All four teens arrested over Seattle-area car theft ring released from custody

All four teenagers arrested in connection with a suspected car theft ring at a Seattle-area light rail station have been released from custody, including an 18-year-old accused of participating in repeated vehicle thefts.

The suspects, two 14-year-olds, a 16-year-old and 18-year-old Payton Rose Cummings, were arrested October 3 at Angle Lake Transit Station in SeaTac after a three-week investigation. KOMO News reported that all four were subsequently released. According to court documents cited by the outlet, Cummings told investigators she had participated in at least five car thefts at the station and “too many to count” elsewhere.

Prosecutors requested $10,000 bail at Cummings’s first appearance, but a judge released her on her own recognizance, according to FOX 13. On October 7, prosecutors formally charged her with two counts of second-degree taking a motor vehicle without permission.

Investigators also linked a 2016 Hyundai Elantra stolen from the garage September 27 to an armed robbery in Seattle. Cummings allegedly acknowledged helping steal the vehicle but denied involvement in the robbery. During a foot pursuit, a suspect reportedly dropped a screwdriver that detectives recovered. Investigators said the tool was used to smash vehicle windows and strip ignitions. The three younger suspects, all boys, were initially booked into juvenile detention.

The investigation focused on Kia and Hyundai vehicles stolen during late-night weekend hours. Deputies with the sheriff’s Sound Transit Special Emphasis Team conducted the operation.

The two 14-year-olds were charged with attempted motor vehicle theft and second-degree taking a motor vehicle without permission. The 16-year-old faces possession of a stolen vehicle and failure to obey police charges.

Washington previously experienced a sharp rise in vehicle thefts after the Democrat-controlled Legislature imposed restrictions on police pursuits in 2021. The law barred pursuits based solely on crimes such as auto theft.

In January 2023, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs reported that average monthly vehicle thefts increased 61 percent between the 18 months before the July 2021 law change and the 18 months afterward. The association identified the restrictions as a contributing factor in the increase, while acknowledging that they were not the only cause.

A common crime in the Evergreen State became teenagers using stolen vehicles to break into businesses, especially pot shops. In 2023, a Seattle smoke shop suffered seven burglaries in one month, including an incident in which thieves crashed a stolen vehicle through its storefront. The following month, victims of robberies near Ballard High School and Whitman Middle School described groups of teenagers using vehicles that included Kias and a Hyundais.

Certain Kia and Hyundai models became frequent theft targets after social media videos exposed their lack of an engine immobilizer. The manufacturers responded with free software updates intended to address the vulnerability.

By February 2024, Seattle had recorded 8,379 vehicle thefts through November 30, 2023, up 34 percent from the comparable period in 2022 and 75 percent from 2021. Let’s Go Washington organized a signature campaign for Initiative 2113 to restore broader pursuit authority. Lawmakers adopted I-2113 in March 2024, allowing pursuits based on reasonable suspicion that a person violated the law, subject to safety assessments and other requirements.