Prosecutors in King County have charged a 12-year-old boy in juvenile court with second-degree robbery and obstructing a law enforcement officer following an attack on a woman outside a Seattle grocery store on Jan. 17.
The boy was arrested after police said he attacked a 43-year-old woman outside an Amazon Fresh store near 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street in Seattle’s Central District. Officers were called to the scene about 6:50 p.m. following reports of a robbery and found the woman injured.
A Seattle police report says the boy, who was wearing a hot pink ski mask, struck the woman multiple times in the face with his hands before brandishing a screwdriver and poking her in the face, striking her left cheek. Police said the boy took the woman’s handbag, went through it in a nearby parking garage, then returned and assaulted her again before fleeing.
The boy was previously known to police, and investigators later tracked him to his home, where he was arrested and the screwdriver was recovered. The boy appeared in juvenile court for the first time on Tuesday afternoon.
Prosecutors said the case will not be sent to diversion and will instead proceed before a judge with input from juvenile probation counselors. While prosecutors acknowledged the boy appears to need appropriate help, they said felony robbery cases involving a 12-year-old must be handled in juvenile court under state law.
Washington law does not allow prosecutors to move such cases to adult court, regardless of the circumstances, and judges do not have the authority to transfer the case to adult court. This reflects a legal framework that treats 12-year-olds as juveniles even in serious criminal cases, prioritizing rehabilitation over punishment.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the charges reflect what they believe can be proven based on admissible evidence. Police referred the case as a robbery and obstruction investigation.
The boy is scheduled to be arraigned Friday afternoon at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center, where he is being held. An arraignment is the stage at which an initial plea is entered. Bail is not addressed in juvenile cases, where respondents are either held or released. The boy is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
