A string of four connected armed robberies at businesses in Bremerton and Silverdale led to a large law enforcement response and search in East Bremerton Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning, according to the Kitsap County Sheriff's Office. One person, a clerk at one of the stores, suffered what appeared to be minor injuries from an assault, said Lt. Ken Dickinson, a spokesperson for the sheriff's office.

Ultimately, a 32-year-old woman from Olympia, described as the driver for a group of juveniles involved in the incidents, and a 14-year-old boy from Spokane were arrested and booked into the Kitsap County Jail and the Kitsap County Juvenile Detention Center, respectively, Dickinson said. Two juvenile males ran from a vehicle connected to the incidents and remain outstanding, he said.

The spate of robberies began at about 7:22 p.m. at the C&C Super Save convenience store off National Avenue in West Bremerton. A clerk there reported that two male teens had burst into the store, pointed a handgun at her and demanded money before stealing items and fleeing, Dickinson said.

A second robbery occurred at the Rob's Quick Stop store off 15th Street, also in West Bremerton, at 7:29 p.m. in which two males with the same description entered the store, pointed a handgun at the clerk, demanded money and ran from the store, he added. Surveillance video associated the two with a Jeep Cherokee.

A third robbery was reported at 7:45 p.m. at the Sheridan Mini Mart on Sheridan Road in East Bremerton in which two males with the same description entered the store, pointed a gun at the clerk and demanded money before getting into the Cherokee, Dickinson said.

A fourth robbery occurred about three hours later at 10:35 p.m. at the 76 gas station on Old Frontier Road in Silverdale in which the males pointed a handgun at a clerk and demanded money, Dickinson said, noting that in that incident, they assaulted the clerk, who suffered what appeared to be minor injuries, and took off with lottery tickets.

At 11:22 p.m., a sheriff's sergeant patrolling in an unmarked vehicle in the area of Sylvan Way and Wheaton Way in East Bremerton spotted the Cherokee at the 7-Eleven on Wheaton Way. Law enforcement approached, and two males ran from the vehicle. They were last seen running along Wheaton Way and have not yet been arrested, Dickinson said Wednesday night.

The 14-year-old was arrested, and the 32-year-old woman, who walked away from the vehicle, was eventually taken into custody as well after a search, Dickinson said. The search drew a large law enforcement presence from the sheriff's office and Bremerton police, as well as a Washington State Patrol plane that circled overhead. The woman was followed to an address on Spruce Place where she was arrested.

Dickinson said investigators are aware of a series of other similar robberies at locations in Western Washington but said it was unknown if the four incidents in Kitsap were linked to those. "We are working with those other agencies to determine if there is any connection," he said.

Anyone with information about the incidents may contact sheriff's Detective Andrew Conway at kcsodetectives@kitsap.gov or Detective Cpl. Derek Ejde at Derek.Ejde@ci.bremerton.wa.us.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: String of robberies leads to search, arrests in Bremerton