The following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct. They represent the officers’ accounts of the events described.
Alarm Trip
Just before 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 2, police responded to a burglary at a house in the 2700 block of West Barrett Street.
When officers arrived, they found the victim’s boyfriend, who reported the house’s burglar alarm was tripped at 5:50 p.m. and stayed activated for less than five minutes. A rear window screen was cut and removed, and the window’s lock was broken.
It appeared the burglar was in the home for about three minutes before exiting through the back door. Because the homeowner wasn’t home at the time, police couldn’t determine what was taken during the burglary.
Scared Off
Shortly before 7 p.m. on Feb 2, police responded to a burglary at a house in the 2500 block of 35th Avenue West.
The victim said his alarm was tripped and home security cameras captured the suspect on video.
It appeared the suspect entered the back yard and took a window screen off. When he tried to open the window the alarm sounded, scaring the suspect off.
Failed Burglary
Just after 7 p.m. on Feb. 2, a residential burglary was reported in the 3400 block of 38th Avenue West.
Due to multiple burglaries reported in the same area, police weren’t able to respond until just before 9:30 p.m. When officers arrived, they met the homeowner’s daughter and husband, who said the owners were out of town.
It appeared the burglar removed a window screen and opened the window about two inches before the security alarm was tripped. The suspect likely heard the alarm and was scared off.
Successful Burglary
At approximately 10:45 p.m. on Feb. 2, the owners of a house in the 4000 block of 31st Avenue West called 911 after returning home to find their house was broken into.
They said their alarm had been tripped just after 7:30 p.m. while they were at dinner, and hadn’t thought anything of it because it was a motion sensor on the side of the house that their neighbor commonly trips. A second alarm trip came with video showing a man walking away from the front door.
When the victims returned home they first thought everything was okay. Later, they realized their bedroom was rummaged through. The male victim reported three watches, a gold wedding band and $150 in cash missing. The female victim reported $150 worth of jewelry and $600 in cash missing. A pair of headphones and a bottle of tequila was stolen from the living room.
The suspect entered the house by using a neighbor's garbage can to reach a bathroom window. He took the screen off the window, opened it and crawled inside.
Scared Cat
Just after 8 p.m. on Feb. 5, police responded to a burglary at a house in the 1600 block of Third Avenue West.
The victim said he’d been gone from 7:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. When he got home he noticed his cat was acting strange. He went downstairs and found a back door was busted open.
Police investigated and determined the door was probably kicked in. The doorframe was broken and there was a shoe print on the door. The victim said he didn’t think anything was missing from his house but the suspect left a drinking glass on the counter. Police checked it for prints but didn’t find any.
Overnight Burglary
Just before 8 a.m. on Feb. 5, an employee at a store in the 300 block of West McGraw Street called 911 when he got to work and discovered a burglary.
He said he’d come in to open the store and noticed items had been knocked onto the floor. There was no forced entry, and two interior doors that lead to the back door were open.
The employee said the interior doors are never locked, and that the suspect probably climbed the outer side door and gained entry that way. He said he wasn’t sure what was missing, and that the owner would have to do an inventory check to find out.
Mid-Day Burglary
At approximately 2:45 p.m. on Feb. 6, police responded to a burglary at a house in the 300 block of Crockett Street.
The victim told police she’d been away between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. She immediately knew something was wrong when she got home because she’d left her curtains drawn but they were pulled closed when she got home. The burglar broke out the glass of the back door in the kitchen. The upstairs was ransacked, and a yellow crowbar was found in the victim’s bedroom.
She said the only thing that was taken was a sterling silver dinnerware serving set worth $3,000. A neighbor told police he’d walked by the house and saw some suspicious people out front. He described them as two males both wearing aviator sunglasses and ‘dressed like punks,’ and a female wearing a red vest. They got into a green Ford Explorer that was parked on Third Avenue North.
Missing Lock
At approximately 7:30 a.m. on Feb. 10, police responded to an alarm break at a store in the 100 block of Nickerson Street.
Upon arrival, officers found the front door ajar, and a side patio door that’s lock was missing. The business owner arrived and confirmed that the patio door had been damaged and its lock was removed.
He checked the inside of the business but said he’d have to wait until his employees arrived to confirm what was missing.
Stolen Safe
At approximately 7:15 a.m. on Feb. 11, police responded to a burglary at a house in the 1900 block of Queen Anne Avenue North.
The homeowner told police his garage was broken into about two weeks prior to his 911 call. He said all that was taken was an empty safe.
Insider Job
Just before 11:45 a.m. on Feb. 13, police responded to a business in the 3200 block of 15th Avenue West.
The business owner called 911 to report suspicious activity inside the business. He said he’d gotten a video alert on his phone showing someone inside the business. He saw a suspect wearing a hoody, but they apparently turned off the electrical panel because the camera feed stopped.
When police arrived they found nobody inside the business. The breakers on the electrical panel were switched off, cutting the business’s electricity. The suspect found the key to the safe and took more than $500 and a company credit card.
The owner stated that about a year ago he fired an employee that knew the code to the lock box that unlocked the back door and fit the description of the suspect.
Angry Customer
Just after 2:15 a.m. on Feb. 14, police responded to an assault at a store in the 600 block of Denny Way.
When officers arrived they found the victim, a cashier, being treated by medics from Seattle Fire Department for a laceration on the side of his head that they reported would need staples to close.
The victim said he was working the cash register when two suspects, a male and a female, entered and attempted to purchase some alcohol using a debit card. The card was declined after three attempts and the male suspect became angry. The suspects began to argue, so the victim asked them to leave.
The suspects left the store, and a few minutes later the male suspect came back and walked directly up to the victim. Using two fists, the suspect struck the victim in the chest before grabbing him by the collar of the shirt and dragging him out of the store. The victim said while the suspect was pulling him into the parking lot he continued to strike him in his head and belly. Once in the parking lot the suspect pulled something out of his pocket and struck the victim in the head with it. The victim said he didn’t see what it was, but it felt like metal. Another employee had a similar account as the victim.
Police located the suspect at a convenience store at Fourth Avenue North and Denny Way. They searched him and found a metal flashlight in his pocket. They also found methamphetamine on him.
He was booked into King County Jail for assault and possession of a controlled substance.