SEATTLE — After a string of violent home invasions over recent months in Seattle, Everett, Mountlake Terrace, and Mill Creek, police have now arrested three suspects, who are believed to be behind them all.
The crimes police said they committed were brazen, and their victims were left traumatized. New court documents KING 5 obtained describe the terrifying moments they were faced with in their own homes in the middle of the night.
One example was from a home in Mountlake Terrace earlier this year, where police believe the suspects held an entire family at gunpoint for more than an hour, including a 4-year-old and 9-year-old.
"If you could only imagine being woken up in the middle of the night with a pistol pointed at you or a rifle," said Commander Scott King with Mountlake Terrace Police Department. "And having children in the home, and being worried for them."
Court documents say that four armed men broke into that family's home through an unlocked window.
"A very scary situation," said King.
Police said the suspects proceeded to sift through the house, stealing valuables. One of the suspects even made the victim open his home surveillance app and delete all surveillance video of their break-in, court documents allege, and later removed the cameras to prevent any more recordings.
About a month prior, police said four armed suspects actually acted similarly during another home invasion near the Lake City neighborhood of Seattle. Detectives in both cities compared notes and found striking similarities.
"The methods they used, the whereabouts of the subjects," King said. "I think they would have continued to do this until somebody caught them."
King said the arrest took "a lot of teamwork," particularly during the arrest, which included Seattle SWAT and North Sound Metro SWAT.
"One subject did try to run, there was a short foot pursuit, and that subject did have a firearm on him but was safely taken into custody," he said.
Besides just robbery, allegations against the suspects also include kidnapping, assault and car theft.
The suspects are all men, ages 20, 21, and 27. They've all been booked into jail, where they face bail upwards of $500,000.
We met up with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's spokesperson, Casey McNerthney.
"When you have somebody who's held on such a high bail like this on such serious charges, on a court order like that, it it would be unlikely of them without posting bail to be out," said McNerthney. "Those are some of the most serious cases that we see, and I think the public looking at this, can expect police and prosecutors to act just the way they'd hope they would."
As soon as Friday or Monday, the three could be formally charged, and at that point, pre-trial motions begin.
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