Criminal masterminds, these ain’t. A pair of bumbling Costco thieves got the surprise of their lives when they ran into a group of Seattle police officers waiting for them as they snuck out the back door. Watch the dash and body cam footage of the encounter above.
According to the SPD blotter, the incident began when South Precinct officers got a call about a shoplift in progress at a local Costco. Apparently, security officers in the store recognized one of the shoplifters as somebody who had previously stolen items and escaped through the fire exit. The loss prevention officers also said the man had been armed with a knife in those prior incidents.
Officers rushed to the store. Upon arrival, they found a black Toyota with a female driver. The Toyota was backed up to the emergency exit. SPD officers pulled in front of the vehicle, approached the woman and started talking to her.
Costco Thieves Busted
While one group of officers were interviewing the 18-year-old woman, another set of officers posted near the emergency exit heard someone trying to open the doors. At that moment, two suspects—a 30-year-old man and 21-year-old woman—walked out. They were holding stolen computers and vacuum cleaners.
Officers arrested the suspects. As it turns out, the hapless group was suspected of stealing over $2,200 worth of items from another Costco earlier that day.
The male suspect was also carrying a seven-inch fixed blade knife. He was booked for investigation of robbery. In addition, his two female accomplices were booked for investigation of theft. Furthermore, all three are currently in King County Jail.
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