Seattle Police investigating 14 armed robberies at Ballard-area schools
SEATTLE - Seattle Police say they are investigating a slew of armed robberies at Ballard High School and Whitman Middle School since September.
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) held a press conference providing information about the investigation and discuss the department’s response to these violent crimes at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
According to authorities, detectives have linked 14 reported robberies since the start of the school year. Police Captain Todd Kibbee shared three of those incidents took place Tuesday near the Roosevelt neighborhood and Bishop Blanchett High School.
"There’s nothing really to prevent these crimes from traveling to other parts of our city," said Kibbee. "Most of these students are walking alone. These are crimes of opportunity."
In each of these robberies, four to six suspects appear to be involved—most involving three to six Black teenage boys in ski masks or hoodies, but an Asian boy and Black girl have also been implicated in one of the incidents.
Suspect vehicles have been described as either a red Kia, gray Hyundai or a red/silver sedan. Captain Kibbee revealed at the press conference, authorities recovered two cars believed to have been used by the culprits.
Police have since recovered the red Kia, but are still searching for the Hyundai and sedan.
RELATED: High school in Auburn goes into lockdown after 6 people let in, attack students
Teenage victims of the robberies reported seeing the suspects carrying guns.
Seattle Police aims to step up its presence in the area for the foreseeable future. Anyone with information on the suspects or robberies is urged to call SPD’s violent crimes tip line at (206) 233-5000.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story reported four robberies linked by detectives, based on early information from Seattle Police. It has since been updated to reflect new information of 14 reported robberies.