BOTHELL — Teens robbed a U.S. postal worker at gunpoint near Lynnwood, then tossed packages out of the window of a stolen car when a deputy caught up to them Monday, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.

At least one gunman reportedly stole boxes by force from a mail carrier around noon in the 20000 block of 10th Avenue W. A deputy spotted the suspects’ white car miles south of the crime scene, in the general area of Lake Forest Park. The suspects threw packages out of a window during the brief pursuit, sheriff’s spokeswoman Courtney O’Keefe said.

The deputy lost sight of the car. The vehicle was eventually found, ditched, in east Shoreline. Officers and deputies swarmed the neighborhood. A police dog sniffed out the suspects, who were hiding behind a home on 25th Avenue NE, according to the sheriff’s office.

Three men, age 18, were taken into custody.

The entire incident lasted about an hour.

Deputies later learned the white Acura had been reported stolen out of Kent.

Detectives were piecing together a timeline of events, and what exactly happened when the teens confronted the postal worker. Police rounded up packages through the afternoon.

No shots were fired, and no one was injured.

Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.