Prosecutors have filed charges in two initial cases against two of the four teenagers arrested in connection with a crime spree of 78 robberies, shootings and carjackings in King County in September and October.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged 18-year-old John Bailey-Johnson, a Renton man, on Oct. 15 with robbery in the first degree, theft of a motor vehicle, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree.
Prosecutors additionally charged 16-year-old Lorenzo Hezekiah Hendrix with two counts of robbery in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree.
According to Casey McNerthney, director of communications for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, prosecutors received the two initial case referrals from the Seattle Police Department on Oct. 11.
The Seattle Police Department announced that the department arrested five individuals in total in association with the crime spree with cases in cities including Seattle, Auburn, Kent, Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah, Normandy Park, Des Moines and Tukwila.
Members of the Seattle SWAT team arrested four teenagers, including Bailey-Johnson and Hendrix, and a second 16-year-old and 15-year-old, on Oct. 10 in Auburn on State Route 18 and West Valley Highway South.
According to McNerthney, the teenagers booked on Oct. 10 remain in secure detention facilities, including Bailey-Johnson and Hendrix and the 15-year-old.
Following the arrests, McNerthney previously stated on Oct. 11 that the second 16-year-old arrested in Auburn “[did] not appear [to have been] formally booked.”
“Police said they identified another 16-year-old as part of their investigation,” McNerthney stated on Oct. 15. “A case for that 16-year-old has not yet been referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.”
Additionally, prosecutors have not received a case referral from law enforcement for the 15-year-old as of Oct. 15.
The King County Superior Court granted the prosecutorial request to hold the arrested 15-year-old in custody at an Oct. 11 hearing.
Law enforcement booked the 15-year-old on Oct. 10 on a bench warrant issued on Aug. 22 after the 15-year-old violated the court-ordered terms for an alternative sentence in a carjacking and robbery case.
The court scheduled the 15-year-old’s next hearing for Oct. 23 at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center.
Prosecutors charged Bailey-Johnson with robbery in the first degree, theft of a motor vehicle, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree in connection to a Oct. 10 Bellevue carjacking prior to the arrest of the teenagers in Auburn that day.
Bellevue police officers responded to a report of the armed carjacking at an apartment complex at approximately 1:12 p.m.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, two men stated to police that three teenagers approached them in the breezeway of the men’s Bellevue apartment complex, engaging them in conversation prior to pulling out firearms and aiming the guns at both of the men.
One of the men stated to police that the teenagers threatened to “shoot me and my friend and my dog” and demanded the men’s belongings, stealing their wallets, jewelry, shoes, jacket, cellphones and vehicle keys to one of the men’s Mercedes.
Two of the suspects fled the scene in an SUV, and the third in the man’s Mercedes, according to the affidavit.
At the arrest of the four teenagers in Auburn at around 7 p.m., law enforcement recovered multiple firearms, including one located next to Bailey-Johnson after he attempted to flee on foot and hid in blackberry bushes.
“It appeared an effort was made to bury the firearm,” stated the affidavit.
Bailey-Johnson remains in custody on $350,000 bail.
The court scheduled Bailey-Johnson’s arraignment for Oct. 28 at the King County Courthouse.
Hendrix pleaded not guilty to two counts of robbery in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree at his Oct. 16 arraignment hearing in the King County Superior Court’s Juvenile Division.
King County prosecutors charged Hendrix in connection to the Oct. 4 armed robbery of a convenience store in Seattle.
According to the affidavit of probable cause for Hendrix’s case, surveillance footage captured an individual identified as Hendrix walking into the convenience store in the 700 block of 12th Avenue at approximately 10:24 p.m. and drawing a handgun.
Hendrix demanded the belongings of a customer and prior to ordering the employee at the time to open the register, stealing approximately $100 in cash. Hendrix fled the scene following the robbery, according to the affidavit.
The court ordered for Hendrix to be held in custody, stating Hendrix served as a “threat to community safety” and “[would] likely fail to appear for further proceedings, according to court documents. Hendrix remains in secure detention.
The court scheduled Hendrix’s next hearing for Nov. 22 at the Clark Child and Family Justice Center.
Police investigation continues into the 78 robberies, carjackings, burglaries, shootings, and auto thefts.
With the teenagers in custody and fingerprinted, Seattle police expect to tie additional cases to the teenagers through the department’s Latent Prints Unit, according to the department.
“In large investigations it is not uncommon for police to refer some cases initially, and then they may refer additional cases later,” McNerthney stated. “If additional cases are referred to our office, King County prosecutors will address the cases with urgency and review each case individually.”
