Police arrest ‘Romanian nationals’ allegedly linked to statewide robbery spree

Published 2:18 pm Tuesday, December 23, 2025

EVERETT — Police arrested two Romanian nationals believed to be part of a transnational criminal organization that allegedly targeted elderly victims in parking lots and forcibly robbed them across the Puget Sound region.

The suspects approached elderly victims, primarily those in the Asian community, under the appearance of prayer, asking for directions or offering jewelry before stealing the victims’ necklaces and valuables, according to a Lynnwood Police Department social media post.

Around 4:05 p.m. Dec. 8, an elderly woman had dropped her husband off near an LA Fitness in Bellevue and was parking her car in a handicap spot when a white Buick blocked her in, according to court documents.

A female suspect attempted to place a necklace around the woman’s neck before ripping the victim’s necklace off instead. The necklace stolen from the woman was valued at $2,500, court documents said.

On Dec. 10, Lynnwood police responded to reports of a theft at a Costco, court documents said. A woman was putting her groceries away when a white Buick with one man and two women inside approached her.

While returning her cart, a female suspect attempted to put a necklace on the victim, court documents said. Later, the victim realized her own necklace, estimated to be $150, was gone.

Around 1:56 p.m. Dec. 15, Lynnwood police responded to reports of a robbery at an H-Mart, court documents said. An elderly couple was getting into their vehicle parked in a handicap spot when a male suspect emerged from a white Buick and attempted to steal the male victim’s $80,000 Rolex watch, resulting in the victim sustaining abrasions to his arm.

The female victim ran after the suspect, confronting him while the male victim stood in front of the suspect’s vehicle to prevent it from leaving, court documents said. The woman was able to recover the watch before the suspect allegedly kicked her, resulting in the victim hitting her head on the pavement and sustaining a fractured vertebra. The suspect’s vehicle then flees the scene.

Investigators discovered the female suspect, believed to be involved in the Bellevue theft, rented the Buick, court documents said. Vehicle location data led officers to a Bellevue residence.

The next day, Lynnwood and Bellevue police officers arrested a 31-year-old male and a 29-year-old female Romanian national, the post said.

Law enforcement booked the female in Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of first-degree robbery and the male on suspicion of first-degree robbery and second-degree assault. The male suspect also had a nationwide felony warrant for “Robbery by Sudden Snatching” out of Georgia, court documents said.

Since March 2024, law enforcement has received more than 170 reports of similar incidents linked to the transnational criminal organization from Everett to Kent, the post said.

The suspects may travel with others and often use minivans or SUVs, sometimes with out-of-state plates, the post said. They often target victims who are seated in their vehicles.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com. X: @JennaMillikan