An undercover investigation by the Tukwila Police Department led to the recent arrest of a repeat felony suspect and the recovery of more than $100,000 in stolen property, including tools and equipment that officers said victims depended on to earn a living.
Police said the investigation began over the weekend after several victims tracked stolen tools and equipment to residences in the 14900 block of 57th Ave South and the 14900 block of 58th Ave South. Police said the thefts had occurred in multiple jurisdictions across the region and had left victims unable to work and support their families.
Although patrol officers initially had limited options because of a lack of information and available resources, the department’s Special Emphasis Unit took over the case. Within a day, detectives linked the stolen property and the suspect to commercial burglaries in Kent and Federal Way before launching an undercover operation.
Police said the suspect, who has 16 prior felony convictions and is under Department of Corrections supervision, arrived at a commercial complex in a stolen pickup truck to collect what he believed was $5,000 for stolen equipment.
Members of the Tukwila Police SWAT team and a police K-9 assisted in the arrest. According to the department, the suspect surrendered immediately after seeing the K-9 and hearing officers’ verbal commands, rather than attempting to flee as he had during previous encounters.
Police said the suspect was sentenced to prison in 2021 for similar crimes following an earlier investigation that recovered thousands of dollars in stolen property. During that arrest, officers recovered an AK-47.
The department said detectives recovered more than $100,000 in stolen property during the latest operation and returned most of it to its owners the same night. Officers also recovered a firearm that will be processed by evidence technicians and submitted for ballistic testing.
Police said one of the residences connected to the investigation is being condemned by code enforcement, adding they hope the surrounding neighborhood will see relief from what they described as ongoing trafficking of stolen property at the locations.
The department said detectives worked nearly 24 consecutive hours to complete the investigation with assistance from SWAT officers, the police K-9 unit and members of the Nights A patrol team, who helped with prisoner transports and search warrants.
According to Tukwila police, detectives plan to recommend several new felony charges. The department has not yet identified the suspect because formal charges have not yet been filed.
Video
Below is body cam video of the arrest, courtesy Tukwila PD:
