Seattle judge releases teen charged with bringing automatic weapons to crowded parade

Seattle Police arrested three armed juveniles Sunday evening at a parade in the Chinatown-International District. At 7:31 pm, patrol officers responded to reports of three males brandishing firearms near 7th Ave South and South Weller Street during the parade.

Police arrived in the area, located all three juvenile suspects nearby, and detained them. A handgun was recovered from each of the teens. Two of the three guns recovered by police were reported stolen.

According to court records obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, the family of a murdered 16-year-old killed in Auburn on July 12 was marching in the parade in honor of their son when they saw the three suspects, who they believe are connected to the murder, feared for their safety and alerted police.

“The father of the deceased boy saw the three teens. They were leaning up against a building and smiling at him and nodding to him to seemingly taunt the dad. A parking enforcement officer was notified, and one of the teens made a show of pulling his hoodie up from his waistband and reaching into his waistband to retrieve a handgun.”

One of the juveniles, 14, had a semiautomatic handgun. Another 14-year-old had a modified handgun with a 30-round magazine and an auto-sear which allows for automatic firing. A 13-year-old juvenile had an untraceable, polymer-80 handgun that was also equipped with an auto-sear.

Body camera footage from officers shows police arresting the 13-year-old and two 14-year-olds after they caused panic by displaying their firearms and opening fire as paradegoers ran for safety, according to Fox13.

All three suspects were arrested and booked into juvenile detention at the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children & Family Justice Center on charges ranging from Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Unlawful Carry of a Pistol, and Felony Harassment. Two of the teens were charged with Unlawful Possession Of A Machine Gun. All three guns were seized as evidence.

During the hearing on Thursday, a judge released one of the 14-year-olds onto electronic home monitoring despite the serious charges and King County prosecutors asking for the juvenile to remain in detention. The other two teens remain in custody for the community’s safety. The two who remain detained have prior criminal histories and contacts with police, but the 13-year-old has no prior criminal history.