Suspects use garage door opener to steal safe with $100k

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Image provided by police of the box truck used by suspects during Wednesday’s incident. (Bellevue Police Department)

BELLEVUE, Wash. - A man suspected of being involved in a string of burglaries that resulted in over $100,000 of stolen goods was arrested by Bellevue Police on Wednesday evening.

Authorities responded to a reported burglary in progress around 2:50 p.m. on the 3600 block of Lake Washington Blvd. S.E. in the Newport Shores neighborhood, where two individuals were allegedly spotted taking items, including a safe containing over $100,000. The suspects had recently targeted the same residence the previous day while the homeowners were out of the country.

Officers arriving at the scene said they encountered a 43-year-old man and another middle-aged man loading stolen property into a vehicle. Upon seeing the officers, the second suspect drove away in a black BMW, striking a police car and causing minor damage before escaping. The first suspect attempted to flee in a stolen black Chevy Avalanche but was thwarted when it became lodged between a tree and a police vehicle. He ran away from the scene and was later apprehended while driving a box truck onto an Interstate-90 on-ramp.

The arrested suspect faces charges of residential burglary, theft of a motor vehicle and hit-and-run unattended vehicle. The Avalanche used in the crime had been reported stolen.

Further investigation linked these incidents to a burglary the previous evening at the same residence, where suspects matching the description of Wednesday's perpetrators allegedly stole a safe with paperwork, jewelry and a Yeti cooler without triggering the home’s alarm system or forcing entry.

The method of entry for the burglaries was cunning yet simple: the suspects used the victim’s own garage door remote. Police reports indicate that the 64-year-old homeowner had parked his black BMW at Seattle–Tacoma International Airport prior to traveling, and it was after this the vehicle was stolen along with the remote which the suspects used to access the property.

As the Bellevue Police Department's investigation continues, with the second suspect still on the loose, residents are advised to take preventive measures against garage door remote-related break-ins.

Tips provided by law enforcement include not leaving garage remotes in vehicles, purchasing remote openers that attach to key chains, securing garage doors' emergency releases and ensuring all doors leading from the garage to the house are locked, with deadbolts recommended for added security.