Attack on clerk during Sequim convenience store robbery leads to intense hunt for suspects

SEQUIM, Wash. — With the help of a drone and several law enforcement agencies, two suspects in a robbery and attack on a clerk in Sequim were arrested after they fled into oncoming traffic at speeds of 110 mph.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Clallam County deputies were dispatched to the AM/PM store at 51 Carlsborg Road after a clerk was attacked and the suspects threatened to take the victim’s wallet, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.

As the attack was happening, the manager of the AM/PM walked out of his office and saw his employee being assaulted by two men.

The men then left the store, got into their car — described as a red sedan with black wheels and dark-tinted windows — and headed east on Highway 101.

A short time later, a Sequim Police sergeant spotted the car on the highway near 7th Avenue in Sequim. When the sergeant tried to pull the car over using his emergency lights and siren, the driver took off at 110 mph, at times heading into oncoming traffic and recklessly passing other cars, the sheriff’s office said.

Because of safety concerns, the sergeant decided to end the chase. Clallam County deputies then worked with Jefferson County deputies to search for the suspects’ car.

The Washington State Patrol, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, a detective with the Olympic Peninsula Narcotics Enforcement Team (OPNET), and a Port Angeles Police K-9 unit also joined the search. When a trooper found the car at Sequim Bay State Park, other law enforcement units surrounded the area.

Members from the Crisis Response Team (CRT) — comprised of deputies from Clallam and Jefferson counties, Port Angeles Police, and members of OPNET who are equipped with special training and equipment needed for crisis situations — also responded.

CRT launched a drone with night vision and heat signature detection equipment. The drone found the suspects hiding in a wooded area about ¼ -mile east of where the suspects’ car was found abandoned at Sequim Bay State Park. The drone operator then worked with CRT members and the K-9 unit on the ground and the suspects were taken into custody.

The men were identified as 30-year-old Julian Treat of Seattle, and 28-year-old Joshua Pulliam of Lakewood.

When deputies patted down Treat, they found what was suspected to be fentanyl pills and a small quantity of methamphetamine.

Clallam County deputies investigating the AM/PM robbery in Sequim obtained surveillance video of the incident. Images from the video were used to identify the two robbery suspects.

Deputies also discovered that a third person was involved in the robbery but did not participate in the clerk’s attack.

The third suspect’s identity remains unknown.

Both Treat and Pulliam were booked into the Clallam County Jail for investigation of first-degree robbery. Treat was also booked for possession of a controlled substance.

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