Seven teenagers, ranging from 13 to 18, were arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery on Sunday after they stole merchandise from Capital Mall and a nearby Target, according to Olympia police.
About 5:20 p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to Macy's at Capital Mall after a report of a theft, Lt. Paul Lower said Tuesday.
The teens entered the store, stole from it and then were confronted by two security guards, Lower said. What began as shoplifting became a robbery once one of those teens revealed they had a gun, he said.
The two security guards also were allegedly punched. The teens were last seen leaving the scene in a red SUV.
While police were investigating at the mall, police learned the same group had stolen from a nearby Target, then they drove behind the Target to a separate shopping center known as Capitol Village.
Police were able to detain the driver of the SUV at Capitol Village, but the other teens had scattered to other businesses in the area. Police eventually found two of the teens at Burger King, two more at Emperor's Palace and the final two at Safeway, which is across Cooper Point Road.
The red SUV was a stolen vehicle from Bellevue, Lower said.
