BOTHELL, Wash. — Five teens believed to be connected to a string of armed robberies in King County in April were charged with taking a motor vehicle without permission in the second degree on Wednesday.
King County prosecutors have not received the necessary documents from police to file charges on other components of the case.
Three of the five are on electronic home monitoring. Two were released to their parents.
Two of the suspects are 17 years old, three are 15. KING 5 is not naming the suspects because they have not been charged as adults.
In the morning hours of April 26, the suspects targeted convenience stores in Des Moines, Renton and Bellevue. A robbery at a 7-Eleven in Des Moines occurred around 2 a.m. The suspects targeted a Chevron in Renton about 30 minutes later, according to police.
The armed suspects entered a 7-Eleven along Bellevue Way SE where shots were reportedly fired, according to a police report.
A pursuit began after two Bothell police officers spotted the suspect vehicle in the area of another 7-Eleven. According to the police report, officers believed that the store would have been targeted by the suspects had they not been in the area.
The officers chased the vehicle into Shoreline, where "at least two" occupants of the vehicle fired at least six shots at the pursuing police vehicles, according to court documents.
The suspects continued fleeing and eventually crashed the car into a backyard on Sunnyside Avenue N in Shoreline.
The vehicle was found running and unoccupied and had previously been stolen out of Kent.
The Bothell Police Department chased the suspects and officers later found a 17-year-old male and female suspect. Three more people were detained by the King County Sheriff's Office.
Case setting hearings for all five suspects are scheduled throughout May.
