Bremerton police have made one arrest, but a second suspect remains at large following an early morning armed robbery Saturday in East Bremerton in which an officer fired “several” bullets at man who was able to escape unharmed.
Bremerton police officers and county deputies responded at 3:37 a.m. Saturday to an armed robbery at the Taco Bell restaurant, in the Ridell Shopping Center, at 4212 Wheaton Way. About five minutes later, according to both agencies, a Bremerton officer stopped a vehicle with a driver who matched the description of the suspect, later identified by Bremerton police as Sean T. Brown, 26, a few blocks south of the fast food restaurant, near Almira and Spruce.
“During the course of that traffic stop the officer fired multiple rounds at the driver, who was standing outside of the vehicle at the time,” according to a Bremerton Police Department statement on the incident.
Police won’t say if the man they believe was Brown fired at their officer or even had a gun at the time of the shooting.
Neither the officer or the alleged suspect were injured, according to police. The officer is now on paid leave while the incident is under investigation, a standard procedure in such cases.
Bremerton police say that Brown, a 26 year old black male who is 6 feet tall and weighs 220 lbs. should be considered armed and dangerous. He was reportedly wearing a goatee the last time he was seen. Anyone with information regarding Brown’s whereabouts is urged to call 911 or Bremerton police detectives at 360-473-5228.
During the course of their investigation, police say that they found probable cause to arrest a Taco Bell employee who conspired in the robbery. That suspect, a 23-year-old Bremerton resident, was booked into the jail on one count of first-degree robbery on Sunday. His bail was set at $250,000.
Deputy Scott Wilson, a sheriff’s office spokesman, said several shots were fired by the Bremerton officer, but he wasn’t exactly sure how many. Wilson was also unable to confirm whether the suspect was brandishing the weapon because the investigation remains ongoing.
Wilson said that no gun was recovered at the scene. Bremerton police are handling the robbery investigation while the sheriff’s office is investigating the officer-involved shooting, Wilson added.
According to the sheriff’s office, the driver of the vehicle, later identified as Brown, ran southbound from the stopped vehicle toward NE Sylvan Way following the shooting. Sheriff’s deputies and Washington State Patrol troopers set up containment in the area while a Bremerton police K-9 unit conducted a track without locating the suspect.
