UPDATE: Long-Time Friends from Cuba Accused in Multiple Armed Robberies in Shoreline and Seattle

The armed robbery suspect arrested by Shoreline Police in the 15300 block of Aurora Ave. N. Tuesday, was Oreste Lazar Duanes-Gonzales, age 34.

Duanes-Gonzales and Asuan Santos-Valdez, 33, who was arrested by Tukwila Police, last month on first-degree murder charges, are suspects in eight Shoreline armed robberies and up to 20 total robberies in the Seattle area. A third suspect is being pursued by King County Sheriff's detectives. 

Duanes-Gonzales was booked into the King County Jail on Tuesday for Investigation of Robbery. He waived his court appearance Wednesday and is being held on $200,000 bail.

Santos-Valdez is being held in the King County Jail on $1 million bail. He was charged on September 17 with Murder First Degree for a shooting in the parking lot of a Tukwila Motel on Sept. 1

A search warrant was served at a home in Edmonds by King County Sheriff's detectives where the two men were known to have lived.

Surveillance video at the Marco Polo Motel, in the 4000 block of Aurora Ave. N. in Seattle, was reviewed after a robbery there by a Seattle Police detective and used to identify the suspects.

When questioned by detectives Duanes-Gonzales, initially "denied having any association with Santos" and said "he hadn't seen Santos for more than seven months," according to a detective's report. When shown photographs from the surveillance video the night of the robbery, Duanes-Gonzales identified himself in the photos and said he "just happened to be in the parking lot of the motel just moments prior to the robbery by his long-time friend from Cuba, Santos."

Duanes-Gonzales also happened to be wearing the same tennis shoes as seen in the surveillance video at the time of his arrest, according to the report.