Suspects arrested after attempted Renton carjacking

Police: Teenage suspects steal car at gunpoint in Tukwila, crash it in Renton

A group of kids with guns terrorized south King County today. Investigators say children as young as 12 stole a car at gunpoint, tried to steal another, then crashed into a driver in Renton.

RENTON, Wash. - On Wednesday, Renton Police said a group of kids with guns terrorized South King County in a multi-city crime spree.

Renton Police tell FOX 13 News they arrested a 12-year-old, a 15-year-old, and three 16-year-olds connected to the case.

Investigators say several of the suspects are known to Renton Police.

Tukwila Police said they responded to a carjacking call at 3:30 a.m. near the 5800 block of Southcenter Boulevard in Tukwila, near the ARCO gas station.

Around 9:45 a.m., Renton Police responded to the Key Bank on Southwest Sunset Boulevard for an attempted carjacking.

Renton Police said the suspects in the attempted carjacking in their city matched the description of the suspects from the Tukwila incident, and they were driving the car stolen in the Tukwila jacking.

Meeghan Black with Renton Police said officers saw the teens throw at least one gun out of the window. Investigators also found three loaded magazines the kids threw out of the window, Black said.

Police dash cam video shows the five suspects bailing out of the car moments after Black said they T-boned another driver. Black said officers were able to find and arrest each of the suspects.

DASH CAM: Teens carjack driver at gunpoint

On Wednesday, Renton Police said a group of kids with guns terrorized South King County in a multi-city crime spree.

"This is just continuing a trend that we are seeing with this juvenile crime, and it is very concerning," she said.

This is the third violent incident involving children that the City of Renton has seen in the last two weeks.

On March 26, four teenage Kia Boys went on a joyride in a stolen car, Renton Police reported. The same suspects are also accused of pointing a gun at an 8-year-old and a 10-year-old.

Chopper footage: Renton teens carjack driver, crash stolen car

A few days before this incident, Renton Police said they arrested three 15-year-olds who crashed a car they had stolen. Police also said one of the suspects had a loaded gun.

According to data from the city, child crime is skyrocketing.

Numbers show there was a 350% increase in kids stealing cars in Renton from 2022 to 2023.

In fact, crimes committed by children are up across the board.

Black says this crisis cannot be fixed by only making arrests.

"This is not a law enforcement alone issue. This is a community issue, and we really need to put our money where our mouths are, right? Because we need to get some help to these kids, but they also need to be held accountable," she said.