VANCOUVER, Wash. — An arrest was made Wednesday in a Feb. 26 string of armed robberies at Vancouver convenience stores, Vancouver police reported.
A 16-year-old boy was taken into custody after law enforcement served a search warrant at a home in Vancouver. They also recovered a stolen handgun and other evidence from the residence.
The suspect was booked into the Clark County Juvenile Justice Center. He faces three counts of first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and taking a vehicle without permission.
The investigation into the robberies remains active, Vancouver police told KGW, and they're still looking for additional suspect information from the public.
Shortly after the string of armed robberies occurred, Vancouver police asked the public to help identify two or three suspects. Because the suspects were considered armed and dangerous, police cautioned anyone who saw them to call 911 immediately and not approach them.
Police described the suspects as male but didn't list any other identifying characteristics.
Surveillance video screenshots included in a Vancouver Police Department news release showed that the suspects were all wearing face coverings when they entered the stores. Armed with a silver handgun, the suspects robbed four locations between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26 on the east side of Vancouver, police said. Cash register money was taken from all four stores, along with money in a safe from one of them.
The suspects first hit a 7-Eleven at Mill Plain Boulevard and Northeast 97th Avenue, police said, followed by a second 7-Eleven at Northeast 136th Avenue and Northeast 4th Street, then a Chevron gas station at Southeast 162nd Avenue and 26th Street and finally another Chevron at Northeast 162nd Avenue and 18th Street.
Officers recovered a stolen vehicle, a burgundy or dark-colored KIA Optima with Washington license plate BDK5599, suspected to have been used in the robberies, but no suspects were found inside the car.
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