Renton police have arrested a suspect they say has been involved in a series of strong-armed robberies in recent months.
According to the Renton Police Department, the suspect targeted the same convenience store business multiple times, in addition to six or more incidents at different locations in Renton — entering businesses and immediately demanding the clerk get money from the register.
Police arrested the suspect on July 22 in a “high risk” traffic stop without incident following another gas station robbery, according to the department.
Renton officers were dispatched at 7:02 a.m. July 22 to a Chevron gas station in the 3000 block of Northeast Sunset Boulevard for a robbery.
According to the department, the employee working at the time of the robbery called the owner of the store and informed him of the robbery approximately 15 minutes prior, resulting in the owner calling the police.
The employee advised police that a man stepped into the store and demanded money from the register, taking approximately $300 to $400 in cash. The man quickly exited and walked eastbound from the store.
Detectives and on-scene officers worked to identify the suspect, with on-scene officers advising detectives that the man in the recent robbery resembled the man in the photos from previous robberies.
Detectives advised officers the location of the potential suspect’s residence. Officers located the man and his vehicle en route back to his residence, according to the department.
According to the department’s social media, several Renton community members recognized the vehicle the suspect used and advised the department of the common location of the vehicle, at an apartment complex on the south end of the city.
The suspect will face several felony counts of robbery in the first degree, according to the department.