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Police believe Seatac jewelry heist connected to international crime ring

SEATAC, Wash. — Police believe they got a major break when they captured three suspected robbers Monday night after a traveling jewelry salesman was robbed and ambushed outside the Sleep Inn Motel in Seatac.

A Bellevue Police detective told a judge Wednesday that they are likely connected to four similar robberies this past fall on the Eastside and are likely part of an international crime ring.

Police say similar robberies with military-like precision have been reported in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston.

On Monday night, police say three suspects drove up to the jewelry salesman when he got out of his car at the Seatac motel. He had just landed and rented a car.  He was thrown to the ground and his suitcase with $500,000 was taken.

Police say surveillance video showed the suspects slashing the victim’s tires, ditching their minivan, and getting into a Dodge Durango with a getaway driver, then heading south.

With that video, police put out a description and just a little more than two hours later, a Washington State Trooper spotted the Durango at a gas station off I-5 in Chehalis.

The travel time from Seatac to Chehalis is right around two hours.

Three suspects were captured; one ran from the scene and hasn’t been caught.

All three suspects captured had two cellphones, no ID and credit cards with fake names.

Police say the suspects gave them fake names, but when they fingerprinted them, these names came up as Jorge Tapias-Jaramillo, Jhonnatan Andreas Villada Ruiz and Jhon Alexander Jaramillo Zuluaga.

Bellevue Police Detective Steven Hoover told a judge Wednesday police believe the three suspects are part of a well-funded, organized crime ring.

"The method was similar," said Hoover.

Hoover told the judge the tactics were similar to four robberies this last fall on the Eastside.

And after making calls they believe it’s part of a series of similar robberies including one in which a jewelry salesman was killed outside DFW Airport.

They also believe it's connected to this robbery caught on camera in Arlington, Texas.

"I've been in contact with FBI offices out of LA, Dallas, Houston and NY," Hoover said. "All those agencies are having similar types of robberies."

Hoover also said Tapias-Jaramillo is known to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent in New York.

Bail was set for $10 million each after police told the judge they're likely part of a well-funded and well-connected crime ring.

Now with this break in the case, police hope to connect them to the other robberies and break up the crime ring.