Teen arrested in string of Seattle-area robberies

The teen, now in custody, is accused of being involved in at least 10 armed robberies in the Seattle area.

SEATTLE - A 17-year-old boy was arrested, accused of being involved in at least 10 armed robberies in the Seattle area in late February.

The backstory:

According to Seattle police, the robberies took place between Feb. 21 and Feb. 24. They targeted gas stations, pizza shops and convenience stores.

In one of the robberies, police said the suspect pulled out a gun, grabbed a pizza shop employee, and put the gun to his stomach while demanding money from the register. It happened near South Jackson Street and 18th Avenue South in Seattle's Central District neighborhood.

One employee FOX 13 Seattle spoke with recalled the scary situation.

"It was a busy time. There was a lot of us in there. There were customers coming in and out," said the employee.

Security video captured one person in a tan hoodie acting as a "lookout," and the gunman in a black hoodie demanding cash.

17-year-old suspect points gun in pizza shop, second suspect stands by door. (via SPD Blotter)

"He pointed the gun at one of our drivers, who came to the counter to help him out," said the employee. "Our driver was just letting him know that, ‘hey, I can’t give you the money because I have no access to the till.’"

She said she was in the back of the store at the time, and when she realized what was happening, she came to the front and got the robbers out as quickly as she could.

"I came to the front as I heard that, and I approached the guy holding the gun towards the driver," she said. "He just took the money and ran out through the door."

Seattle police also described another robbery, where suspects pointed guns and demanded money from a convenience store clerk in the Rainier Beach area. The incident reportedly caused the clerk to run outside and ask a nearby driver to call 911.

"Seems like there are a lot more younger people going around doing things like this, which is very unfortunate," said an employee of the robbed convenience store.

Rainier Beach convenience store targeted in robbery

The teen was arrested in Redmond on March 6, and booked into juvenile detention for robbery. The arrest was made in partnership with Seattle, Bellevue and Redmond Police.

Police said community tips, surveillance video, and physical and digital evidence helped detectives track down the suspect.

The investigations into the armed robberies are ongoing, as it appears there was another suspect involved.

Anyone with information is asked to call the SPD Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

The Source: Information in this story is from an SPD Blotter post from the Seattle Police Department and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.