Members of the North Sound Metro SWAT Team served simultaneous search warrants on two Kirkland residences at about 6 a.m. this morning, and two men were arrested without incident for their suspected involvement in a Bothell armed robbery and unlawful-imprisonment incident that occurred in early May at the Yakima Fruit Market. A third man was arrested by Bothell police detectives later in the day in Lynnwood.
According to Capt. Denise Langford, Bothell Police Department public information officer, Bothell police detectives located a floor plan of the Yakima Fruit Market inside one of the suspect’s residences. The weapon used in the crime has also been recovered.
At approximately 8:41 p.m. on May 6, two men entered the market — located at 17321 State Route 522 — after closing, forced the night manager into the business office at gunpoint and demanded the manager open the safe.
The market’s security camera recorded the incident, and in the video, one of the suspects could be seen brandishing a handgun.
The market’s night manager, a 26-year-old Bothell man, was the only employee in the business. He complied with their demands by giving them an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspects secured the manager’s hands behind his back and forced him to the floor before fleeing on foot.
Bothell Police received information about a possible suspect vehicle seen in the area during the incident and were able to recover a cellular phone determined to be associated with one of the suspects.
Further investigation led to the identification of three men, ages 21, 22 and 24, believed to have been involved with the robbery.
All three men were booked into King County Jail for investigation of robbery 1 and unlawful imprisonment.
