A 20-year-old man described by police as a seven-time convicted felon and an escapee from the Green Hill juvenile facility is back in custody after a Northgate arrest that officers say turned up a handgun outfitted to fire automatically. Seattle police say they found the man armed with a pistol fitted with a conversion device, then watched as he intentionally injured himself while seated in a patrol car. Medics took him to Harborview Medical Center for treatment before he was booked into King County Jail on weapons charges and an active escape warrant.
Police arrest armed, 7-time felon with juvenile detention escape warrant
— Seattle Police Department (@SeattlePD) March 3, 2026
Police account and charges
According to a Seattle Police Department post on X, officers stopped the suspect near 5th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 115th Street on Sunday. During the encounter, police say they uncovered a concealed handgun equipped with an auto sear, or “switch,” a small part that converts the pistol to fully automatic fire. The post adds that officers also seized a black face mask and $2,028 in cash, and that detectives with the Gun Violence Reduction Unit were assigned to the case.
Police say the man was booked into King County Jail on suspicion of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful firearms (auto switch), and the escape warrant, and that they requested additional charges for resisting arrest.
Why the switch matters
The tiny device officers say they recovered, sometimes called a “Glock switch,” turns a semi-automatic pistol into an automatic weapon, dramatically increasing its rate of fire and the risk to anyone nearby. Federal authorities and gun-safety groups note that these conversion devices are treated as machineguns under federal law, meaning simple possession can bring felony penalties, a reality reflected in a growing number of recent indictments and prosecutions. The U.S. Department of Justice and the Giffords Law Center have both tracked legal actions and state bans tied to such devices.
Green Hill background
The escape warrant police cited traces back to Green Hill School in Chehalis, the state’s medium-to-maximum juvenile rehabilitation facility. According to Washington’s Department of Children, Youth and Families, Green Hill houses young men and operates under juvenile-rehabilitation authority while providing education and treatment programs to residents. Information about those operations is detailed by DCYF.
Local reporting has also documented recent capacity and safety concerns at the facility, coverage that has been outlined by The Seattle Times.
What happens next
Detectives with the Gun Violence Reduction Unit are continuing to investigate while prosecutors review the case and decide on formal charges. Police say they have asked for additional counts tied to resisting arrest, and investigators will determine whether state or federal authorities pursue further action related to the alleged conversion device once evidence processing is complete.
