SEATTLE – It was supposed to be an easy dash to the getaway car, but some thieves trying to rip off a Costco didn’t even make it out of the door Wednesday, according to Seattle police, who released video of the botched heist.
Police were notified after a Costco loss-prevention officer noticed two people stockpiling high-priced electronics and other items around 5:30 p.m., according to KIRO.
Police decided to wait for the would-be criminals outside of a fire exit. “He’s just going to run out with his laptop,” one officer says.
Seconds later, the double doors burst open and two people, holding multiple items, run straight into the arms of the waiting officers. Police arrested a 30-year-old man, a 21-year-old woman and an 18-year-old woman believed to be the getaway driver.
The 30-year-old was carrying a seven-inch knife, according to KIRO, and loss-prevention officers said they’d dealt with the man in the past and recognized the blade.
Authorities believe the group may have been responsible for another Costco robbery earlier that day, in which the crooks made off with $2,200 worth of items, according to KOMO.
All three suspects were taken to King County jail, where officers booked the man on investigation of robbery and the women on investigation of theft charges.
