The following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct. They represent the officers’ accounts of the events described.
Opportunist Burglar
Just before 2:30 p.m. on June 29, police responded to a burglary at a home in the 700 block of Nob Hill Avenue North.
The victim stated she’d left her living room window open while she slept, from around midnight until 8 a.m. that morning. When she woke up, she found her purse missing from her couch, and the screen missing from the window. A chair was moved under the window in the yard.
The victim reported her debit and credit cards, checkbook and possibly her social security card were in the purse.
Burglary Interrupted
Just after 10:30 p.m. on June 20, a woman living in an apartment in the 300 block of Aloha Street called 911 to report an attempted burglary she’d interrupted earlier in the day.
She said arrived home at about 3:45 p.m. that afternoon, and heard rocks moving around outside of her apartment window as if someone was moving around out there.
When she looked out the window she saw the screen was pulled out at the bottom corner and the fence on the back gate was open. She went outside and found the lock on the gate was broken.
The victim told police this was not the first time something like this happened, and she recommended she speak with her building manager about getting better security measures in place.
Stolen Shorts
Just before 11 a.m. on July 1, police responded to a construction site at 17 West Thomas Street for the theft of property.
A worker reported his shorts, containing his wallet, were stolen. He said he’d come into work at 7 a.m. that morning and changed, leaving his shorts in a secured storage room. The wallet was in the pocket of the shorts.
He said aside from the usual cards his wallet contained his bus pass and $75. He also told police he believed his coworker was the culprit, as she’d been working in the room during the time that it went missing, between 7 and 10:15 a.m.
The accused coworker reported she’d been tasked with cleaning out the storage room from about 9 a.m. until 10:15 a.m. when she’d left to take a break. She didn’t lock the storage room when she left, and it was unsecured and unattended for anywhere three to 10 minutes.
When she returned the victim was in the storage room and he accused her of stealing his property and pushed her on the chest. She complained of chest pains and asked for medics to be called to assess her.
She said her supervisor had witnessed the incident and she wanted the victim arrested for assault. She also reported that she thought the victim had rifled through her bag, as it was open when she returned.
The supervisor confirmed the timeframe that the accused coworker was in the room, and stated he saw the two employees argue and bump shoulders, but didn’t see any pushing or hitting.
Police found no signs of forced entry to the storage room, and deduced that the room had been unlocked and unattended for the reported three to 10 minutes and was accessible from an alley. Officers took a report of the incident and advised the supervisor to separate the two employees.
Caught on Camera
Just after 9:30 a.m. on July 3, police responded to a burglary at a store in the 1500 block of Queen Anne Avenue North.
The store manager reported that security footage shows the suspect entering the business just before 1 a.m. on July 2 while it was closed. The manager said he suspected the back door was left open.
The suspect took his time stealing a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a portable lantern and the janitor keys. A few other items were stolen throughout the store.
The video captured clear images of the suspect’s face, and police saved and entered those into evidence.
Escaped Shoplifter
At approximately 4 p.m. on July 2, employees of a store in the 100 block of Mercer Street called 911 to report an attempted shoplifting incident that had just taken place.
The security employee on site told police he watched the suspect come into the store and put $200 worth of merchandise into a bag. When the suspect tried to leave the store without paying for the merchandise, the employee approached him and told him to give the items back.
A brief struggle ensued before the suspect dropped the bag and fled. Responding police searched the area for the suspect but didn’t find him.
Threatening Neighbor
Just after 7 p.m. on June 27, police responded to a 911 call from an assisted living facility, reporting a resident was threatening to hurt and/or kill other residents with a butcher knife.
One victim reported being in the dining room when the suspect began an argument with him and then pulled the butcher knife out of his waistband. The suspect held the butcher knife over his head and thrusted it towards the victim’s chest several times yelling, “punk!”
A second victim reported being on a patio behind a closed door when the suspect approached the door with the knife in his hand. While attempting to open the door, the suspect yelled, “I'm going to kill you!” The victim said he held the door closed so the victim couldn’t come outside. Both victims reported being afraid for their lives during the incident.
Police found the suspect in his room with the door open. At least five officers went to confront the suspect, several of the officers had tazers they were prepared to use. The suspect was arrested without incident, and no knife was found on his person. He declined to make a comment. He was booked into King County Jail for harassment.