13 year old arrested after West Seattle attempted carjacking

13-year-old arrested in Seattle for attempted carjacking

Seattle Police recently announced the arrest of a 13-year-old boy for an attempted carjacking in West Seattle.

SEATTLE - A 13-year-old boy was arrested last month after an attempted carjacking in West Seattle.

On Aug. 30, officers responded to a report of a carjacking involving a group of teens near South Holgate Street and 31st Avenue South.

According to the Seattle Police Department, when officers arrived at the scene, they found one of the suspects, who was left behind by his accomplices.

Officers also detained a bystander that was armed with a gun.

Investigators said the car owner found the suspects inside her car trying to steal it. Bystanders and witnesses confronted the suspects, who got out of the car but left a cellphone behind.

The suspect came back for the phone and charged at one of the people involved, and a bystander fired at the suspects' getaway car.

Police said the suspects drove away but left the 13-year-old boy behind. The child was arrested for attempted theft of a motor vehicle. Officials said he was booked and released from the Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center.

"It’s a real shame. It’s an alarming trend," said Detective Eric Munoz of the Seattle Police Department. "They don’t understand that they’re disrupting people’s livelihoods and giving them financial hardship. And of course, they’re committing felony crimes and that’s not something you want on your record, especially as a growing young man or woman."

The bystander who fired his gun was also arrested for aiming or discharging a firearm, but he was released from custody at the scene.

"It’s understandable that he may have been scared or there was some sort of perception involved, but you can’t go around firing a gun in the air. He’s just not allowed to do that, it is a violation of the law," said Munoz.

Police have not arrested the other suspects, who remain at large.

The investigation remains ongoing.

King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office received the case from investigators on Tuesday. Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the office, said the case against the 13-year-old is under review.

"There might be this misconception that if you’re 12 or 13 you can carjack somebody and just go away and not face consequences, but that’s wrong. There is and there needs to be clear accountability so that behavior stops," said McNerthney.

The 13-year-old is no longer in custody, but the prosecutor’s office said it has the potential to request secure detention, pending a charging decision.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the child's age. The Seattle Police Department has since corrected the information in its original blotter report.