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 enter the gas station store armed with what appeared to be a black semi-automatic handgun and fire 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. It is anticipated that several other law enforcement agencies will file additional charges against Mekto.
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