Teens charged following shootings, chase with deputy involving gunfire

Two teens — a 17-year-old and a 15-year-old — have been charged with assault following several reported shootings and a chase Saturday in Burien that is believed to have involved gunfire.

According to charging documents, at 8:40 p.m. on June 23, King County deputies received a report about gunfire in the 600 block of Southwest 120th Street in Burien.

A witness told deputies that he saw an older green Honda Civic driving recklessly in the area just before the gunfire rang out. Deputies were told that three young males were in the car.

When deputies investigated, they recovered two 9mm casings from the area. However, no victims or other evidence was found.

Court documents stated that 90 minutes later and more than a mile away, there was another shooting in the White Center area.

A cyclist called 911 to report that he had been injured after someone in a 90s Honda Civic pulled out a gun and fired two shots at him.

The cyclist said he was near Southwest 10th Street and 16th Avenue Southwest when he was almost struck by the Civic, exchanged words and then rode off, but was followed and then shot at before the car took off, deputy records stated.

Court documents stated that the shooting happened in front of a Metro bus, which had a surveillance camera that recorded the incident.

The passenger was seen on surveillance video firing the shots, court records stated. Deputies also found a 9mm casing at the scene.

The cyclist was taken to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The next day, at 3 p.m., Seattle police were called near the 7200 block of West Marginal Way Southwest for a report of another shooting.

When police arrived at the scene, three witnesses told officers that a light green Civic was driving erratically and was possibly racing with another vehicle.

One of the witnesses said that he ended up next to the Civic at a red light, exchanged words with the driver, and at some point got out of his car and kicked the Civic.

According to court records, both the driver and passenger — who are described as young Hispanic males — pulled out guns. The witness then backed away and the driver of the Civic fired a shot, hitting the witness’ car.

The victim then told deputies that the driver’s gun appeared to jam and that was when the passenger leaned across the driver and fired two shots into his tires.

According to probable cause documents, the other two witnesses took photos or videos of the Civic and gave them to Seattle police. The video showed that the Civic was the same car used when the cyclist was shot and injured.

After Seattle police shared the information with King County deputies, a deputy working in White Center found the empty car parked on the street seven hours later. But before deputies could begin surveillance, the car was gone.

It was about 2:45 a.m. Saturday that the Civic was spotted again, this time in downtown Burien along 1st Avenue South.

According to court records, before a deputy turned on his emergency lights and got close, the car sped off and a chase ensued.

When the deputy caught up with the car, he confirmed that it was the same car wanted in previous shootings.

During a 7-mile chase through Burien, SeaTac, Normandy Park and Des Moines, the deputy said he heard gunfire come from the Civic and believed he was being shot at and his patrol vehicle was struck by gunfire.

It wasn’t until the Civic drove down a cul-de-sac in the 1000 block of South 260th Street in Des Moines that the driver circled around and then rammed a deputy’s patrol vehicle, which caused both vehicles to be disabled, records stated.

The three people in the Civic then got out and ran from the scene, prompting a large law enforcement presence.

The passenger from the back seat was eventually caught after he called out to officers and gave up, court records stated.

Deputies said the passenger, a 17-year-old, was found hiding under an abandoned shack on a nearby property. Two 9mm pistols were found with him.

The driver, a 15-year-old, was found by a police K9 hiding in thick brush several hours later, court documents stated.

Deputies said both had small shoulder bags that contained live or fired ammunition during the arrests.

During the arrests, detectives saw several fired shell casings on the seats and floorboards of the vehicle, records stated. A gun magazine was also poking out from the front passenger seat.

After deputies found out that the passenger was believed to be the sole shooter during the chase, the backseat passenger was let go.

It is also believed the front seat passenger only fired the shots to “scare the police off,” according to court records.

After the teens made their first court appearance, the 15-year-old was booked into juvenile detention and the 17-year-old was ordered to be released to electronic home monitoring.

However, prosecutors asked for a $500,000 warrant for the 17-year-old who allegedly shot at the deputy. He is being charged with first-degree assault and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He also has a pending case from 2021 involving the unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to court documents, the teen fired a shot into another car, killing another person but he claimed self-defense in that case. Homicide charges were not filed.

The 15-year-old is being charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.