Man shot during robbery in Lakewood, suspect then robs 14-year-old afterwards
LAKEWOOD, Wash. - A suspect shot one person and then robbed a teenager in a matter of minutes in broad daylight in Pierce County.
Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a 7-Eleven on 108th street in the Arrowhead neighborhood of Lakewood around 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to deputies, a man was shot while trying to defend a woman during an armed robbery.
The victim was taken to the hospital and officials say he is expected to be ok. However, deputies say the victim is not cooperating with investigators.
Deputies say after the shooting, the suspect then robbed a 14-year-old who was walking by the scene.
"This kid literally was just skateboarding by, and he gets robbed for his backpack. It’s just really despicable that you would do that to a young kid," said Sgt. Darren Moss with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
He said the suspect made off with the boy's school laptop.
Moss says the county is seeing a spike in armed robberies. He says 2022 saw a 71% increase in armed robberies in comparison to the average over the last five years.
Law enforcement have not released any suspect details. They ask anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s department at (253) 287‑4455 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.