The following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct. They represent the officers’ accounts of the events described.
Aggressive Guest
At approximately 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 9, the manager of a hotel in the 100 block of Sixth Avenue North called 911 to report a guest had threatened to blow up the building. When police arrived the suspect was no longer in the building. The manager and other employees told officers that the suspect had been staying in the hotel for three days and had been acting strange the entire time. The suspect had made vague threats to staff members and seemed genuinely displeased with the service. Just before 9 p.m. that evening, the suspect approached the concierge desk and asked for help calling a long distance number. When the phone rang with no answer, the suspect became agitated and started yelling at the employees. He made threats ranging from breaking everything in the lobby to annihilating anyone who got in his way. While he walked back to the elevator he yelled, “I'm going to blow up the entire building because you're all worms!”
The hotel manager told police she was scared of the suspect, and that while he was yelling in the lobby he was swinging his arms and balling his hands into fists. She said she’d been afraid for her safety, thinking the suspect may attack her. Because the suspect was no longer in the building, officers told staff to call 911 when he returned. They called 911 when he returned at 1:15 a.m., however when police arrived he had left again.
Bicycle – Car Road Rage
At 4:45 p.m. on Dec. 9, police responded to the 100 block of Denny Way for a report of vehicle damage. The owner of the car told police he’d been driving the car west up Denny Way and was just about to pass Queen Anne Avenue North when a guy riding a pink bike rode past and hit his car with a bike lock, denting the back of the car. The driver followed the suspect on the bike into the parking lot of a nearby gas station, and got out of the car to confront him. Words were exchanged between the driver and biker, however when the biker pulled his bike lock out again and held it up in a menacing manner, the driver got back into his car and left the scene. He told police he last saw the suspect riding off eastbound on Denny Way.
Dangerous Shoplifter
Just after 1 p.m. on Dec. 13, employees of a store in the 1600 block of West Dravus Street called 911 to report a shoplifter who had threatened to physically assault an employee. The store manager said he saw the suspect take a bottle of Jack Daniels and put it in his jacket before walking out of the store without paying for it. The store manager blocked the door and told the suspect he needed to pay for the liquor. The suspect pulled a large jagged rock out of his pocket and told the store manager to get out of the way or he would bash his head in. The store manager got out of the way, the suspect was last seen walking eastbound on Dravus Street. Police dispatchers reported that a suspect matching the same description had shoplifted from a store in the 500 block of First Avenue West a few hours prior to this incident.
Damaged Front Door
At 11:15 p.m. on Dec. 12, police responded to a burglary at an apartment in the 200 block of West Lee Street. The victim said she’d been away from home since 3 p.m. on Dec. 9. She came home at 10:30 p.m. that evening, and found her front door damaged. She said the front door was closed and the dead bolt was locked when she left, and assumed that the burglar forced the open. She went inside and found cabinet drawers throughout the apartment opened and rummaged through. She reported her jewelry stolen from the bedroom. She reported the following items missing: an opal necklace, a set of pearls, a vintage diamond wedding ring that belonged to her mother, $100 cash, another $100 in Canadian currency, a bottle of bourbon and a pouch containing passports, a Nexus card, debit cards and credit cards. Overall, including the damage done to the door and items stolen, the suspect caused about $2,820 worth of damage. The burglar left a backpack on the victim’s bed. It contained tools including a pry bar that police believe the suspect used to force the victim’s front door open.
Repeat Offender
Just after 5 a.m. on Dec. 8, police responded to a shoplifting incident at a grocery store in the 100 block of Mercer Street. Store employees reported this was the second time in the last month that this suspect was caught shoplifting at this store, and Seattle Police had responded and criminally trespassed the suspect from the premises the first time. That day, the suspect stole batteries, lighters, and Lunchables – a total of $37 worth of goods. Because he violated a criminal trespass order, the suspect was arrested and booked into King County Jail for burglary.