A 24-year old Lynnwood man was booked into the Snohomish County Jail Monday in connection with multiple thefts from vehicles in Edmonds that led to the recovery of over 10 bags of suspected stolen property.

Edmonds police said that tips from the community — including surveillance photos of the suspect — were critical to arresting the man, who has a Lynnwood address but was described as “pretty transient” and had been staying in local motels for some time, EPD spokesperson Sgt. Josh McClure said. The man was arrested in Highway 99 motel room along with a woman who had an unrelated warrant.

Armed with surveillance footage from recent victims, Edmonds officers early Monday morning were patrolling residential areas near Edmonds-Woodway High School and Five Corners recently hit by numerous car prowls. Police first located the suspect around 2 a.m., but the man fled on foot after dumping the stolen bicycle he had been riding.

Officers and the Edmonds K-9 unit pursued the suspect for the next several hours, ultimately tracking him to the Edmonds motel. A search warrant was obtained and the suspect was arrested and booked into the Snohomish County Jail for vehicle prowl, 3rd-degree theft and possession of drug paraphernalia. Additional charges are likely as the investigation evolves.

Police recovered over 10 bags of suspected stolen property, including jewelry, electronics, mail, prescriptions and other possible evidence tied to residential burglaries. Additional evidence had been recovered during the pursuit of the suspect, McClure said.

A detective was assigned to assist with the investigation and go through the significant amount of evidence that was recovered. Detectives believe they have evidence for over 20 victims at this time, and will contact victims as the investigation evolves, McClure said. Edmonds police will be focusing first on Edmonds victims but over time will work with neighboring jurisdictions to see if there were connections to thefts in surrounding areas, he said.

This arrest is a result of good communication between our community and our officers who have responded out to many of these prowl locations,” McClure said. “Some of the reports that came in during the day on Sunday had surveillance photos of the suspect where a vehicle and clothing were clearly identifiable. Those images were what allowed our night shift patrol officers to put together a plan in an effort to locate the suspect.”

If you are an Edmonds resident and recently had items stolen from your vehicle but did not notify police, call 425-407-3999 to have an officer contact you or visit mycrimereport.us if you wish to file a report online. Having serial numbers or other identifiable markings for your items will help detectives as they work through this investigation.