Predictable getaway habits lead to arrest of Costco suspects

March 19 (UPI) -- Police in Seattle shared video of the moment a Costco shoplifting spree was brought to an end thanks to the suspects' predictable getaway habits.

The Seattle Police Department said officers responded around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to a Costco store where loss prevention officers had recognized one of the suspects.

Police said loss prevention officers told them the man had previously fled through an emergency exit, so officers waited outside the door, where video captured the moment the man and a female accomplice emerged with computers and vacuums they had not purchased.

Police said the suspects were arrested "in bulk" -- the 30-year-old man, the 21-year-old woman and an 18-year-old woman who was allegedly the pair's getaway driver.

Investigators said the trio is believed to be behind the theft of $2,000 worth of electronics from another Costco store earlier the same day.

Costco security workers said the man had displayed a knife during previous incidents, and he was found to be in possession of a 7-inch blade at the time of his arrest.

The man was booked on suspicion of robbery while the women were arrested on suspicion of theft. All three suspects were taken to the King County Jail.