3 charged with armed home invasion in Mountlake Terrace

Elan Lockett, Rodney Smith and Tyler Taylor were accused of holding a family at gunpoint and stealing their valuables in January.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Mountlake Terrace in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Prosecutors charged a trio of Seattle men this month suspected of committing home-invasion robberies from Seattle to Mountlake Terrace.

Elan Lockett, 27, Rodney Smith, 21, and Tyler Taylor, 20, were each charged with four counts of first-degree kidnapping and one count each of first-degree burglary.

Around 4:30 a.m. Jan. 15, at least three men allegedly broke into a home near 236th Street SW, according to the charges filed in Snohomish County Superior Court.

A couple reportedly awoke to find one of the men pointing a pistol at them. The husband reported seeing three suspects, while the wife described seeing four, court documents said.

Two of the men held the couple and their children at gunpoint, while the others searched the house. The men forced the couple to give them their credit card PIN code. At least two left the house in the family’s BMW to withdraw more than $2,000 from their accounts at a Bank of America in Shoreline, court papers said.

One of the men, upon learning the family owned a pet lizard, remarked that he also owned a lizard, the charges say.

The men took more than $21,000 worth of valuables from the family, police said.

Investigators found a cell phone in the yard that did not belong to the family. Cell phone data showed it traveled from Lockett’s neighborhood in West Seattle to near the family’s residence about 20 miles away, according to the charges.

Data from the phone revealed it then moved to the Shoreline area where the suspects reportedly used the family’s bank cards at the ATM.

Around 11 a.m. Jan. 15, the cell phone number switched to become associated with a different phone, court documents said. The cell phone communicated with Taylor during the burglary.

Ten days after the home invasion, police obtained a search warrant and searched Taylor’s home after he was arrested in a separate case where he was accused of threatening someone with a firearm, according to court documents. Police reportedly found a pistol mounted with a gun light and a laser. Investigators also seized his phone.

During the search, police observed a pet lizard in Taylor’s bedroom, according to court papers.

A month later, Smith pawned a pair of Beats headphones at a pawnshop in Auburn, prosecutors wrote. The headphones had the same serial number as a pair stolen from the family’s house.

On March 20, Seattle police arrested Smith and Taylor in connection to a different home invasion in King County allegedly committed in December. Mountlake Terrace police arrested Lockett.

Lockett denied knowing the other suspects. Police found a stolen JBL speaker in Smith’s living room. During Taylor’s arrest, police observed Taylor trying to get rid of a pistol equipped with a switch that turned the weapon fully automatic, court documents said.

On March 22, King County prosecutors charged Smith and Taylor in the King County robbery. That alleged home invasion followed a similar modus operandi to the Mountlake Terrace case, according to court documents. Lockett has not been charged in the King County case.

Smith is the only one of the three with a felony conviction as an adult, for possession of a stolen vehicle in Yakima County in 2021, court records show.

On Friday, only one of the suspects, Lockett, was in custody at the Snohomish County Jail, where he was held on $1 million bail. Earlier this month, Judge Anita Farris issued arrest warrants for Smith and Taylor.

As of this week, police had not located the potential fourth robber believed to be involved in the Mountlake Terrace home invasion, according to the Mountlake Terrace Police Department.

Jonathan Tall: 425-339-3486; jonathan.tall@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @snocojon.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.