REDMOND, Wash. — Redmond police are looking for three teens who robbed a 7-Eleven at gunpoint and then carjacked a customer.
It happened at the store on 148th Avenue Northeast around 11:30 p.m. Monday.
Surveillance video shows three masked men forcing the 7-Eleven clerk to open the cash register at gunpoint. Officers say the suspect took cash and left.
The owner of the 7-Eleven told KIRO 7 this is their fifth armed robbery in the last two years.
“One of the suspects fired a shot at a customer that was about to enter the store and carjacked their vehicle,” said Chief Darrell Lowe.
Chief Lowe told KIRO 7 that the vehicle was discovered by police at another 7-Eleven in Kirkland. Investigators believe that was the suspects’ next target.
“The other robbery was thwarted by the information sharing from the Redmond Police Department and other agencies being aware that 7-Elevens were being targeted,” Lowe explained.
Multiple agencies chased after the vehicle and Washington State Patrol successfully performed a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver to stop it in Tukwila.
The suspects jumped out of the car and ran off.
“They put the community at risk, they put the officers at risk, they put themselves at risk,” Lowe added.
Despite an extensive search, the suspects were not found.
The suspects are described as teens wearing black masks and dark clothing.
“Time and time again we’re seeing youth commit these crimes because of the perceived lack of consequence you know when they are caught,” Chief Lowe said.
Investigators believe the same suspects robbed a 7-Eleven in Des Moines and a Pizza Hut in Normandy Park earlier in the night.
The investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Redmond Police Department at 425-556-2500.