FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — Federal Way Police officers on Saturday arrested two teens suspected of fleeing in a stolen car believed to be connected to a recent string of purse snatchings in the city and surrounding areas.
On Oct. 19, purse-snatching incidents happened at both Fred Meyer and WinCo in which the victims, both senior-aged women, were attacked and hurt by a female suspect as their purses ripped away from them.
Witnesses gave officers a license plate number for the suspect’s car, which turned out to be stolen.
Federal Way Police released pictures of male and female suspects to the media to help identify them. On Oct. 28 at 9 a.m., an employee at a gas station recognized the male from the photos, called police and said he was at his location.
Officers arrived at the gas station and found a teenage boy behind the wheel of a stolen car. When he saw officers, he fled into Tacoma, with officers in pursuit for his suspected involvement in the robberies.
A short time later, when the stolen car stopped running, two suspects got out and ran away.
The teenage boy from Kent who had been driving was quickly taken into custody. His passenger, also a teenage boy from Kent, ran into a neighborhood and was also taken into custody.
The driver was booked into the King County Youth Detention Center for investigation of eluding a police vehicle and possessing a stolen vehicle.
During a follow-up investigation, one teenage boy was identified by a victim of a purse-snatching robbery.
Investigators also identified a female suspect in one of the purse snatchings as a teenage girl from Kent.
Robbery charges for both teens are being filed with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
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