Kent Police Blotter: Feb. 21 to March 6

A sampling of Kent Police incidents Feb. 21 to March 6:

Feb. 21

Robbery: 3:52 a.m., officers were dispatched to a recent robbery with a gun at Benson Village Apartments, 10820 SE 211th Pl. Upon arrival they were told the victim saw a subject underneath his vehicle while hearing sawing noises (reportedly taking a catalytic converter). The victim confronted the subject who ran and got into a pickup truck. The victim ran the vehicle down and when he confronted the driver; the suspect pulled out a gun pointing it at the victim. The suspect then fled the area.

Feb. 22

Catalytic converter thefts: 9:45 a.m., an officer took a report of multiple catalytic converter thefts from city vehicles at the city maintenance shops, 5821 S. 240th St. Per video surveillance, two suspects entered the shops area from Hogan Park by cutting a hole in the fence. The license plate from the suspect vehicle was obtained.

Feb. 23

7-Eleven robbery: 7:31 a.m., officers were dispatched to an armed robbery that occurred at 7-Eleven, 8010 East Valley Hwy S. Upon arrival they were informed a white male suspect entered the store and appeared to be shopping. When he started to pay for the items he collected; he pulled out a handgun, robbed the clerk, and fled the store with an unknown amount of cash and merchandise he collected prior to the robbery.

Door Dash carjacking: 9 p.m., officers responded to a carjacking within the Indigo Springs Apartments, 11101 SE 208th St. The victim was delivering a Door Dash (food order) and attempting contact with the customer when he heard his vehicle leaving. The victim ran into the parking lot and was struck by his own vehicle as the suspect was stealing it.

Feb. 24

Pizza robbery: 8:25 p.m., officers were dispatched to the 400 block of First Avenue North regarding a robbery. Upon arrival they were informed the victim had been inside MOD Pizza at Kent Station when he was approached by a male whom he spoke to. After leaving the restaurant with his food and getting into his vehicle; he was attacked by multiple juveniles. The only property taken was the pizza he purchased. Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority responded to treat the victim’s injuries.

Feb. 25

Officers assaulted: 7:30 a.m., officers were dispatched to a dispute at Sunset Motel, 25006 Pacific Highway S. During the initial investigation, probable cause to arrest a subject for fourth-degree assault was developed. When the two officers attempted to take the man in custody, it turned into a fight with punches thrown and numerous Taser applications by the officers. The suspect was eventually placed in custody and booked for assaulting the officers.

Shot in leg: 3:32 a.m., an officer was dispatched to Valley Medical Center in Renton for a male with a gunshot wound to his right leg. The victim stated he was working at an apartment complex near the 2200 block of West Meeker Street. He was walking to a store and saw two vehicles involved in a road rage incident. One of the subjects from the dispute pulled out a gun and fired upon the other vehicle. The victim was hit as he was standing in the same direction as the intended victims.

Shot in stomach: 8:14 p.m., officers were dispatched to Valley Medical Center in reference to a male victim who sustained at least one gunshot wound to stomach at Driftwood Apartments, 1610 W. James Pl. The victim was in a dispute with his ex-girlfriend and three other males. One of the males fired at least one round hitting the victim.

Stolen vehicles: Officers made eight possession of stolen vehicle arrests while recovering stolen vehicles throughout the week. One subject was arrested twice.

Feb. 26

Crowd swarms police SUV: 10:59 p.m., officers observed a vehicle doing burnouts in the intersection of Washington Avenue and James Street with a crowd filming them. An officer attempted to turn around in the intersection and the vehicle was swarmed by the crowd, blocking it from driving forward. The vehicle was starting to get hit by the crowd, but it was able to back up and drive away without running anyone over. The street racing crowd left before enough resources arrived to make contact with them.

March 1

Vehicle pursuit: 12:55 a.m., officers were dispatched to a vehicle theft in progress in the 12200 block of SE 261st Street with the suspect armed with a gun that he had pointed at the vehicle owner. Officers arrived to find the stolen F250 pulling away from the location. The vehicle fled when officers attempted to stop it. The vehicle was pursued, and it lost control on standing water over the roadway at Reber Ranch. The vehicle crashed through a fence, power pole and second fence before the suspect fled on foot. The suspect surrendered before he was apprehended by a K9. The suspect was found to have a state Department of Corrections escape warrant as a violent offender/affiliate blood gang member for unlawful possession of firearms (UPFA). He was booked on his warrant, first-degree robbery, eluding and UPFA.

Hit-and-run: 11:07 p.m., officers were dispatched to a hit-and-run, where a pedestrian on a bike had been struck by a vehicle at 77th Avenue South and South 212th Street. The victim was transported to Valley Medical Center. A search of the area located a possible suspect vehicle tucked away in the 7300 block of South 206th Street. It had corresponding damage, the engine was warm, and the female registered owner was asleep in the back seat. After finally waking her up, the female admitted to “hitting a bump in the road” at 77th and 212th. After investigating and arresting the driver, it was later discovered the victim did not have any broken bones.

