The Seattle Police Department's SPD Blotter has reported that a group of five teenagers suspected in a spree of pattern robberies at businesses around Seattle are off the streets and could soon be facing charges.

Since December, the group of suspects — which includes a 16-year-old, two 17-year-olds, an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old — have robbed at least seven corner stores and pawn shops in north and south Seattle while masked and armed.

On 12-19-11, shortly before 9:00 p.m., officers responded to the 4700 block of 50 Ave South to a business to investigate an armed robbery. According to the complainant, three suspects entered the grocery store and demanded the money from the till.

On 12/19/11, at approximately 10:18 p.m., officers responded to a 911 call from the clerk at a mini-mart in the 9500 block of Aurora Av N. The clerk called 911 to report that he had just been robbed at gunpoint by 3 black males.

Two of the suspected members of the robbery crew were arrested by King County Sheriff’s deputies on February 28 following a botched robbery and gunfight at a Burien pawn shop. Police arrested a third man involved in that robbery the next day.

Seattle Police Department Robbery detectives interviewed the men in jail, where they each admitted to robbing several businesses in Seattle.

Detectives arrested a fourth member of the group in south Seattle on March 14, and a fifth suspect turned himself in to police on March 19.

Following the arrests, SPD’s Robbery Unit was able to close seven open cases.

“These are bad guys. They actually fired a shot in one of the robberies,” says SPD Robbery Unit Sgt. Kevin Aratani, who believes the men “would have continued” their pattern of robberies if detectives hadn’t arrested them.