MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. — For the second time in less than a week, a string of overnight robberies has hit western Washington.
Between the hours of 1-4 a.m. Friday, six different convenience stores were robbed.
First was a 7-Eleven at 817 N Meridian in Edgewood at 1:08 a.m., where suspects came in wearing masks and demanding money from the register. About an hour before, a 52-year-old woman from Puyallup was carjacked at gunpoint by a masked suspect at the same location.
Next was a Valley Market at 11015 Valley Avenue E in Puyallup, just about 20 minutes after the Edgewood robbery. Suspects in this incident broke the front-door window and stole items from inside before fleeing in a vehicle. Not long after this, a 7-Eleven location at 121 E Stewart in Puyallup was also hit.
Around 2 a.m., another 7-Eleven location at 34727 Pacific Highway S in Federal Way was hit. About 20 minutes after that, an Arco Gas Station at 3910 S 320th Street in Federal Way was robbed.
At roughly 3:40 a.m., a Chevron station at 27201 216th Avenue SE in Maple Valley was robbed. One bullet was fired during the robbery, but no one was injured according to the King County Sheriff's Office.
This comes just two days after a string of overnight 7-Eleven robberies in south King County.
It is not confirmed that all the incidents are related as of yet, but a similar vehicle description of a light blue vehicle looking like a Hyundai Elantra was reported at all five robberies.
Puyallup Police Department Captian Ryan Portmann said it seems that people will steal a car, use it to commit a handful of robberies, then dump the car.
"I think it creates a sense of fear in the community when you see these crime sprees or when you hear that Washington is number two in the country for stolen vehicles, or I believe our homicide rate is going to be up, collectively as a state, next year. All of that I think adds some anxiety for the public," Portmann said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.