Seattle teens arrested after shooting up Portland gas station, carjacking rideshare driver

SEATTLE — Four Seattle juveniles were arrested in connection with a series of armed crimes in Portland, including a convenience store robbery in which an employee was shot multiple times and critically injured, Portland police said.

The investigation began after a robbery and shooting at about 4:46 a.m. Friday at a gas station convenience store in the 400 block of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Multiple armed suspects threatened a store clerk before another employee entered the store, prompting a struggle during which multiple shots were fired, Police said.

The employee was struck at least five times — four times in the abdomen and once in the leg. Bullets also hit the store’s walls and shattered a window.

Officers arrived less than four minutes after being dispatched, secured the scene, and summoned emergency medical responders.

The victim was taken to a hospital, where he underwent extensive surgery. Police said he is expected to survive.

Detectives with the Major Crimes Unit, patrol officers, forensic specialists, and analysts linked the robbery to several other crimes earlier in the week, including a rideshare driver’s carjacking at gunpoint on Tuesday, a menacing incident involving armed suspects attempting to steal from a vehicle, and an armed robbery at another gas station convenience store in which an employee was struck in the head with a handgun.

Hours before Friday’s shooting, officers responded to a report of masked suspects attempting to enter another convenience store. After the suspects left, officers searched the area, anticipating another robbery.

Later Friday, investigators identified suspect vehicles and tracked possible suspects to a residence in Northeast Portland.

A search warrant was served with assistance from the Portland Police Bureau’s Special Emergency Reaction Team, Crisis Negotiation Team, and East Metro SWAT. Twelve people were detained, and multiple handguns were seized.

Police said three juveniles, ages 15, 16, and 17, all from Seattle, were charged in connection with Friday’s robbery. Additional charges tied the juveniles to the earlier robberies and menacing case.

A fourth 17-year-old from Seattle was charged in the Tuesday robbery. An adult Portland man was arrested on unrelated outstanding warrants.

The investigation remains ongoing, and additional or modified charges are possible, police said.