A 17-year-old arrested after a police pursuit that ended in a serious crash near the Seattle-Tukwila border last week was ordered held in secure detention Tuesd
A 17-year-old arrested after a police pursuit that ended in a serious crash near the Seattle-Tukwila border last week was ordered held in secure detention Tuesday as prosecutors await a felony case referral from police.
At the juvenile’s first appearance hearing, a court found probable cause for his arrest on investigation of first-degree rendering criminal assistance, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, felony hit-and-run involving injury, and attempting to elude a police vehicle, according to King County prosecutors.
Prosecutors asked that the 17-year-old be held in secure detention. After hearing from prosecutors, the defense, a juvenile probation counselor and the boy’s mother, the court granted the request.
The arrest stems from an Aug. 12 pursuit that began after undercover Seattle police officers followed a stolen Dodge Challenger in connection with a series of armed robberies across the city.
According to a Seattle police arrest report, undercover officers were following the Challenger on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South around 5:30 p.m. when it turned onto South Kenyon Street.
Officers reported seeing two men standing outside the Challenger with guns when police followed around the corner.
The men opened fire on the officers’ vehicles, according to the arrest report.
“The gunshots struck (officer’s) vehicle numerous times before the two shooters got back into the Challenger,” the report says.
Police pursued the Challenger through Seattle’s Rainier Beach neighborhood until it crashed head-on into another car on South Ryan Way. Three suspects — two men and the 17-year-old — were apprehended.
Jacobe Barbour, 26, remains in jail on that $150,000 amount on the Identity Theft charge after he was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of attempted murder, drive-by shooting, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
King County Prosecutors rush filed a felony charge of Identity Theft in the Second Degree for documents found at the South Seattle scene.
Prosecutors asked that Mr. Barbour’s $1 million bail amount be maintained. The Court did not approve the $1 million bail request and set his bail at $150,000 in the Identity Theft case.
His next court date is his arraignment, where an initial plea is entered. That’s scheduled for Thursday.
An image of the police scene on Aug. 12, 2026. (KOMO)Juvenile court records show the 17-year-old had multiple prior cases, including a first-degree robbery charge in Bellevue in 2024.
A 20-year-old arrested in connection with the incident remained at Harborview Medical Center and had not been booked into the King County Jail.
Prosecutors said they anticipate immediately addressing a case referral if he is transferred from the hospital and booked.
Ongoing forensic testing by police will also inform prosecutors’ charging decision if or when those results are referred to their office.
Prosecutors emphasized that a first appearance hearing following an arrest is not the same as a felony charging decision, which requires a higher burden of proof. Police investigators routinely submit case referrals in the days after first appearance hearings.
King County prosecutors said Tuesday they had not yet received a felony case referral from police involving the 17-year-old but anticipated receiving it by Thursday for a charging decision.
Defendants and juvenile respondents are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
