Renton police have advised the community of several recent carjackings and attempted carjackings that have occurred in the city.
According to a social media post from the department, the incidents have occurred in various Renton locations, with varying numbers of suspects and suspect descriptions.
In terms of consistency, witnesses and victims have described the suspects as adult men dressed in dark clothing and wearing face masks, armed with dark handguns and most likely driving a stolen vehicle, according to the department.
The various incidents have occurred between 9:30 p.m. and 1:09 a.m. after dark, with the primary motivation appearing to be the robbery of the victim’s vehicle and personal possessions, according to the department.
In one attempted carjacking, the victim noticed a man approaching his vehicle as he was parking, armed with a handgun. The victim immediately accelerated and fled the area, according to the department.
The suspect fired multiple rounds at the vehicle and hit it several times, according to police. No injuries resulted in the incident and the victim drove to a family member’s home to call 911 afterward.
“It’s unknown if all these occurrences are related. We are working with agency partners as these robberies have also increased in frequency in surrounding cities,” stated the department’s social media.