Armed robbers hit 2 stores only minutes away from one another in Tukwila

Two convenience stores only minutes away from one another were robbed on the same night in Tukwila.

At around 11 p.m., Tukwila officers were called to Jackson’s Shell Station at 13138 Interurban Avenue South, according to a woman who witnessed the large police response.

The suspects stole money from the register and a customer in the store. When a bold citizen decided to confront the robbers, one of the suspects fired a shot into the ground in front of them.

The robbers then left.

A short time later, another convenience store in the area, a 7-Eleven in the 600 block of Strander Boulevard, was robbed at gunpoint. The two stores are less than 3 miles from each other.

According to Tukwila Police, based on the suspects’ descriptions, the robberies are believed to be related.

Similar robberies took place in South King County, Seattle, and the Eastside — both overnight and in daylight — over the last several weeks, Tukwila Police Department spokesperson Victor Masters said.

Members of the Tukwila Police Major Crimes Unit are investigating the Tukwila robberies. They are also working with other law enforcement agencies to identify and arrest the suspects.