Five Tacoma students robbed at gunpoint, police say. Three teens have been arrested

Jared Brown
·2 min read
3

Tacoma police arrested three teenagers on Friday following a string of gunpoint robberies targeting mostly students and a subsequent high-speed pursuit that officers ended due to concern for public safety, a spokesperson said.

A pair of stolen AirPods eventually led police to a storage facility in Tacoma’s South End, according to department spokesperson Wendy Haddow. Officers located a stolen maroon Kia SUV that matched the suspect vehicle description, then found a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old hiding nearby. Police arrested another 17-year-old inside a storage unit. Haddow said a fourth suspect has not been arrested.

Five children between 14 and 15 reported being robbed at gunpoint Friday, according to Haddow. Two adult men also flagged down an officer investigating the robberies, reporting they’d retreated inside when four people armed with guns in a Kia approached them.

The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has not filed charges and requested additional investigation, according to spokesperson Adam Faber.

None of the juvenile suspects appeared to be in custody at the Pierce County Juvenile Detention Facility on Tuesday afternoon, according to jail records.

The Kia owner reported their car stolen from their apartment complex parking lot off South 38th Street shortly after midnight on Thursday, according to Haddow.

Tacoma police began investigating the robberies at about 1:30 p.m. Friday after a group of IDEA High School students reported to school officials that they were robbed at gunpoint near the Fred Meyer store at South 72nd Street and Pacific Avenue, according to Haddow. Cash and one of the students’ AirPods were stolen.

The students reported all four suspects were armed with various guns and wore gloves and ski masks, according to Haddow.

Then, at 1:48 p.m., a 15-year-old reported being robbed of their shoes at gunpoint near Lincoln High school, Haddow said.

Around 2:35 p.m., police tracked the Kia to a fast food drive-thru and gave chase near East 72nd Street and Portland Avenue, Haddow said. But the Kia was driving dangerously, prompting officers to end the pursuit.

Haddow said officers located and arrested the suspects at the storage facility shortly after 4 p.m. Officers recovered ammunition at the scene. They did not immediately execute a search warrant on the Kia.

Tacoma Public Schools spokesperson Tanisha Jumper said the district sent information about the first off-campus robbery to IDEA High School families on Monday. She said school officials learned about the second robbery near Lincoln High School, which occurred outside school hours, on Tuesday.