The following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct. They represent the officers’ accounts of the events described.
Just before 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 18, a man living in the 700 block of Galer Street called 911 to report mail theft in his condo building. The caller stated he’d gone to his mailbox at about 10 a.m. that morning, and noticed it appeared to have been tampered with. His mailbox wasn't damaged, but he checked the building’s video surveillance system and he saw a suspicious suspect wearing all black walking the halls between 5 and 6 a.m. that morning. The video shows the suspect near the mailbox then leaving the building while covering his face.
Caught on Camera
Just before 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 20, a security officer at an apartment building in the 1700 block of Dexter Avenue North called 911 to report a burglar had just left the building. The officer on site stated that the building’s surveillance cameras are monitored by an off-site security team. He received a call from that security team just after 2 a.m., stating a suspect had broken into the building and was last seen breaking into mailboxes in the mail room. The on-site security officer searched the building and saw the suspect getting into the passenger side of a red sedan that drove away southbound. He checked the mail room and couldn’t determine if anything was stolen. Some of the mail boxes were damaged from being pried open.
Homewares burglary
Just after 3 p.m. on Feb. 22, police responded to a reported burglary at a townhome complex in the 1200 block of West Emerson Street that was still under construction. The complainant who spoke with police reported that two units were burglarized, the two finished units that are being used as model homes and have been staged to sell. The burglar gained entry to the units by breaking into a lock box containing the keys. He stole several staging items from the units, including two comforters, a set of sheets, a white fur rug, a white shag rug, several towels, three paintings, five pillows and two night stands.
Strange Burglary
At approximately 10:15 a.m. on Feb. 28, the owner of a house in the 3800 block of 32nd Avenue West called 911 to report her house was broken into the night before. She said she’d been gone between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on the 24th. When she returned home, she found a basement door in the back of the house was kicked open. The burglar stole random items including butter from the refrigerator, two bottles of alcohol, two packs of batteries and cash. Several high value items including a digital camera, power tools and electronics were left untouched. Police found prints on some of the items handled by the suspect, but determined they were glove prints.
Picky Burglar
Just after 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 24, the resident of a home in the 3200 block of 25th Avenue West called 911 after coming home to find his house was broken into. He said he was away from home between 4 and 9 p.m. that evening and night. When he returned home, he found the back door standing wide open. When he went to close the door, he found that it had been kicked in and the screen door was torn off its hinges. He looked around the house and found it was ransacked, with drawers and cabinets riffled through. The victim said he didn’t think anything was stolen. The suspect left behind one winter glove on a wooden table outside near the back door.
Polite Robber
Just after 7 a.m. on March 1, several police units responded to a robbery at a drug store in the 600 block of First Avenue North. The store clerk reported the robbery had occurred about a minute earlier, and stated the suspect was wearing a black jacket with a white zipper, dark colored jeans, work boots and light gray work gloves. The suspect was also wearing a hard hat and dust mask. The clerk reported the suspect walked into the store through the north doors and stood around waiting for the line of customers to clear out. He approached the counter and took one glove off, reaching into his pocket with the ungloved hand. He said, “Give me the money.”
The clerk opened the cash register and took about $175 out, and handed it to the suspect, who took the money and said, “Thank you.” The suspect left through the west doors. The store’s security footage confirmed what the clerk reported. Several police units searched the neighborhood for the suspect but didn’t find him. The suspect’s description and clothing matched that of a suspect who has been conducting similar robberies at stores in the area. The case was handed over to a team of robbery detectives.