Police identify suspects in attempted Ellensburg robbery

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — Ellensburg police say they have identified two suspects in an attempted armed robbery that was initiated through Craigslist.

One of the men was booked into the Kittitas County jail on Friday, and detectives are following leads to locate the other man, Capt. Dan Hansberry said in a news release issued this afternoon.

Hansberry said detectives had been working the case since it was reported Jan. 2, eventually tracking down a possible source of the used-car advertisement.

The prospective buyers of a car listed on Craigslist, who were from Spokane, had agreed to meet in the Ellensburg area because the seller was coming from Western Washington, detectives said at the time.

But as the buyers were sitting in the parking lot of the I-90 Inn shortly after midnight Friday, they were approached by two men armed with handguns, police said.

The suspects demanded money from the pair, but the driver hit the gas and left the area. The victims contacted a state trooper to report the incident.

-- Mark Morey