Nearly all Edmonds mail now at risk after armed thief steals master key

EDMONDS, Wash. — New surveillance video captures the moments a USPS mail carrier is robbed at gunpoint. And now, Edmonds police say the suspect can access just about every mailbox in the city of Edmonds.

It happened Tuesday evening in Edmonds on 179th Southwest between 72nd and 73rd Avenue West.

KIRO 7 talked with a woman in the area who says her son saw that mail carrier seconds before they were robbed.

“My son was out front at the time working in our yard,” said the neighbor. “He was pruning a bush, so he just happened to be looking down.”

The woman says she doesn’t want to be identified because that suspect is still out there.

Doorbell footage shows a car pull in front of the mail car and stop.

The mail carrier honks, and then the suspect gets out and points the gun. That all happened in the seconds the neighbor’s son looked down.

“He just couldn’t understand what was going on because then he saw the police officers,” she said. “Why would someone rob a postal worker?”

Edmonds Police say the robber took the mail key and now has access to mailboxes in the 98026 and 98020 zip codes, which is nearly all of Edmonds.

The key gives access to community mailboxes and standalone blue drop boxes.

“The suspect will be able to get multiple pieces of mail all at once,” said Edmonds PD Commander Josh McClure. “The keys that were taken unlock the big blue boxes that people would drop stuff off in, and then also community style boxes where if you’re in a private neighborhood or an apartment complex, these keys would access those types of boxes.”

Residents say they now have to rethink their daily routines.

“I walk my dog at night here a lot, a lot of people do and all of us go out and check our mail, and all of a sudden I thought I can’t do that anymore so it felt really concerning,” said the neighbor.

Commander McClure also has an idea as to why the suspect picked now to commit the robbery.

“It’s after the first of the year, there’s a lot of things that come in the mail after the first of the year to help people to prepare for like taxes due in April so there’s personal information that is out there,” said McClure.

If you live in the affected zip codes, police suggest keeping an eye on your credit in the event any credit card offers get taken out of mailboxes.

If you’re concerned personal information may have already been compromised, you can freeze or lock your credit. To protect future mail with sensitive information, paperless billing is an option.

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