By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Fire was no tall tale:

On the morning of Saturday, July 20, police responded to an arson call at NE 68th Street and 25th Avenue NE. Apparently, a man in his 50s wearing a blue jacket and blue jeans had set a wooden streetlight pole at that location on fire. A woman who observed the suspect at 6:18 a.m. saw him kneel by the pole and pour liquid from a gray detergent bottle around it.

By the time the police arrived the fire was out and the suspect was gone - leaving burned grass around the pole to tell the tale.

Late-night shootout:

At approximately 11:30 p.m. on Friday, July 19, police responded to reports of shots fired at Baker Park, located on the 8300 block of 14th Avenue NW.

Witnesses told police that two groups of people encountered each other in the park and exchanged words. One group, made up of four men, identified themselves as members of a gang. As the argument continued, one of the alleged gang members, a man in his 20s, pulled out a pistol and shot another man (also in his 20s) in the chest. The man's friend returned fire - four-to-six shots.

The victim was rushed to Swedish Hospital in Ballard. The Seattle Sun was unable to learn the victim's condition.

Immediately after the shooting, all parties ran from the park. So far, no suspects have been apprehended. A spokesperson for the Parks Department said the agency is meeting with neighbors and police to address safety issues in Baker Park.

Beware of flying machete:

At approximately 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, July 21, a Haller Lake teenager got into an argument with his mother's boyfriend - a man in his late 40s. The teen's older brother, who is in his 20s, was also there and as the confrontation got more heated the older brother tried to separate the two by stepping in between them.

The boyfriend responded by going into the house and returning several minutes later with a two-foot-long machete, which he pointed at the older brother before driving off in his pick-up truck.

When police responded, the older brother told them that the boyfriend had been drinking and that he, the brother, had been frightened by the incident.

While this conversation was taking place, the boyfriend drove by the house. The police hopped back in their car and followed the boyfriend, turning on their lights to initiate a stop. The boyfriend first responded by throwing his machete out of the driver's side window before bringing his car to a halt. Upon his arrest, the boyfriend apologized to the police for throwing his machete from a moving vehicle.

Streaker sighting:

On Sunday, July 21, at 7:33 a.m., a woman spotted a curly-haired, bearded man in his 30s or 40s running eastbound along NW 49th Street (at 1st Avenue NW) - completely naked.