He tried to sell his AR-15 outside a Pierce Co. grocery store. Teens robbed him
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Two teens pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and unlawful firearm possession.
- Suspects allegedly robbed a legal AR-15 seller in a grocery store parking lot.
- Courts sentenced juveniles to 129–260 weeks in rehabilitation facilities.
Two teenagers accused of first-degree robbery during a gun sale gone wrong in Spanaway have been sentenced.
According to Pierce County Juvenile Court documents, the two boys – one who is 18 and one who is 17 – pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm in early October. The News Tribune does not generally name juveniles who have been charged with a crime.
- The 18-year-old was sentenced to 129 to 260 weeks in a juvenile rehabilitation facility on Oct. 3, with credit for 158 days already served.
- The 17-year-old boy is facing 129 to 260 weeks in a juvenile rehabilitation facility on Oct. 8, with credit for 103 days served.
Both were 17 years old when they robbed a man, allegedly with two other people – an 18-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man – in a grocery store parking lot last April. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office told The News Tribune the man was a legal gun owner looking to sell his AR-15, and arranged to meet with a potential buyer outside a grocery store in the 15800 block of Pacific Avenue South.
When he showed up at the parking lot, a car drove up beside him, and one of the four suspects pointed a gun at the victim’s head and demanded he hand over the rifle. They then took the AR-15 and a personal gun around the victim’s waistband.
Carly Cappetto, spokesperson for the PCSO, previously told The News Tribune that police found the car a couple hours later in the Sunrise area of South Hill. The 18-year-old woman and one of the 17-year-old boys stayed in the car and complied with police, but the 22-year-old man and other 17-year-old boy allegedly ran out of the car and fled. Officers captured the 22-year-old man and took the three suspects into custody.
Officers found the other 17-year-old boy in some bushes later on by using a K9 from the Puyallup Police Department.
Asked about the woman and the 22-year-old Wednesday, Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Adam Faber said that they have not been charged in connection to the Spanaway robbery.
Cappetto previously told The News Tribune the 18-year-old woman had a history of armed robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm and the 17-year-old boy who fled was recently wanted by the Orting Police Department for armed robbery.
News Tribune archives contributed to this story.
