Gas station clerk robbed at gunpoint in Tukwila, surveillance video shows

TUKWILA, Wash. — Surveillance video shows the moment Deleana Nickelson was robbed at gunpoint while she was working at the 76 gas station in Tukwila just before 8 p.m. Friday.

The suspect even started banging his gun on the counter .

“There honestly wasn’t anything to think. It just was unreal and happened so fast,” Nickelson explained.

It’s been two days, and Nickelson is already back at work. “Just some anxiety still. It’s lingering but not too bad,” she added.

What’s helping is having her dog, Cricket, by her side. Cricket normally goes to work with her but wasn’t there Friday.

KIRO 7 has also learned the King County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a similar robbery 2 miles away at the 7-Eleven on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Skyway minutes later.

In this robbery, the suspect fired a shot. No one was hurt. Officials can’t confirm it’s the same suspect, but an employee at the 7-Eleven said after seeing the surveillance from the 76 gas station that he’s certain it’s the same person. That worries Nickelson.

“It’s very concerning. He’s just escalating to probably kill somebody if they freeze, and that’s scary,” Nickelson said. She just wants him caught before someone gets hurt.

© 2020 Cox Media Group