RENTON, Wash. — You’ve seen the headlines, and we’ve reported on it. Law enforcement experts told KING 5 that juveniles are committing violent crimes across our region at an alarming rate. Some leaders think it’s hit a boiling point.
“I’ve been with the Renton police department for 29 years now, and it’s the worst our officers have probably dealt with in that time,” Renton Police Chief Jon Schuldt said.
Schuldt said his city is stunned by the increase in violent crime earlier this year— especially the ones where kids are carrying guns.
“We were seeing kids as young as 12 and 13 years old committing these crimes,” Schuldt said.
Renton data shows police were called to reports of juveniles committing crimes with guns almost three times more often in 2023 than the year before. This year they’ve seen a dip, but the number is still almost double pre-pandemic statistics.
One crime that really stood out are armed robberies at gas stations and convenience stores. The last two years those went from almost non-existent to a serious issue among kids.
“The brazenness,” Schuldt said. ““Youth going into a convenience store and do an arm robbery on a clerk, and the impact that’s not only going to have on the victim but our whole community.”
It’s not just Renton. We’ve gathered crime data in all three of western Washington’s most populated counties.
In Snohomish County's biggest city, Everett, KING 5 found before the pandemic charges against juveniles for gun crimes, robberies and car thefts didn’t surpass 25 in a year. In 2024 they’re on pace for more than 80.
“I think this goes to show how accessible these weapons are to the youth when they shouldn’t be,” Leyla Adam said.
For 20-year-old Leyla, these aren’t just numbers. They are her painful reality.
Her brother Mobarak Adam was shot and killed inside a West Seattle community center on Jan. 23.
The shooting happened at the Southwest Pool and Teen Life Center during Chief Sealth International High School’s lunch break. Police were called for a report of a shooting inside a bathroom at the facility. That's where they found Mobarak.
“He was dead on scene he never made it to an emergency room,” Adam said.
Leyla described her 15-year-old brother as a good student and rule follower. He aspired to play on the football team at Chief Sealth his upcoming sophomore year of high school. He never got that chance.
Eight months later there’s been no arrest in the ninth grader's murder. Those close to the investigation think there’s a juvenile out there who hasn’t been held accountable.
“The mourning is constant. Sometimes you do get busy, but I think especially, happy moments are when you mourn the most,” Leyla said while looking towards the community center.
We’re all asking the question: why is this happening? KING 5 spoke to six different experts from juvenile courts to law enforcement and community leaders. There were similarities in their answer to this question.
They believe kids are getting easier access to guns, current public policies lead to less accountability, and maybe most importantly: the lingering impacts of the pandemic.
Tacoma Parks Community Center Supervisor Antonio McLemore said the pandemic caused a bubble that has burst.
“We are seeing young people who didn’t have opportunities to engage with a caring adult. We’re seeing young people that didn’t have healthy meals,” McLemore said. “When young people were faced with adversity, they went back to the skills they learned in their trauma-informed spaces. This is what we’re seeing in our communities. Young people that weren’t equipped for the world we’re now in.”
McLemore said a lot of these crimes are happening in his community.
“I know a lot of these youth,” McLemore said.
Unlike King County and Everett, overall Pierce County has a downward juvenile crime trend from 2023 to 2024.
However, juvenile crime roughly doubled from 2019 to 2024, if it stays on pace, according to Pierce County data collected by KING 5.
Juvenile car thefts have essentially quadrupled in numbers compared to 2019.
Another documented phenomenon from the pandemic is that more Americans bought guns and data shows kids got their hands on them.
Prosecutors told KING 5 that access to guns is driving the spike in serious crimes, and they’re almost always stolen.
“When young people are displaying a behavior, they are screaming from the mountaintop that they need help,” McLemore said.
There’s a colorful mural downstairs at the Eastside Community Center in Tacoma. It represents the children in Tacoma who lost their lives to gun violence. It’s a list of more than 40 names and growing.
“Elijah Crawford. I know Elijah Crawford,” McLemore said pointing to the list.
Crawford, 18, was fatally shot in Tacoma in 2015.
McLemore said the kids using these guns often have something in common.
“What you find is there’s a lack of caring adults that were in their spaces to help equip them to process through their emotions. To give them emotional language. To show them love,” McLemore said.
Back in Renton, the department was frustrated by arresting the same kids for serious crimes over and over.
“What’s happening with the system where we’re doing our piece arresting them, but then we’re seeing them on a continuing basis?” Schuldt asked.
This March Renton PD decided they weren’t going to simply arrest kids and move on anymore. They changed course to stay more involved. They coordinated with prosecutors and showed up in juvenile court to advocate for tougher consequences. To hold the repeat offenders accountable.
“Since May we’ve seen a pretty drastic decline,” Schuldt said.
To make a long-term impact Renton Police are also investing in diversion programs. The department has collaborated with a non-profit and Project Be Free.
There’s no easy solution. However, everyone KING 5 spoke with agrees it’s going to take more than just money and resources. The key is collaboration.
“It can’t just be the city’s job. It can’t just be the teacher’s job. It can’t just be the family’s job. We really need each other. We really need each other. And that’s what I have hope for,” McLemore said.