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Law

5 teens assault staff, escape juvenile rehab facility in Snoqualmie

A one-story building surrounded by trees.
Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families
Echo Glen Children's Center in Snoqualmie is a medium/maximum-security facility for juvenile offenders.

UPDATE: The 15-year-old was apprehended around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, the King County Sheriff's Office reports. The other four teens and the stolen Ford Fusion remain unaccounted for.

ORIGINAL STORY: Five teenagers serving sentences for felonies assaulted staff members at Echo Glen Children’s Center near Snoqualmie Wednesday and escaped the state-run juvenile rehabilitation facility in a car, the King County Sheriff’s Office said.

Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Tim Meyer said the teens are all boys between the ages of 14 and 17, and two have escaped previously, The Seattle Times reported.

Meyer didn’t provide details of the escape but said several staff members were assaulted around 7:45 a.m., suffering minor injuries. Meyer identified the stolen car as a 2018 Ford Fusion that’s part of the state motor pool. Its license plate number is 27545E.

One of the boys was convicted of murder, while the others were convicted of crimes that include possession of stolen property and robbery, Meyer said.

In a news release Wednesday evening, the sheriff's office said the 15-year-old was convicted of first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm stemming from a 2020 homicide in southwest King County.

Warrants are being issued for the teens' arrests.

Echo Glen Children’s Center is an medium/maximum-security facility bordered by natural wetlands and is run by the state Juvenile Rehabilitation division of the state Department of Children, Youth & Families.

KNKX staff member Kate DeWeese contributed to this report.

Updated: January 27, 2022 at 9:21 AM PST
Adds note at top about teen being arrested.
Updated: January 26, 2022 at 7:24 PM PST
Adds information about one of the escapees and his background.
The Associated Press