Detectives from the Lynnwood Police Department and the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office have arrested three men connected to a string of serial robberies and burglaries around the state. The three male suspects — ages 21, 29 and 33 — were taken into custody around 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, shortly after they burglarized a nearby home by shattering a rear sliding door. 

Police say that in early October, the suspects committed an armed robbery at a home on Meridian Avenue South in unincorporated Snohomish County, during which they held the homeowner at gunpoint.

The suspects were booked into the Snohomish County Jail on charges of first-degree robbery, burglary and theft. During their initial court appearance on Tuesday, the 21-year-old and the 33-year-old were both held on $500,000 bail while the 29-year-old suspect was held on $200,000 bail. 

Over the past six weeks, the suspects have been involved in several additional burglaries from Everett to Federal Way and are connected to the members of an organized crime group from South America operating throughout the U.S., who were arrested in June 2023.

Detectives determined the group has targeted Asian and Middle Eastern homeowners with the belief that they keep large sums of cash and jewelry stored in their homes. They also think the suspects are finding victims through open-source databases like whitepages.com and 411.com by running a name query. Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Courtney O’Keefe said that those interested in removing their information from the listed sites are encouraged to research the process with the individual websites. 

Police also recommended that people store large sums of cash or jewelry in a secured safe or a banking institution.

This remains an active investigation and additional charges are expected.

— By Jasmine Contreras-Lewis