BURIEN, Wash. — This story was initially published on MyNorthwest.com.
Two men are facing felony charges for allegedly abducting, torturing, and shooting a Burien woman in a brutal attack that spanned multiple counties in Washington state. The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) believes one of the suspects may have ties to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang known for violent crime and an expanding footprint in the United States.
Kevin Daniel Sanabria Ojeda, 24, and Alexander Moises Arnaez-Gutierrez, 25, are each charged with kidnapping, attempted murder, and robbery in King County Superior Court. Prosecutors allege the pair abducted the 58-year-old victim on Jan. 21 outside her apartment in Burien as she returned home from work late in the evening.
Prosecutors say the suspects pulled the woman into a vehicle and fired a gun as she struggled. They then drove her east toward the Cascade Mountains, all while attempting to access her personal and financial information.
Investigators say the suspects used a power drill on the woman’s hand to get the information out of her.
Woman played dead after being shot
The woman was driven to a remote stretch of Interstate 90 in Kittitas County, where prosecutors say she was shot and left for dead. Thinking the gunshot had been fatal, the attackers fled the scene.
She was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and later gave detectives a detailed account of the events. In her interview, she said she believed her attackers thought they had shot her in the head, prompting her to pretend to be dead. In reality, she had been struck in the shoulder.
However, the woman survived, waited for the suspects to leave, then flagged down help.
‘Probable ties to Tren de Aragua’
KCSO investigators, with assistance from the FBI, launched an interstate investigation.
Sanabria was tracked to a motel in Illinois just days after the attack.
Law enforcement matched his appearance to surveillance footage from the Burien area, and a search of his motel room uncovered jewelry stolen from the victim. After being read his rights, Sanabria admitted to participating in the abduction and shooting, according to charging documents, though he pleaded not guilty in court.
Arnaez-Gutierrez was arrested last week during a traffic stop by Mercer Island police. He is scheduled to be arraigned on April 24.
The KCSO noted that Arnaez-Gutierrez has “probable ties to Tren de Aragua.” While a link has not been confirmed yet, prosecutors cited the case’s organized nature and disturbing level of violence as potential indicators of a larger criminal network.
Prosecutors say both suspects pose a significant threat to public safety and are jailed on $1 million bail for each.
There is a third suspect only identified as “Daniel,” that is still under investigation.
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