AUBURN, Wash. — Police are investigating to determine whether an overnight string of armed robberies at western Washington 7-Eleven locations are related.
The first robbery came at a location in Auburn at 1602 A Street SE, just after midnight. In surveillance footage from the store, two suspects with masks can be seen exiting a white Kia in the parking lot and coming into the store.
The two suspects, one of which was holding a gun, took money from the register and cash from the cashier's personal wallet, before quickly exiting and jumping back into the white vehicle.
The store employees in Auburn said they were also robbed just a month ago.
Around 12:40 a.m. Wednesday morning, another 7-Eleven was robbed in Renton. Clerks at the store, located at 17615 108th Street, gave a similar description of the suspects and their vehicle.
Just 50 minutes later, another 7-Eleven location was hit in Federal Way at 28719 Military Road South. Police on the scene in Federal Way said the suspect description in that robbery matched that of the other two in Renton and Auburn, but could not confirm that all three incidents were the same suspects.
No injuries were reported, but police say the robbers fled in a similar white Kia before officers arrived.
Renton Chamber of Commerce CEO Diane Dobson says crime against businesses has risen and small business owners are trying to find ways to combat it.
“We’re seeing an increase in cameras, we’re seeing security systems, we’re seeing more business watch,” she said. “We have some business owners staying the night in their business location because they’re so afraid of crime happening.”
Dobson is calling for King County to take a stronger stance against people who commit these kinds of crimes.
But she also hopes the impact of these crimes on the owners themselves won’t be overlooked.
“They’re our families, our neighbors, this is their livelihood,” Dobson said. “It’s their child’s college investment, it’s their house, it’s their car, everything is invested into this business and so when something happens to it we need to show our support as a community.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.