SEATTLE — Despite recent, high-profile cases, data from the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office (KCPAO) shows crimes committed by juveniles have been steadily declining for over two decades.
This week, five teens were arrested in King County related to an armed robbery, four were arrested in connection to an armed carjacking and another was arrested in connection to dozens of car thefts.
“The data overall is positive, but these high-profile incidents are concerning,” said Casey McNerthney with KCPAO. “We, just like everybody in the public, look and say 'What’s happening here?' but what we’re doing about it is going before judges and taking that information from police and say this is why there needs to be an intervention.”
According to McNerthney, the total number of juvenile crimes referred to the prosecutor’s office between 1998 and 2021 dropped 91%. The number of referrals from police for violent crimes which includes first-degree robbery went down by 68% during that same time period.
A KCPAO spokesperson said prosecutors argued the teens in the carjacking and strongarm robbery incidents should be held in detention before trial.
On Tuesday morning, police arrested three 15-year-olds and a 13-year-old following an armed carjacking in Renton and a police pursuit that ended in Bellevue.
One teen from the carjacking incident was in court Wednesday and will be held in juvenile detention until his next court appearance on Jan. 17, while the three others who were arrested were released to an adult and not booked into jail.
Last Thursday, five teen boys, three 15-year-olds, a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old were arrested for a strongarm robbery in Ballard. The teens were spotted driving a stolen car southbound down Interstate 5 and were tracked to The Commons at Federal Way. Police followed the teens into the mall and arrested them shortly after they exited.
On Wednesday, a 16-year-old was arrested for allegedly burglarizing a car dealership in Kent and stealing five vehicles. The teen is believed to be a prolific car thief, according to police, allegedly responsible for 50 thefts in the past year. The teen is accused of stealing cars while they are warming up in front of people's homes.
While juvenile crime numbers may increase from a pandemic low in 2021, a KCPAO spokesperson said they do not think they'll see any significant increase in violent juvenile crimes referred from police departments.
The teens arrested in the alleged armed robbery will be back in court on Friday.