Sheriff’s detectives, with assistance from other police agencies, arrested three suspects in the “takeover” robberies of several convenience stores in the area over the last two weeks.

There was one robbery in Bothell, two in Federal Way, two in Maple Valley and one in Covington, beginning with the Federal Way robberies on July 25.

The three suspects were arrested without incident on Aug. 9, and a search warrant was served on the Auburn apartment of one of the suspects.  Evidence was recovered during the search.

The suspects, all Auburn residents, are ages 16, 23 and 24. All are expected to be charged with several counts of first-degree robbery in the next few days.

Tips from the public due to extensive TV coverage helped detectives zero in on the suspects, although additional investigation was needed. In addition, the up-to $1,000 reward offered by CrimeStoppers was believed to be a significant motivation for the tipsters.

“This investigation was an excellent example of a multi-jurisdictional investigation”, said Sheriff Sue Rahr.  “I especially want to thank the Auburn Police Department for their significant help, even though the suspects didn’t commit a robbery in their city.  Everybody worked together to put some very dangerous people in jail,” she added.