King County Prosecutors have filed charges against an Issaquah man in connection with an Oct. 16 attempted robbery at the AM/PM convenience store in the 1400 block of Northwest Sammamish Road.
According to court documents, Drew Michael Creighton, 19, entered the AM/PM at about 7:26 p.m., pointed a gun at the clerk and stated, “Give me your cash and drop.” The clerk said she believed it was a flare gun and refused. She then pulled a large, black stick out from under the counter and pointed it at Creighton. He ran to a white Toyota 4Runner, which had a waiting driver, and fled the scene, documents state.
The clerk and a witness outside of the store noted the license plate of the SUV, which police used to track Creighton’s residence. The SUV was registered to Creighton’s father, who gave police permission to search it for the flare gun. It was not found.
At about 7:50 p.m., officers in the Front Street Red Apple Market parking lot noticed Creighton and a man matching the description of the driver leaving the store. The 25-year-old driver was later located at the Rolling Log Tavern and arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery, and Creighton was arrested at home.
Police interviewed the two suspects, and the driver stated that he had no knowledge of or involvement in the robbery, according to court documents. He claimed Creighton was giving him a ride to Seattle, and told him to stop at the AM/PM for cheap gas. He said Creighton went into the store with a sweatshirt hood pulled over his face, then ran to the car a few minutes later, shouting “Go, go go.” He said he then threw the sweatshirt out the window of the car as they were driving away. He did admit to owning a flare gun, though when police searched his house they couldn’t find it.
Creighton claimed that the robbery had been the driver’s idea, according to court documents. He stated the driver wanted to “go get some money so we can get high,” and that he remarked they should rob someone. “(The driver) drove and picked the location,” Creighton stated. He initially denied knowing where the flare gun was, but later claimed the driver had placed it in a speaker box under a boat in Creighton’s backyard. Police located the gun, which was loaded with a mini-slug 12-gauge shotgun shell, and was in the cocked position, according to the documents.
Creighton was charged Tuesday, Oct. 21 with one count of first degree robbery, with bail set at $20,000. His arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 4.
