Details of local purse snatcher’s arrest; arraignment on Thursday (UPDATE)

We’ve obtained a copy of the charging documents filed on Friday, March 1 against Robin McDougall-Treacy, the area man arrested after stealing a woman’s purse and thought to have robbed five other individuals, at knifepoint.

McDougall-Treacy will be charged with robbery in the second degree for the Tuesday, February 26 attempted robbery of a woman in Roosevelt. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for Thursday, March 14, and we will there to cover it. (UPDATE BELOW.)

Seattle Police Department investigators are also working on linking McDougall-Treacy to five other “striking similar armed street robberies” that occurred in our area between February 2 and the date of his arrest.

Here’s KIRO 7 News’ report from their 5 PM newscast that aired on Tuesday, February 26 about the arrest earlier that day:

Along with the charging documents, we also have the case investigation report, which includes the details of the burglary and arrest of McDougall-Treacy on Tuesday, February, 26.

February 26 Burglary and Arrest

At about 1:30 PM, several calls came in to 911 from neighbors in the 7100 block of Roosevelt Way NE. They reported variously that a woman had just been robbed on the street and the suspect could be seen, knife in hand, running through yards. He was described as a white male, in his 20s, with a heavy build, wearing a black hoody and a black scarf around his face.

Officers apprehended the suspect about eight minutes later in the backyard of a house on the 1000 block of NE 71st St. He was found hiding in an alcove, and had a red and black backpack with him.

A witness who had been chasing the suspect stated to officers that in the backyard of a nearby house, “he (the witness) slipped and fell, losing sight of the suspect,” who had been wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. Moments later, the suspect, still running, was seen wearing a red sweatshirt.

Several witnesses and the victim herself participated, separately, in a “show-up” at the scene (to identify the suspect as the person who was seen stealing the purse and fleeing). The witnesses variously stated that the suspect was the man seen robbing the woman earlier and that his clothing (pants and shoes) matched those of the suspect.

When interviewed by an officer about the crime, the woman who was robbed explained that she had been walking down the sidewalk at approximately NE 71st St and Roosevelt Way NE when an unknown white male wearing a black hoody and jeans confronted her from behind. She felt a tug on her purse, turned around, and saw the suspect holding a knife sheath in one hand while he used the knife to cut the shoulder strap. The victim said that she and the suspect ended up on the pavement in the struggle for her purse, causing some pain to her elbow. As the suspect fled, the victim started screaming and gave chase, as did several other people (males) in the area.

The victim described her purse and the contents, which included her phone. Her phone number was dialed by a detective at the scene, which then caused a phone to ring from inside McDougall-Treacy’s backpack. However, her other stolen items and McDougall-Treacy’s black sweatshirt and knife were not found by officers in the area.

The day after his arrest (Wednesday, February 27), McDougall-Treacy’s backpack was searched and the victim’s missing items were located within, as were “a black jacket with hood, a black neck fleece gator, a black knit cap, a pair of black and grey gloves” and a three-to-four-inch silver-bladed folding knife. All of these items were placed into evidence.

The Storage Unit

When McDougall-Treacy was asked by a detective for the address of where he was living, “[McDougall-Treacy] said he could not stay at his parents’ house,” but added upon further questioning that he kept his belongings in a storage unit in the Roosevelt neighborhood. Among the items suspect had on him at the time of the arrest was a keychain that had the address and name of the storage facility on it.

When a detective called the storage facility, the assistant manager said that he was familiar with McDougall-Treacy who uses a storage unit rented out under his mother’s name. The assistant manager also said that their records indicated that the suspect had been at the facility on a day when one of the other robberies had taken place about two blocks away from the business (on Wednesday, February 20). The first robbery that day occurred at approximately 2:10 PM, and McDougall-Treacy was recorded visiting the storage facility at 2:13 PM. (The second robbery on February 20 occurred at approximately 2:55 PM near NE 65th Street and 36th Avenue NE.)

A search warrant was obtained for the storage unit which was searched the day after the suspect’s arrest. Detectives recovered “two folding knives, a black hooded sweatshirt, a pair of white sneakers and a brown purse (strap intact).” One of these knives resembles the weapon described by the victim of one of the other robberies.

Custody, Charging, and Next Steps

On Friday, March 1, Robin McDougall-Treacy was charged with Robbery in the Second Degree (for the robbery which occurred the day he was arrested) by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office. Bail was set at $250,000.

At his arraignment today, Thursday, March 14, McDougall-Treacy entered a plea of not guilty to this second degree robbery charge.

McDougall-Treacy (far left) at his arraignment hearing presided over by Assistant Chief Criminal Judge Jim Rogers at the King County Courthouse on Thursday, March 14.

Additionally, the suspect was charged with robbery in the first degree for the robber by knifepoint that occurred on Wednesday, February 20, around 2:55 PM. The suspect entered a plea of not guilty for this charge as well.

The next date of activity in this case is a case setting scheduled for Thursday, March 28. A case setting is “an informal hearing where the prosecution and the defense have an opportunity to discuss the case.”