Good Samaritans capture suspected Valentine's Day robber

RENTON, Wash. — A man who robbed a smoke shop at gunpoint on Valentine's Day has been arrested after police say neighbors chased him and caught him.

Investigators with Renton police say the 24-year-old suspect used a silver revolver to rob Smoke Plus on Bronson Way North in Renton around 8 p.m. before fleeing to the area near North 2nd Street and Park Avenue North.

In surveillance video of the robbery, a suspect tries to hide his identity with a jacket while he waits for an employee to come to the register. He pulls a silver revolver out of his pocket and points it at the man's face. The suspect empties the register before fleeing.

A helicopter was deployed along with K9 units to find the armed robbery suspect. Officers urged neighbors to stay indoors and call 911 if they saw any suspicious activity.

Dallas Monges was the first person to see something suspicious in his front yard.

"I just saw white tennis shoes in my bushes,' he said.

Monges chased the man across the street but lost track of him. That's when the suspect came across a neighborhood watch group. Diane Dobson, Keith Hutchson and another man were checking the alleys when they came across the suspect.

"He was looking over his shoulders, paying attention to the police lights and once he passed us, he started running again," Dobson said.

The neighbors ran to police and confirmed the identity of the suspect before heading home for safety.
"That's when we realized it was probably more serious than not and we high-tailed it back toward the house," Hutchson said.

That's when they came across the suspect again. This time, they chased him and tackled him.

"He was saying 'let me go, let me go please, sir, why are you doing this to me?' and John said 'I'm doing this because I'm a good citizen,'" Dobson said.

Dobson said it appeared the suspect may have tried to reach into his pants, where investigators say he was likely keeping his weapon.

The neighbors say their need to protect the neighborhood pushed them to take action and take the suspect down.

"We're tired of crime in the neighborhood and we don't tolerate it," Dobson said. "I think he was shocked. I mean, every time he turned around there was a neighbor. It was probably the wrong neighborhood to come running through."

The neighbors detained the suspect until police arrived a short time later. No one was hurt and the suspect was taken into custody on Pelly Street without incident.

Cox Media Group