The Renton Police Department, following an intense investigation by several department divisions, has arrested the prime suspect in a string of criminal activities around the 300 block of Garden Avenue North.

The suspect, a 17-year-old male from Renton, was charged with eight felony crimes, including possession of a stolen vehicle, firearms violations, second-degree assault, burglary, possession of stolen property and drug-related crimes.

Charges against three adult suspects in the cases are pending, including possessing/trafficking stolen property; a runaway juvenile contacted during the investigation was returned to her foster parent.

The lead suspect faces a lengthy sentence if convicted because the repeat nature of the crimes indicate he is a high-impact offender, according to a City of Renton press release.

As recently reported in the Renton Reporter, the area in north Renton has experienced on-going criminal activity, including multiple calls involving burglaries, robberies and complaints of illegal discharge of firearms.

This prompted police to conduct six days of targeted surveillance during a two-week period of time, contacting several neighbors and potential victims. They had long suspected that individuals associated the address on Garden Avenue have been involved with various illegal activities.

“This has been a problem area for years and residents of this neighborhood have been subject to numerous incidents of unlawful behavior,” said Mayor Denis Law in the press release. “I am very pleased with our police officers, who have taken proactive steps to put an end to this problem. Thanks to their persistence and the collaboration between the various units, we can now put these criminals away for a long time.

After the arrest, five burglary victims came forward to recover their stolen property.

The Police Department divisions working on the case were the Special Enforcement Team, Repeat Burglary Initiative Unit, SWAT team and the Patrol Division.