March 2

Kidnapping: 1:52 a.m., officers were dispatched to a welfare check at Valley Apartments. An anonymous call to 911 reported a female outside in the parking lot, knocking on doors and asking for someone to call the police. Upon arrival, officers located an injured female victim who stated she had been kidnapped and escaped. The victim was at a hospital in Tacoma for a medical issue. A friend of a friend, who the victim had met three days prior, was asked to pick her up and give her a ride home. This male began driving into Fife but along the way started driving in the wrong direction. She demanded to get out of the vehicle, but he refused and threatened to kill her. The suspect tried to handcuff her at one point, and she tried to jump out of the vehicle on I-5. He threw her phone out of the window and when they reached Auburn, she jumped out of the vehicle only to be hit with it by the suspect. The suspect got her back into the vehicle and ended up in Kent. Once they reached the area around LA Fitness, the victim was able to escape again where she found someone to call 911 for her.

Commercial burglary: 4:53 a.m., officers were dispatched to a commercial burglary in progress at Lynn’s Towing, 753 Central Ave. N. An employee called 911 to report he was watching a subject on a live feed camera breaking into their tow yard. Upon arrival officers found a hole in the fence and items and bags stacked up just outside the yard. They also spotted a subject climbing the fence trying to get out. The suspect was eventually located hiding underneath the Kent Valley Motel, 743 Central Ave. N., and placed under arrest. All the stolen property was recovered, and they found numerous vehicles within the business had been broken into.

Employee fires gun at boss: 7:25 a.m., officers were dispatched to a shooting at Estes Express Lines, 8130 S. 216th St. Upon arrival they found no one was hit and the suspect and victim were employees at the business. An employee got into an argument with his boss over work operations and left work early. While the victim was on break, he saw the suspect approaching him in the parking lot. The victim thought the suspect was walking over to show him what was in his hand (a firearm). When the suspect was about 6 feet away, he opened fire and luckily the victim was not hit. The suspect left prior to the officers’ arrival. On March 3, Kent detectives and Valley SWAT took the suspect into custody in Bellevue.

March 3

Cellphone robbery: 7:31 p.m., officers were dispatched to a robbery at the 76 gas station, 209 Central Ave. S. Upon their arrival they located the victim who sustained injuries. The victim was walking in the alley with the intent of visiting a family member when he was jumped by unknown suspects, assaulted and his cellphone was stolen.

Prowler shot: 8:48 p.m., officers were dispatched to a shooting at the Taco Bell, 322 Washington Ave. S. The victim had been walking on Willis Street eastbound onto Highway 167 near the off ramp when a dark sedan drove up behind him. The driver of the vehicle fired three rounds and struck the victim in the leg. During the initial investigation it appeared the victim was actually prowling a vehicle and the owners confronted and shot the victim.

Cellphone taken: 6:39 p.m., officers were dispatched to a carjacking at South 239th Place and Military Road South. Upon arrival officers found the incident was not a carjacking, but the victim was robbed at gunpoint for his cellphone. The victim’s vehicle had broken down in the intersection and a subject stopped to assist with moving his vehicle out of the roadway. The suspect got into the victim’s vehicle and helped roll it to the shoulder. When the suspect was inside his vehicle, the victim saw him looking around inside it. Shortly thereafter the suspect took the victim’s phone, and when confronted; the suspect pulled out a handgun and took it. The suspect then left in the vehicle he arrived in.

March 4

Street racing crowd: 10:23 p.m., officers were dispatched to a traffic complaint at 84th Avenue South and Highway 167; 10 to 20 cars were blocking the intersection and doing donuts. This was the third or fourth racers complaint of the night. Officers arrived and had their emergency lights/sirens on to try to move everyone along. Instead, they found themselves surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. These people began kicking the bumpers of the patrol cars and yelling at them. They were able to slowly back out of the crowd as more police arrived. Due to the crowds not dispersing and getting violent, outside agencies were called to quickly come help. Once all officers were on scene, they were able to quickly push everyone out of the area. No arrests were made as safety was the more important issue.

March 6

Shot in chest: 10:36 p.m., officers were dispatched to an illegal discharge in the 600 block of Bridges Ave S. They were told two gunshots were heard, a male screaming, and a car leaving with someone saying “Hurry to the hospital.” Shortly thereafter a male showed up at Valley Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim was found in possession of an empty holster and suspected methamphetamine.

Major emphasis patrols

An emphasis on patrols in the Kent Valley:

Feb. 5-11: 23 trespass warnings, 12 new crime arrests, 18 warrant arrests, 15 traffic stops, 26 suspicious vehicle contacts, 3 vehicle impounds, recovery of 3 stolen vehicles, 5 stolen vehicles ran from the police and we could not pursue.

Feb. 12-20: 3 trespass warnings, 2 new crime arrests, 2 warrant arrests, 2 traffic stops, 3 suspicious vehicle contacts, 1 vehicle impounded, recovered 4 stolen vehicles, and 2 stolen vehicles ran from the police and we could not pursue.

Feb. 21-March 7: 2 trespass warning, 1 new crime arrests, 1 traffic stop, recovered one stolen vehicle. This decrease in statistics is partially since we have seen a decrease of crime in the area and partially since we have had some staffing issues over the last couple of weeks.