Kirkland K-9 Unit Helps Bellevue Police Nab Burglary Suspects

The Kirkland Police Department’s K-9 unit, Officer Jeff Trombley and the German shepherd Max, assisted Bellevue Police Wednesday in capturing two burglary suspects hiding in a wooded ravine.

Police from several agencies, including K-9 units from Kirkland and Federal Way, converged in south Bellevue after a neighbor called 911 to report a home burglary in progress in the Lakemont neighborhood, according to a press release by the Bellevue Police Department.

The eyewitness knew the neighbor was not home at the time and saw the suspects take the screen off the window, open the window and enter the home. The witness relayed suspect descriptions, direction of travel of the suspects when they ran from the house and then took pictures with his cell phone, which he forwarded to the dispatch center.

The suspects, both from Renton, ran from the home and through the woods toward a nearby golf course. Located a couple hours later during a K-9 track, both suspects were deep in the woods in a ravine, where they had covered themselves up with leaves and hid under a log.

"It was the perfect situation for a track," said Bellevue Police spokeswoman Officer Carla Iafrate. "It took a long time, two hours. It was awesome how police from several jurisdictions just converged on the scene."

Police arrested the pair, assisted by the Federal Way Police K-9 unit's dog. Medics treated one of the suspects for a bite wound.

Bellevue Police were also assisted in the capture of the pair by police from Federal Way, Newcastle and the King County Sheriff's Office.

For the entire press release, see the city of Bellevue web pages here.