‘Choose my life over a phone’: Teens kidnapped, robbed in Greenwood

GREENWOOD, Wash. — For the first time, KIRO 7 spoke exclusively with a student who was robbed and kidnapped while walking to a friend’s house in Greenwood last month.

It’s all part of an ongoing string of muggings, targeting teens in North Seattle.

The 15-year-old victim told us that he and his friend were walking a few blocks from home when they noticed something suspicious.

“They came up to us and they got out of the car. Me and my friend, we just froze and we didn’t really know what to do,” he said.

It happened on September 15th, in what would soon become a series of muggings.

“He threatened with a gun. We didn’t see any gun but I don’t really know if they had one or not. And I really didn’t want to find out,” he explained. “I obviously choose my life over a phone.”

That’s when the two teens were pushed into a red Kia Soul. The victim says they drove around for about 15 minutes, as the thieves made them reset their phones.

It wasn’t long until the victim’s mom knew something wasn’t right.

“So we have a tracker on our phones called Life 360,” she said. “So I called and someone answered the phone and hung up, which is not normal for him. So I called again and it just rang and rang and rang.”

Minutes later, her son called from a neighbor’s phone saying they had just gotten robbed.

“Everything just drops. Your gut drops, you’re just in immediate panic mode of I need to get to my kid,” she said.

Since then, more than a dozen muggings like this have happened in the North Seattle area. She urges parents to know where their kids are at all times and to be aware of their surroundings.

“The fact that it’s now taken 12 additional attacks, for the police department to say anything. It’s just scary for our kids. It’s one thing if it’s adults, but these are our kids. They’re just walking home from school, they’re walking to a friend’s house. It’s not fair,” she said.

As for the red Kia involved in this specific incident, SPD tells KIRO 7 the vehicle was found but no word yet on the suspects.

In response, police have set up a mobile precinct in the North Seattle area.

©2023 Cox Media Group