The following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct. They represent the officers’ accounts of the events described.
Regular Shoplifters
Just after 1:45 p.m. on April 9, police responded to a grocery store in the 2100 block of Queen Anne Avenue North after employees called to report a pair of shoplifters had stolen a cart full of merchandise and thrown a tub of laundry detergent at an employee.
Store employees reported seeing the two suspects, who they recognized as regular shoplifters, in the store loading up a grocery cart with merchandise. After employees approached them, the suspects pushed the cart out of the store without paying for the items.
The store manager and another employee confronted the suspects in a parking lot across the street from the store and asked to see the receipt for the merchandise they had taken.
When they couldn’t produce a receipt, the employees tried to grab some of the items back and one of the suspects threw a tub of laundry detergent at his head, barely missing him.
The suspects left the area and $70 worth of merchandise was recovered. The store manager believed the shoplifters got away with about $50 worth of items.
Bus Stop Robbery
Just after 6:45 p.m. on April 7, police responded to a 911 call from the 100 block of Mercer Street reporting a robbery. When officers arrived they found the victim, who had a cut above his right eye.
He stated he’d been walking down the sidewalk past a bus stop when he was “cold cocked” with no warning.
He said his attacker was seven feet tall, and he’d seen him on the bus before. He reported his gold chain, which he said was valued at $6,500, was stolen. He said he fought off the suspect, who tried to take more from him.
He was unable to give police any more details, and couldn’t say exactly which bus stop the robbery took place at. He claimed there were a lot of witnesses at the bus stop who just laughed while he was being robbed.
Dog Door Burglar
Just after 2:30 p.m. on April 8, a victim living in the 800 block of West Crockett Street called 911 to report his house was broken into sometime between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. that day.
The victim stated that he came home and found the back door open with various items missing including jewelry, a laptop and a wallet. He believed the suspect came in through a large dog door in the basement and exited through the back door.
Responding police advised the homeowner to secure the dog door; he said he would immediately.
Frequent Burglar
Just after 7 p.m. on April 6, police responded to an apartment in the 300 block of West Roy Street for a reported burglary.
The victim told police that a burglar comes into her apartment through her window every day when she is not home and takes things.
She said she always knows when the suspect has been in her apartment because they leave a penny or a nickel on the floor. She said today the suspect came through her living room window and took all of the toiletries from the bathroom.
She stated she has had pictures of the suspect but they always sneak in and steal her phone while she is gone. She also said she set up cameras in her apartment but the suspect took them down.
Smashed Door
At approximately 4:30 a.m. on April 7, a passerby called 911 to report a burglary in progress at a business in the 500 block of First Avenue North.
The witness said he was walking on the sidewalk on the west side of the street when he noticed the glass of the business’s front door was broken. He saw the suspects exit through the broken door with items in hand. The suspects got into a hatchback and drove off eastbound on Republican Street. T
he business’s alarm company had been alerted to the break in and called the business owner. Responding police found the bottom pane of the glass front door was busted out. They checked the inside of the building and found it empty. Other officers checked the surrounding area for the suspect’s car, but didn’t find it.
The business owner watched the surveillance video, which showed the suspects kicking in the glass and crawling through the hole. One suspect took the front counter desktop computer while the other suspect took tanning sprays from the back of the store.