Seattle Police arrest 5 believed to be involved in home invasions targeting Asian families

Seattle Police have arrested five people they believed were involved in a series of armed robberies in south Seattle that targeted victims of Asian descent.

SEATTLE - Seattle Police have arrested five people they believed were involved in a series of armed robberies in south Seattle that targeted victims of Asian descent.

Four men and a teen were arrested. They have been identified as Delauno Habtai (26), Demarcus Pate (28) Tyrhone Marr (32), Javez Paul Tubbs (30), and an unnamed 16-year-old.

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Seattle Police Department

According to probable cause documents, all victims were of Asian descent and appeared to be targeted for that reason.

"The victims in this series are of Asian descent. The overall investigation indicates that the victims were intentionally selected based on the suspects' perception of the victims' race or ancestry," court documents read.

The armed home invasions they were arrested for are as follows:

June 25

Home invasion in the 2800 block of Hanford Street. Probable cause documents say at least Habtai and Pate were present at this robbery. The suspects yelled "Seattle Police!" before kicking down the door, according to court documents. Court documents released months later also say Tubbs was at the scene.
Home invasion in the 5300 block of 12th Ave. Couple robbed. Probable cause documents say at least Marr, Pate and Tubbs were present for the robbery.
Home invasion in the 500 block of Jericho Ave NE in Renton. Around $24,000 in cash was stolen, along with handbags and Amazon packages. Probable cause documents say at least Marr, Pate and Tubbs were present for the robbery.

According to court documents, the couple robbed on 12th Street were the parents of the man robbed on Jericho Ave. NE in Renton. It's unclear if the suspects got the son's information from the first robbery.

June 26

Home invasion in the 5500 block of 23nd Ave S. Suspect vehicle was seen on home surveillance footage. Shots were fired, but it does not appear that anyone was hurt. Probable cause documents say at least Habtai and the 16-year-old were present at this robbery.

Aug. 6

Home invasion in the 10600 block of 56th Ave. S. Around $37,000 in cash was stolen from the home, as well as electronics, gold jewelry and identifying documents. Probable cause documents say at least Habtai was present at this robbery.

Aug. 14

Home invasion in the 1800 block of S Hanford Street. A wallet and debit cards were stolen, and one resident was held at gunpoint to give up marijuana that was in the home. Probable cause documents say at least Habtai was present at this robbery.

Aug. 16

Home invasion in the 10000 block of Beacon Ave. S. Probable cause documents say at least the teen was present at this robbery. Designer bags and $3,600 in cash were stolen.
Home invasion in the 11700 block of Beacon Ave. S. Probable cause documents say at least the teen was present at this robbery.

Aug. 20

Home invasion in the 5200 block of 29th Ave. in Beacon Hill. Residents were assaulted and had a gun pressed to their head. Probable cause documents say at least Habtai was present at this robbery.

Probable cause documents also say that each of their phones pinged at one or more of the robbery locations being investigated at the time, but the documents only specified certain suspects at certain addresses. Most victims reported seeing three to five suspects.

All four adults have prior convictions of assault, burglary and theft.

During a press conference on Thursday, Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said the department had made arrests in 14 home invasions. It's unclear if the four suspects are connected to some or all of those cases. The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office will file charges based on the investigation.

Each suspect has been charged with

Habtai has been charged with three counts of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Bail has been set at $2 million.
Tubbs has been charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, third-degree assault and unlawful possession of a firearm. Bail was set at $1.5 million.
Pate has been charged with three counts of first-degree burglary, third-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Bail was set at $1.5 million.
Marr has been charged with two counts of one count of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Bail was set at $1.25 million.
The 16-year-old has been charged with first-degree attempted robbery, three counts of first-degree burglary, two counts of first-degree robbery and second-degree theft. There are no bail arguments in juvenile court-- it's up to a judge whether to hold or release a juvenile suspect. A judge ruled to hold the 16-year-old.

Additional charges may be filed when more information is given to prosecutors.

On Feb. 23, Tubbs and Pate were also charged with hate crime.