SEATTLE — Editor's note: The suspect was initially reported to be 14 years old, but new information confirms he is 13.
Seattle police said a 13-year-old was arrested Friday after attempting to rob a fellow middle school student of their bike at knifepoint. One day after he was booked, he was mistakenly released from custody.
The attempted robbery happened just after 4 p.m. Friday at McClure Middle School, located in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle. The victim is 12 years old.
Police said staff at the school allowed Seattle officers to review surveillance video, "but refused to disclose the student's full identity." Police also said the first name of the suspect was known to multiple witnesses.
About 2.5 hours later, police said, the mother of the suspect contacted police, saying that school staff had reached out about the incident. Officers responded to the residence of the student, and that student was eventually arrested.
The 13-year-old boy was booked in the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center.
According to SPD, the 13-year-old was released just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday by CFJC staff, and "without an arrest warrant issued by the court, officers were unable to take the suspect back into custody."
The suspect did have a first appearance in court Monday evening and there, the judge found probable cause for first-degree attempted robbery. The case has yet to be referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office for a charging decision. That is expected in the next few days.
Jamie Kvistad works at the KCPAO. In January, she helped launch the Safer Schools Strategy program, which is a partnership to keep people informed of juvenile crime between the KCPAO, schools and districts across the county.
"When we share information with a school, it's so we can really wrap around that student with protective factors, with intervention, with accountability to make sure they follow through and change their behavior. We want to use their external motivator of the court system to breed eternal change," Kvistad said.
State data shows hundreds of weapons are brought to Washington schools every year. In the 2022-23 school year, more than 200 firearms were brought into K-12 schools and more than 1,200 knifes or daggers.
"All the things you hear about going on, like the school shootings, it's kind of shocking, but on the other hand, not really. It's kind of like the world we live in," said Dominique Cohen, who lives near the school.