On January 23, 2023, Snoqualmie Police Dept. officers responded to the Snoqualmie Ridge Chevron gas station for the report of an armed robbery with a shot fired inside the store.
Surveillance video showed the suspect entering the gas station store armed with what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun and firing a single shot into the ceiling as he approached the clerk at the register.
After taking cash from the register, the suspect exited the store and fled in a black Toyota Camry with a red dealer license plate on the rear that was parked near the front door.
Following an in-depth investigation, on February 28, 2023, police arrested 22-year-old Allen Mekto at the Kent Valley Motel in Kent, WA.
He was charged with robbery 1st degree and unlawful possession of a firearm 1st degree. Mekto was booked into the King County Jail, where he is being held on $280,000 bail.
Investigators determined Mekto had been involved in numerous armed robberies in King and Pierce Counties during the previous three months.
The Snoqualmie Police Department worked closely with police agencies from those counties to bring this case to a successful close. Several other law enforcement agencies are anticipated to file additional charges against Mekto.
According to Casey McNerthney, Director of Communications for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Mekto’s arraignment will be scheduled now that he’s in custody.
For more details, see the charging documents here.
[Information provided by Snoqualmie Police Department and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office]
Comments
Finally, published proof of what I’ve be saying for years regarding the relation between the increase in crime in the valley and casino clientele. Surprised this story didn’t get quashed, too.
Good on both jurisdictions working together to catch this guy. I’m thankful for everything the Tribe does for our community. The jobs the casino has created and will continue to create with the expansion, and all the good they do and give to the Valley, far outweigh the amount of crime that may be directly linked. The rise in crime is everywhere. Unfortunately, we are not immune.
Good spin, but I suspect the victims of the crimes might not agree with you, nor the drivers of the cars that have hit the people wandering around on I-90 after a big night out.
“Six felony convictions,” per the charging documents. Maybe the seventh will do the trick?
Of course, my comments are for entertainment purposes only and completely unsubstantiated by any facts whatsoever.