Juvenile carjacking suspects tied to over $100k theft spree in Bellevue
The Bellevue Police Department (BPD) confirmed today that the juveniles arrested for an armed carjacking last Friday have been connected to a theft at a luxury retail shop in Bellevue that same day – with more than $106,000 worth of merchandise stolen from the store.
According to the store manager of Bottega Veneta, a high-end Italian fashion boutique located at The Shops at the Bravern in Bellevue, the suspects entered the store at around 6:44pm and immediately began ripping the merchandise from the display cases.
Five suspects – wearing all black and with ski masks covering their faces – stole 29 handbags, purses, and tote bags in about a minute before leaving the store in a white Hyundai Elantra, a car they had stolen ahead of Friday’s crimes.
In an effort to dispose of the stolen Elantra and elude the scene of the burglary, the teens then targeted a grandmother driving a black BMW at random. The suspects followed the victim until she parked at the 10000 block of Southeast 13th Place Bellevue, where they held the woman at gunpoint and stole her car.
After attempting to flee south, the juveniles in the stolen black BMW were arrested later that day by Washington State Patrol in Vancouver, Washington.
The four teens who were in the car are in custody at the Juvenile Detention Center in King County and are expected to face robbery and possession of a stolen vehicle charges. They have now been additionally booked for Theft of the First Degree (Shoplifting). There is currently no information about the fifth suspect involved in the robbery.
Bellevue PD is continuing its investigation into Friday’s incidents and will release additional information as it becomes available.
