It’s hard to say whether Renton Police busted up a burglary ring Thursday with the arrest of a woman and girl from Seattle following a forced break-in.
But the call about the burglary drew the assistance of Bellevue officers and King County deputies who have been investigating a rash of burglaries in their own jurisdictions. It’s possible the burglaries could be related, but that’s not known for sure yet.
“They were already on alert,” said Renton Police Det. Robert Onishi said of the responding police agencies.
Three burglaries were reported in roughly the same Highlands area on Tuesday
Two suspects remained at large Friday, having successfully eluded a widespread search in northeast Renton not far from Sierra Heights Elementary School, which kept students inside and locked its doors.
A resident was at home at 2:10 p.m. on Northeast 19th Street just west of Duvall when he heard knocking at the door, then the sound of his front door being forced, according to the Renton Police Department. He confronted three suspects, who fled in a waiting car.
Onishi would not define the burglary as a home invasion, in which burglars enter a home knowing they will encounter the residents and with the intent of taking over the home.
Instead, would-be burglars first figure out whether anyone is home, either by knocking on the door or checking out a side yard or back yard. If someone answers the door, burglars may claim to be selling something or looking for someone.
Even if no one answers, burglars may confront someone who simply didn’t want to answer the door, Onishi said.
“That is a very common type of daytime burglary,” Onishi said.
Onishi again encouraged residents to call 911 immediately if they see something suspicious in their neighborhood. That means 90,000 pairs of eyes keeping watch, he said, of the city’s population.
“The first line of defense is the neighbors,” he said. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t, he said.
Onishi asked that anyone with information about the burglary, including witnesses, call the Renton Police Department at 425-430-7500 or 911 and refer to case No. 2011-12383.
