Seattle police have arrested two men after investigating reports of an armed robbery that occurred in downtown Seattle Friday night. Another man they believed to be involved in the incident remains on the run as of Saturday.
Officers were dispatched to a report of multiple suspects involved in an armed robbery at an apartment building near Stewart Street and 2nd Avenue around 6:30 p.m.
Three men forced their way into a tenant’s unit, pistol whipped them and demanded electronics, according to witness statements released by the Seattle Police Department on Saturday morning.
Seattle officers were able to track down two of the initial suspects using the building’s surveillance cameras, as they were also tenants of the building and were seen moving between their units and the apartment complex’s common areas.
Police arrested a 24-year-old man in the lobby without incident, and a 26-year-old barricaded himself inside his apartment, according to SPD. The hourslong standoff ended after police got a search warrant from a judge and the suspect decided to exit his unit.
SWAT arrested the 26-year-old at around 11 p.m. The third suspect was not located and the investigation remains ongoing with Seattle Police.
Both men were booked into the King County Jail for robbery after officers found a firearm with extended magazine in one of the suspect’s apartments.
The Stewart Street and 2nd Avenue location places the armed robbery in downtown Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, an area with high-density apartment buildings where residential crime occasionally occurs despite proximity to commercial corridors and police presence.
The pistol whipping and electronics demands suggest a targeted robbery where suspects knew the victim possessed valuable items, though whether the attack stemmed from prior disputes or opportunistic crime remains unclear from police statements.
The suspects’ status as building tenants creates unusual circumstances where perpetrators lived in the same apartment complex as their victim, enabling surveillance camera identification but raising questions about what motivated neighbors to violently rob a fellow resident.
The 24-year-old’s lobby arrest without incident contrasts sharply with the 26-year-old’s barricade situation, suggesting different personalities or circumstances where one suspect surrendered while the other required SWAT intervention after hours of standoff.
The hourslong standoff duration from the 6:30 p.m. initial call to the 11 p.m. SWAT arrest demonstrates police patience in resolving barricaded suspect situations through negotiation and legal process rather than forced entry that could escalate to violence.
The search warrant requirement before entering the barricaded suspect’s apartment reflects Fourth Amendment protections that apply even to robbery suspects, with judges evaluating probable cause before authorizing entry into private residences.
The firearm with extended magazine discovery escalates charges beyond simple robbery, as firearms enhancements carry mandatory minimum sentences and extended magazines often trigger additional weapons violations under Washington state law.
The third suspect’s continued freedom creates public safety concerns for downtown residents, though police silence on suspect descriptions suggests either lack of identifying information or strategic withholding to avoid compromising ongoing investigation.
The surveillance camera evidence proving suspects moved between their units and common areas demonstrates how modern apartment security systems provide investigative tools that older buildings lack, enabling rapid suspect identification.
The King County Jail booking for robbery rather than more serious charges like assault suggests prosecutors may file additional charges after reviewing evidence, as initial bookings often reflect preliminary charges that expand during formal filing processes.
