The following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct. They represent the officers’ accounts of the events described.
Armed robbery
On Feb. 21 at 7:22 p.m., police rushed to business in the 2200 block of Queen Anne Avenue North in response to a 911 call from an employee reporting an armed robbery had just taken place.
Police arrived on scene at 7:29 p.m. The two employees on duty stated that the suspect entered the store at 7:10 p.m. The suspect was wearing all black, and his face was covered.
The suspect approached the counter and asked if he could get a dollar bill in exchange for coins. When the employee opened the register, the suspect pulled a gun from his backpack and pointed it at the employee. He told him to put all the cash from the register into the backpack. The employee said he put about $800 into the suspect’s backpack.
The suspect told the employees not to follow him as he walked out of the store and headed southbound on Queen Anne Avenue.
Cash and cigarettes
On Feb. 20 at 10:56 a.m., police responded to a reported robbery at a business in the 2800 block of Thorndyke Avenue West.
The cashier said he was behind the counter when two suspects entered the store and loitered around for a while before approaching the far end of the counter.
The suspects demanded money from the cashier. One of the suspects had his hands inside of his coat pocket like he had a weapon. The suspects then pushed past the cashier, and one took money out of the till; the other suspect grabbed as many packs of cigarettes as he could.
The suspects then left the store, at which time a witness saw them run southbound on Thorndyke, then west up the hill toward 22nd Avenue West.
Police set up a neighborhood containment area, and a canine unit attempted to track the suspects but lost the scent at 22nd Avenue West and West Armour Street.
Overnight burglary
At 6:27 a.m. on Feb. 18, police responded to a business in the 600 block of West McGraw Street to investigate a forced-entry burglary.
The owner told police she left the business at 12:30 a.m. that morning, leaving it locked and secured. When she returned at 6:24 a.m., she found the front door broken, the register missing and other signs of theft from a burglary.
The metal doorframe had been pried, and in the process, the glass pane was cracked. Along with the register containing cash, a backpack with a laptop computer was also taken.
There were gaps in clothing racks indicating that clothing was also taken. On the center rack, grayish fingerprints were on the plastic wrap; police collected those for evidence.
Left behind
Sometime overnight between 6 p.m. on Feb. 15 and 11 a.m. on Feb. 16, a suspect broke a window to a business in the 2200 block of 15th Avenue West, then reached in and unlocked a second window, which he crawled through.
Along with stealing an iPad, an iPod and numerous bottles of nail polish, the suspect also apparently used the restroom, in which he left several used cotton swabs on the floor.
The suspect ransacked the business, leaving piles of items all over the floor. He also left behind a backpack containing candy, an umbrella, a large roll of toilet paper, an unopened box of pain pills and other items.
Responding officers were able to locate a large number of fingerprints the suspect left behind. The prints were lifted and brought into evidence for further investigation.
Crystal-clear
On Feb. 25, police responded to a residential building in the 1200 block of Queen Anne Avenue North, where a reported burglary took place in the early morning hours. The building’s security system captured good-quality video of the burglar.
According to the report, the suspect pried open the front door at 5:37 a.m. He entered and went to a storage room containing tools and accessories, to which he also pried open the door.
Once there, the burglar stole a package with drill bits and a box of screws.
The burglar then entered the laundry room, where video shows him carrying the toolboxes and also some electronics items. The burglar grabbed a laundry-detergent bottle and walked out the door. The laundry detergent was found just outside the front door to the building.
Responding police processed the bottle and other laundry containers that suspect was seen handling for prints.
Pushed
On Feb. 20 at 9:17 p.m., police were dispatched to 500 block of Queen Anne Avenue North in response to a reported assault involving transients living in the area.
Upon arrival, police found one of the transients being treated by Seattle Fire. He said he’d been pushing his cart through an alley when another transient man approached him and pushed him, knocking him down. The victim hit his head on the ground and was knocked unconscious for a few seconds. When he woke up, the other man ran away.
He said he doesn’t know why the other man pushed him, and he was in fear for his life.