King County Sheriff’s detectives are trying to identify a man who robbed a convenience store in the 17900 block of First Avenue South in Burien just after midnight on Dec. 22.
The suspect entered the store and went to the liquor section toward the back of the store where he dropped a bottle of wine, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
The clerk walked to the rear of the store and started cleaning up the mess. As the clerk was cleaning up, the suspect went behind the counter and grabbed a string of scratch lottery tickets, according to the news release.
The clerk confronted the male and pepper sprayed him. The male punched the clerk in the face and fled with the lottery tickets.
The clerk said the same suspect also stole lottery tickets from the store on Dec. 7 around 10:30 p.m. During this crime he approached the counter and asked for over a dozen scratch lottery tickets. When the clerk was ringing up the items the suspect fled with the tickets.
Additionally, on Dec. 23 at around 10:30 a.m., a woman was at the Bonney Watson cemetery in the 16400 block of International Blvd visiting her son’s gravesite when someone stole her purse out of her vehicle.
One of her credit cards was used a short time later at a convenience store in the 14400 block of 34th Avenue South and at a store in the 12400 block of 42nd Avenue South.
Detectives obtained video from one of the stores where the suspect used the stolen credit card. Police believe he may be the same suspect from the two earlier crimes, according to the news release.
The suspect is described as white male 20-30 years old, about 5-foot-9, average build and wore a dark fedora hat, dark jacket and dark pants.
Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 or you can remain anonymous and call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477). If you call Crime Stoppers you may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.
