12-year-old pleads not guilty to Seattle screwdriver attack, robbery

SEATTLE - A 12-year-old has pleaded not guilty after being accused of attacking a woman with a screwdriver and robbing her in Seattle's Central District.

The backstory:

It happened on Jan. 17 inside a stairwell of the Amazon Fresh store along South Jackson Street and 23rd Avenue South.

Central District Amazon Fresh store where a 12-year-old is accused of assaulting a woman with a screwdriver. (FOX 13 Seattle)

Police say the 12-year-old attacked a woman, hit her several times, then poked her in the face with a screwdriver.

Seattle police say he also stole her purse, and rummaged through it in the store's parking garage before assaulting the woman again and fleeing, court documents state.

Officers eventually tracked him down and took him into custody. Police recognized his clothing and from his previous run-ins with law enforcement, as he had been trespassed from a different store.

What's next:

The pre-teen is now charged with second-degree robbery and obstructing a law enforcement officer.

A judge previously ordered he remain in juvenile detention.

The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office says under state law, the case will remain in juvenile court, but it's not eligible for diversion.

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