the area and contacted the female for details about the incident, the former boyfriend returned and fired multiple shots into her apartment. Neither the female or her 2-year-old child, who was also inside the apartment, were hit.
The teen fled the scene again and escaped on foot into a nearby wooded area. Officers heard the shots, and immediately conducted a search, but the suspect was not located at that time. Shortly after, the teen began to call the ex-girlfriend and continued to threaten her via cellphone, according to police. He indicated to her that he was armed with a rifle and watching the police activity nearby. He also threatened future harm to the female and her mother/family in Burien. He stated that he wasn’t going to surrender to police.
A search of the woods utilizing a K-9 team and the King County Guardian One helicopter did not locate the teen.
Kent Major Crimes detectives responded to conduct an investigation. A short time later, they learned that the suspect may be in the area of the victim’s family residence in Burien. Burien Police (King County Sheriff’s Office deputies) responded and escorted the family to a safe location. The teen was not located at that residence.
Kent detectives continued to work all leads throughout the day, eventually locating the teen at an apartment complex in SeaTac. Due to that the fact the male had already shot at his former girlfriend, threatened to not surrender, and was believed to be armed with at least one gun and possibly a rifle, the Valley SWAT Team was called in to take him into custody.
Valley SWAT coordinated the arrest and was successful in taking the teen into custody. Despite the teen’s declaration that he would fight his arrest, Valley SWAT safely took him into custody without force and without further incident, according to police.
“Without the great work of our patrol officers, detectives, Special Investigations Unit and Valley SWAT, we believed the juvenile suspect was likely to follow through on his threats to harm the victim and her family,” Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said. “I am both grateful and very proud of the work of the Kent Police personnel.”
Padilla also thanked the Burien Police/King County deputies for responding to the mother’s home and taking her to safety.
Padilla declined to release the age of the former girlfriend because he said she is a domestic violence victim so he is withholding her personal information.
DV resources
For information about domestic violence resources, go to dawnrising.org.
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