Bold crooks storm into Bellevue gas station, rob customers, too

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Brazen crooks, guns drawn, burst into a Bellevue gas station and steal from more than the till - and it all went down in just about one minute.

The armed robbers struck the Crossroads Chevron on Northeast 8th Avenue in Bellevue just after 11 p.m. on Sunday, frightening the lone employee and his customers.

This even has Bellevue police on high alert. Not only did the crooks ignore the surveillance cameras recording it all, they went after the customers, too.

“Despite all of these cameras, they just showed up, you know,” said Sunny Ali.

This has never happened before at the Crossroads Chevron, and it has left the day manager shocked.

“It’s definitely a scary situation, despite our working in the daytime,” said Ali. “It can happen in the daytime.”

But it happened last Sunday night just after 11 p.m. You can see for yourself just how bold the crooks were, bursting in, guns drawn, incredibly they go right for the two customers.

“And at which point, they push them into the corner,” said Captain Landon Barnwell, “and then go behind the counter which they were there for the money out of the cash register.”

Captain Barnwell says their boldness surprised even seasoned Bellevue investigators.

“It’s not a common thing in Bellevue you know to have this kind of brazen armed robbery,” Captain Barnwell said. “However, in Bellevue, we know we are not immune to crime.”

Especially troubling is that customers were targeted, too. So, what’s a customer to do?

“If you think laying on the floor and just listening and obeying and doing what they ask you to do, if that can help you get out of this safely until you can call 911, then that’s exactly what we want you to do,” said Capt. Barnwell.

And even Sunny Ali sees a silver lining.

“Everybody was safe,” said Ali. “The employees were safe. Those two customers were safe.”

Still, he says they are beefing up security, even adding a second worker on the night shift. And they plan to make sure there isn’t much money for anyone to take.

If you know who did this, you’re asked to contact the Bellevue Police Department.

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