3 teens arrested in connection to Lewis County homicide

TOLEDO, Wash. - Three teens have been taken into custody for their alleged involvement in a deadly shooting inside a Lewis County business.

On May 3 just before 9 p.m., dispatchers received a call from someone who saw two people with masks running out of a store on Mulford Road in Toledo.

When deputies arrived, they found an employee inside, who had been shot to death. 

Through their investigation, police believe the two masked suspects confronted the worker. There was a struggle over one of the suspect's guns, and the employee ended up getting shot. 

Deputies asked the public to look out for a white truck that the suspects escaped in. 

The Lewis County Sheriff's Office said they were contacted by police in Florence, OR, who believed the truck and the suspects matched an incident that happened in their area.

The group was later arrested by Sumner Police. An officer saw the truck in a hotel parking lot with blacked-out windows and thought it looked suspicious. When the officer opened the door, he saw three teens sleeping next to a shotgun.

Lewis County detectives were able to contact the Sumner Police Department and confirmed the vehicle, firearm and suspect information were consistent with the homicide investigation occurring in Lewis County.

All three were taken into custody and were booked into Lewis County Juvenile for first-degree murder and robbery. 

The teens are ages 15, 16, and 17 and are from Redding, California, deputies said. They're believed to have been involved in several crimes up the west coast.