Posted on 04/25/2002 8:07:57 AM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig
SNOHOMISH -- City police are worried that a suspect in a jewelry store robbery may have fled the country after jumping bail, Snohomish Police Chief Rob Sofie said.
Adrian Elvis Gordon, 18, of Seattle reportedly speaks a couple of languages fluently, has a passport and has relatives in Switzerland. He has spent time in Europe, Sofie said.
According to police, Gordon and Carlo A. Torrejon burst into Sachi Fine Jewelry and Design, 1024 First St., on April 12, allegedly attacking the store owner and an employee. Both victims were doused with pepper spray, and the owner was struck in the head with a hammer, police said.
Three jewelry cases were smashed and about $15,000 worth of jewelry was stolen, police said.
As the suspects tried to get away in a stolen car, a bystander fired a gun at the car's tire and then fired into the car when the suspects refused to stop. Police say a bullet went through Gordon's upper right arm, and they believe it struck his companion in the leg before it landed on the right front passenger seat.
Gordon was arrested soon after the robbery during a massive manhunt, but his companion escaped. Torrejon was later apprehended.
Torrejon, 17, also of Seattle, is being held in the Snohomish County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.
Gordon apparently fled after posting 10 percent of his $70,000 bail. Police were told last Thursday by Gordon's mother that she didn't know where her son or his passport were, Sofie said.
Meanwhile, police are seeking DNA evidence to bolster their case against Torrejon.
Investigators obtained a search warrant to take blood, hair and saliva samples from Torrejon. The warrant also allows police to get photographs of Torrejon's body, which will help them determine whether he was wounded in the leg by a bullet.
He has pleaded innocent in Snohomish County Superior Court to first-degree robbery.
Through their investigation, police have learned of a 17-year-old Seattle high school girl who knew about the robbery and claimed to have been present when it was planned, according to the search warrant affidavit.
She initially denied knowing Torrejon and was arrested on investigation of obstructing police, the affidavit said.
Another witness told police that the girl had been contacted by phone by a suspect who escaped and that she had driven to Snohomish to pick him up and drive him home. The girl later testified in a special court hearing that Torrejon was the second robber and that he told her Gordon planned the robbery, the affidavit said. He allegedly gave her details of what part each of them had played in the holdup.
You can call Herald Writer Cathy Logg at 425-339-3437 or send e-mail to logg@heraldnet.com.
2 charged in violent robbery
Citizen who fired at robbery suspects may be in trouble
Jeweler recalls minutes of Terror
Police identify second robbery suspect (update to passerby shoots robbery suspect)
For those new to the story the bail jumping suspect was shot by a citizen while fleeing the scene.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.