Investigators say a license plate theft in the U District led to an operation on five acres that led to the seizure of eight stolen vehicles, among other things.
SEATTLE — Seattle detectives raided a 5-acre property in Oburn King County this week and uncovered an alleged multiple crime spree that included eight stolen vehicles, a stolen backhoe, 13 catalytic converters and what investigators believe was an illegal cockfighting ring.
The case is related to a routine burglary call that occurred two months ago in Seattle’s University District.
Police said the investigation began on March 27, when officers responding to a burglary at University Way Northeast and 42nd Street discovered two suspects cutting off catalytic converters on vehicles.
“This was a $12,000 theft investigation with detectives assigned to the General Investigations Division,” said Sgt. Eric Munoz, Seattle Police Department.
Police obtained cellphone video of the suspect driving away from the scene. The vehicle’s license plate led investigators directly to a property in Auburn. Seattle police, working with the South Sound Auto Theft Task Force and armed with search warrants, deployed a SWAT team to conduct the raids this week.
“We used the SPD SWAT team to search the property. It’s about five acres and we found multiple tools on the property that are associated with this type of crime, including hacksaws, chainsaws, drills, etc.,” Munoz said.
In addition to evidence of the car theft, detectives made a surprising discovery at the property, taking the investigation well beyond car parts.
“When we searched that property, we also found over 100 roosters believed to be part of an illegal cockfighting ring,” Muñoz said.
King County Animal Control has assumed responsibility for that portion of the investigation.
No arrests have been made, but detectives said they are preparing to turn over the car theft and catalytic converter cases to prosecutors.
