EDMONDS, Wash. — Burglars broke into a weed dispensary in Edmonds early Thursday morning.
They were not able to get the ATM they were trying to steal, but they were able to get away.
"I got a call that the building had been driven into,” said Savhanna Korvales, the manager of Dank’s Wonder Emporium.
Korvales reviewed security footage with police that showed two burglars in a red minivan first trying to get into the business with a sledgehammer. When that did not work, they rammed the minivan into the building multiple times to break in. Once inside, the burglars tried to steal the ATM machine but were not able to get it loose.
Police said an officer was only a few blocks away when the call was dispatched and arrived to find a red minivan parked in front and another occupied sedan stopped in the roadway, which they believe was acting as a lookout. Police said the officer saw broken glass and recognized it as an obvious burglary and was waiting for backup.
Police said the sedan drove away, and the initial officer followed it to SB I-5 before they say it recklessly took off when an attempt to stop it was made. Edmonds police said although an officer was following the suspect, the officer could not pursue the suspect once they started driving recklessly due to the police pursuit law passed in 2021. Korvales said it was discouraging to hear that.
“So, they attempted to pull them over, but they wouldn't pull over. And since it's not like a violent felony or a DUI, they weren't able to pursue them,” said Korvales.
Edmonds police said a burglary is not a listed reason to allow for a police pursuit.
“You feel a little helpless having to go back to a crime victim and say we had them, they were right there, but we couldn't do anything about it when they decided to leave,” said Josh McClure, a Commander with the Edmonds Police Department.
Commander McClure said it is important that police uphold the law in the city and for themselves.
"If there’s a law in place that says we cannot pursue, then we are going to follow the law and make sure that our community can trust we can do the right thing when we are asked to,” said McClure.
McClure added that he does recognize the public safety risks with police pursuits, but also wants to be able to apprehend suspects in crimes.
Police said they are continuing to investigate the burglary and are looking at possible connections to other smash-and-grab cases in the area. In addition to police investigating, the employees at Dank's Wonder Emporium said they are taking the matter into their own hands as well.
"We are offering a $5,000 reward as a store to anyone for any tip that leads to an arrest regarding this,” said Korvales.
Korvales said she hopes justice can be served and that the people who broke into the business can be held accountable.
“We really want to make sure that whoever these people are, know that we are taking it very seriously,” said Korvales.
Edmonds police said assisting officers did not locate the red van when arriving back at the business, but after they watched surveillance video to piece together the crime, police recognized the van and said it had been following the officer who was following the sedan.
If you have any information on the crime, contact the Edmonds Police Department.
There are two bills currently going through the Washington Legislature in relation to the 2021 pursuit law. The first bill would expand the types of situations in which police would be allowed to pursue a suspect. The second bill would create a work group that would meet throughout this year, to study police pursuits and give recommendations to the legislature for next year.