Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2003

Copyright 2003 Seattle Sun. Please feel free to use the article and photos below in your research. Be sure to quote the Seattle Sun as your source.

Cops N' Robbers

By LEAH WEATHERSBY

Belligerent barricade thief:

Just after 2 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, a bartender at a University Way restaurant was cleaning up for the night. She looked out and noticed three men (at least one of whom was in his early 20s) loading some barricades and cones from a nearby construction site into the back of a Chevy Blazer. They also placed a barricade on to the bike rack of another car, which was parked in front of the Blazer.

The bartender confronted the men. At first, the suspects feigned surprise at the presence of the items in their vehicles. Then they began to argue with the bartender, throwing the barricades and cones back on to the street.

Two customers came out of the restaurant to help the bartender. A man called 911 on his cell phone. One of the suspects responded by punching him, knocking off his glasses off his face. Then the suspects ran off.

As officers were interviewing the witnesses, they saw the suspect who had thrown the punch returning to the Blazer. He seemed intoxicated. When questioned, the suspect said he'd been alone all evening and denied everything else. He said he had returned to the vehicle after an evening of drinking, but realized he was too drunk to drive so he walked away. He added that he had seen the police from a distance and had come over to see what the problem was.

Police attempted to put the suspect in handcuffs, but he struggled and wouldn't respond to commands. Finally, with the help of a sergeant from the University of Washington police, the two Seattle Police officers wrestled him to the ground and took him into custody. He was taken to the King County Jail.

Car chase in the U-District:

At 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, a Crown Hill woman called police to report a possible car theft in progress. She saw a man (who appeared to be in his 20's) get out of a pink and red Ford Explorer and then drive of in a blue Jeep Cherokee with a broken window. He was dressed in jeans and a blue, gray and black jacket.

The woman suspected that the Jeep, which had been parked in her neighborhood all night, was stolen. Police in Northgate were able to pull over Explorer, but lost the Jeep.

However, the Jeep was spotted again by two other officers at 5th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street in Wallingford. They started their pursuit.

The Jeep accelerated and turned right on Latona Avenue, heading north. Despite the fact that the officers were directly behind the Jeep, with sirens blaring and lights flashing, the driver made no attempt to pull over.

As the chase continued (at 30-40 miles per hour), officers were able to confirm that the Jeep was stolen.

The Jeep turned right, heading towards the U-District at NE 50th Street. However, as it entered the intersection at 11th Avenue NE, the Jeep was hit by a car driving north on 11th.

The Jeep then slid into the front of a third car that was waiting in a westbound lane on NE 50th Street. It accelerated out of control, hit a fourth car on the other side of NE 50th, rear-ended a fifth car, hit the curb, flipped over, and finally came to a stop in its side with the bottom facing police. As officers approached the Jeep, they saw the suspect climb out and run off.

He didn't halt even when officers yelled, "Stop, police."

The suspect was finally nabbed by a second set of officers stationed at 12th Avenue NE and NE 52nd Street. He was no longer wearing the jacket, though it was recovered a short distance away. In the pockets, the police found two bags of what they suspected was cocaine, another bag possibly containing marijuana, and a pipe. The suspect was taken to King County Jail.

Drunk in the trunk:

On at 3 p.m. on Feb. 14, officers responded to a possible kidnapping on Crown Hill. A woman had seen a man putting another man into the trunk of a white Cadillac.

Police pulled the car over and questioned the driver, a man in his 20s. The driver admitted that he had put his friend in the trunk, but said he only did it because the friend was drunk and kept trying to get out of the car. The friend finally decided to put him in the trunk for his own safety. Other witnesses confirmed the driver's version of events.

When the officers opened the trunk they indeed found an intoxicated, belligerent man in his late teens inside. He couldn't stand up straight and smelled of alcohol. He vomited on the sidewalk.

Police contacted the drunken man's mother, who told police that her son and the driver were friends and assured them that he must have had good intentions. She then came to pick up her son.

The driver admitted that he might have used poor judgment when he put his friend in the trunk.

Armed robbery in Roosevelt:

At about 9 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, a man in his 30s was sleeping in a camper parked in the Roosevelt District when he was suddenly awakened by the sound of a door opening. Two men entered the camper and one placed a gun to his head. (The victim noticed that two other suspects were standing around outside the vehicle. Three of the suspects were armed.)

The suspect who was holding the victim at gunpoint demanded the victim's methadone pills. The victim told police that he does take methadone for back pain, but he didn't have any with him at the time.

The victim tried to appease the suspects by telling them he knew where to get some methadone and he could have it within the hour. The suspects agreed to this and told the victim to meet them at a local bar. The man then went to his father's house nearby and called the police. Officers checked the bar but couldn't find anyone matching the suspects' description.

Canvasser vs. canvasser:

At about 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, a man in his 20s and a man in his 30s were canvassing Ballard homes for donations to their mission. At the same time, two other men were also in the area soliciting funds. (One was in his 30s; the other was a teenager.)

According to the younger missionary, the second set of solicitors began harassing him for working the same area that they were. When he refused to leave the block, the suspects walked up behind him and slapped him on both sides of his face.

The victim walked quickly away with the suspects still yelling at him. His partner joined him and both men went to a nearby phone booth to call police. Officers checked the area and found the two suspects. After being positively identified by the victim, they were taken to King County Jail.

Molotov cocktails:

Just after 11 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, officers responded to the 10400 block of Linden Avenue in Greenwood to check out reports of fires in the street. When they arrived they found a man and a woman parked on the side of the road, waiting to give a report about a rock being thrown at their car.

While waiting, the two had seen four males in the middle of the street, some of whom were setting fire to objects and then rolling them down the hill towards N. 105th Street. The suspects also rolled another fiery projectile down an alley. Then they ran off north towards N. 105th.

At the scene, officers found a bottle and a can, both containing liquid that smelled like gasoline and both with fabric wicks attached.