Bellevue Motorcycle Officer Arrests Four Suspects in Two Different Burglary Cases

A Bellevue motorcycle officer stopped four suspects in two different burglary cases on back-to-back days, according to the Bellevue Police Department.

The Bellevue Police Department provided the following information on the four arrests, which occurred on Wednesday and Thursday:

A sharp-eyed motorcycle officer on Thursday arrested two burglary suspects minutes after the alleged crime – and a day after arresting two other burglary suspects in a different Bellevue neighborhood.

On Thursday afternoon, Officer Seth Tyler, a seven-year veteran of the Bellevue Police Department, was heading north on Interstate 405 in response to a burglary reported by a homeowner in the Skagit Key neighborhood in southwest Bellevue. After getting a description of the suspected getaway vehicle over his radio, Tyler somehow spotted the silver Mercedes Benz: going the opposite direct, southbound.

Tyler did a quick turnaround at the Lake Washington Boulevard exit and gave chase, catching up with the Mercedes after it exited at the 44th Street exit in Renton. He called in the Renton Police Department to assist before pulling over the two suspects, a man and a woman.

Meanwhile, a motorist had reported a package thrown out of the Mercedes. It turned out to be jewelry taken from the house in Skagit Key. 

The Thursday bust continued a 48-hour hot streak for Tyler.

On Wednesday morning, while on routine patrol, Tyler arrested two ex-convicts suspected of casing a north Bellevue home for a burglary.

Police say the pair admitted they intended to burglarize the home, and that they had  knocked on the front doors of two other houses, but were confronted by homeowners.

“Officer Seth Tyler showed what excellent police work and collaboration in the Bellevue PD is all about,” said Police Chief Linda Pillo. “He was observant, he was aware of his surroundings and he acted on his suspicions to prevent this, and probably other burglaries.”

Tyler was patrolling on his Honda ST1300 when he noticed two men walking from a car toward a house in the 5800 block of 116th Avenue Northeast. After seeing one of the men head toward the front door and the other toward a side gate, Tyler parked a block away and walked to the house, suspecting a burglary was about to take place. As he approached the home he spotted one of the men walking back to the street, apparently trying to determine if Tyler had left the area.

When they saw him approaching, the two men ran away, Tyler called for back-up, other officers flooded the neighborhood, and the pair were caught within minutes.

Police arrested the men after they found methamphetamine and a suspected stolen credit card in plain view inside the car. One of those arrested, a 29-year-old Seattle resident, has eight prior felony convictions. The second suspect, 31, also from Seattle, has two prior convictions.