A bust following a string of area street robberies Saturday morning may be the break East Precinct robbery detectives need to stem the recent surge in muggings around Capitol Hill. According to SPD spokesperson Mark Jamieson, two males and a female driver were taken into custody early Saturday morning after a series of street robberies occurred in less than 60 minutes.
The two alleged street robbers were nailed near Terry and Madison when an officer noticed a vehicle matching the description of a getaway car seen in one of the attacks. An 18-year-old man was booked into King County Jail on investigation of robbery while his alleged accomplice was held at juvenile hall. Their driver was arrested but released.
Jamieson tells CHS that the first street robbery happened around 12:35 AM at Summit and Harrison, followed by another around 12:45 AM at Summit and Union and another just after 1 AM at 15th and Union.
Saturday street robbery timeline
In all three robberies, victims described their attackers as two black males and said one wore a red jacket. The duo used a handgun to threaten them, the victims told police. The males made off with a wallet and cash, a cellphone and cash and a messenger bag in the three attacks. In two of the attacks, the victims were smashed in the face by their attackers. One witness reported seeing them flee the area of the attack in a reddish car with a bad taillight, Jamieson said.
Victims were able to identify the two males as their attackers, Jamieson said. Police officers recovered one of the victim’s messenger bag from the car. Beneath the seat, officers found an Airsoft pistol, Jamieson said.
Robbery detectives are now investigating to see if the males in custody can be linked to additional recent area street robberies with similar descriptions.
One recent example is this April 6th incident in which a woman was held-up near Summit and Union. We reported on the recent increase in robbery around Capitol Hill here.
UPDATE:
Here’s the report from SPD:
On April 10th between 12:35 and a little after 1:00 AM, three armed street robberies occurred on Capitol Hill, at Summit and Harrison, Summit and Union, and 15th and Union. All of the victims were accosted while walking on the street. The suspects in each of these robberies were described as black males, late teens, one wearing a red jacket and red baseball cap and the other wearing black clothing and having dreadlocks. They were reportedly seen leaving the area in a reddish car with a defective taillight. In two of the incidents, the victims sustained injuries from being struck in the face by the suspects.
At approximately 1:30 AM, two East Precinct patrol officers observed a burgundy Hyundai with a defective brake light and a black male wearing a red jacket sitting in the back seat. The officers stopped the vehicle at Terry and Madison and detained the female driver and two male passengers. The robbery victims were brought by the location and positively identified the two males as the correct suspects. An ”airsoft” handgun was recovered underneath the front passenger seat and one of the victim’s bags was recovered from the back seat. All the suspects were taken into custody and the car was impounded.
Detectives from the Robbery Unit responded and interviewed the suspects. The two male suspects, one 18 and the 17, were booked into the King County Jail and the Youth Services Center, respectively, for Investigation of Robbery. The 18 year old female driver was interviewed and released pending further investigation. Robbery detectives will be responsible for the on going investigation.
Yay! Down with the bad guys!
Nice work SPD! Now let’s lock them up and throw away the key.