A suspected member of a violent home invasion gang was stunned when a judge refused to release him.
Video of the courtroom moment shows the Seattle thug appeared confused when the judge didn’t offer him “house arrest” for the disturbing criminal charges.
KOMO News reported that the 16-year-old is charged with three counts of robbery, three counts of burglary, and one theft count.
“I can’t get house arrest?” the robbery suspect asks the judge in the clip.
“You let people out who shoot at people – get house arrest.”
“Well I’m not letting you out,” the judge responds.
“Why not?” the teen asks.
“Why not?” the judge says.
“Maybe you should ask [your attorney] why not.”
WATCH:
“I can’t get house arrest?”
“I’m not letting you out”
A judge shut down that request from the teen who was arrested with the violent home invasion crew in Seattle. Prosecutors are looking at hate crime charges. Story from @LynnanneNguyen: https://t.co/aI6sU4AlkH @komonews pic.twitter.com/Xa897yMt55
— Jeremy Harris (@JeremyHarrisTV) September 29, 2023
Five adult males in their 20s and 30s were also arrested and charged along with the teen in connection with the string of violent home robberies.
Four suspects are charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and are being held on bail of more than $1 million.
The last suspect is facing one count of burglary and is being held on $300,000 bail.
Police said the men were found with cash, drugs, and guns in their possession.
Investigators believe the suspects are responsible for up to 14 incidents in four South Seattle neighborhoods.
The suspects allegedly stole more than $30,000 in cash, debit cards, jewelry, important documents like passports and green cards, handbags, Amazon packages, and homegrown marijuana.
According to court documents, the gang is accused of targeting Asian families specifically.
In one incident, a member of the armed gang held a gun to a 10-year-old boy’s head and forced him to reveal where his family kept valuables.
“We’re not sure why the Asian community was targeted,” Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said at a news conference on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said they are pursuing hate crime charges against the gang.
“State law is very clear about what we need to be able to prove a hate crime beyond a reasonable doubt,” a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told the outlet.
“The difficulty is we have to show the motivation at the time of charging, but when we have the evidence to do so, we make that charging decision.”
Most of the suspects also have a criminal history, including convictions for assault, burglary, robbery, and attempting to elude.
“The suspects usually have been a group of 3-7 armed black males in their teens who have accosted victims outside of their homes and forced entry into their residence,” the Seattle Police Department said ahead of the press conference.
After hitting a 15-year high in 2022, violent crime remains high in Seattle this year.
Police data show that, so far this year, Seattle has experienced 42 homicides, over 1,000 robberies, more than 5,400 burglaries, nearly 2,200 aggravated assaults, more than 5,800 car thefts, and more than 14,400 larceny thefts.
In recent weeks, Seattle has moved toward cracking down on certain types of crime plaguing the city.
Last month, the Seattle City Council voted to make public drug use a crime that can result in arrest.
Like many major cities, Seattle is battling a deadly fentanyl epidemic.
The crisis has killed nearly 800 people so far this year in King County, where Seattle is located.
In July amid spiking retail theft, the City Council discussed how the city could crack down on the issue.
Councilors cited a report showing Washington state retailers lost about $2.7 billion due to theft over the last year.
