Seattle boy, 12, in court after allegedly attacking woman with screwdriver, stealing purse

KOMO ^ | January 20, 2026 | staff

[Morgana]

SEATTLE — A 12-year-old boy accused of attacking a woman with a screwdriver and attempting to steal her purse in Seattle’s Central District appeared in juvenile court for the first time Tuesday afternoon.

The boy was arrested Jan. 17 after police said he assaulted a 43-year-old woman outside an Amazon Fresh store near 23rd Avenue South and South Jackson Street.

Officers were called to the scene around 6:50 p.m. following reports of a robbery and found the woman injured.

According to a Seattle police report, the boy, who was wearing a hot pink ski mask, struck the woman multiple times in the face with his hands before brandishing a screwdriver and poking her in the face, striking her left cheek.

Officers said the boy took the woman’s handbag, went through it in a nearby parking garage, then returned and assaulted her again before fleeing.

Police said the boy was previously known to officers, who later tracked him to his home, arrested him, and recovered the screwdriver.

A first-appearance judge determined there was probable cause to believe the boy committed first-degree robbery, which under state law involves the display of a deadly weapon or the infliction of bodily injury.

Authorities said the arrest was made for robbery rather than for a separate assault investigation.

The judge ordered the boy held in secure juvenile detention. In juvenile court, bail is not considered; a respondent is either released or held.

[allblues]

23rd and Jackson makes it as close to a sure thing as possible.