Here’s an ugly trend: pepper spray appears to be the new must-have criminal accessory in central Seattle. We received an e-mail this morning from the parents of a student who was robbed while waiting at a bus stop near 19th and Aloha around 5 PM Wednesday afternoon. Another iPhone ripped off. And, pure evil, a gingerbread house, stolen. We’ve removed some identifying information — here’s the account from the parents:
Bad news/good news. Yesterday, at approximately 5 p.m., XXX was maced/mugged! (bad news) She was waiting for the bus at the intersection near St. Joseph (Capitol Hill) and Tully’s playing a game on her phone (bad) when two African American teens approached her, got her attention and sprayed her in the face with mace (bad).
They took off with her backpack, calculator, iphone and gingerbread house (bad) but they didn’t get her knitting bag, sports bag or wallet (good). I was at an appointment so I wasn’t answering my phone (bad) but fortunately, XXX was answering her phone(good) and she went blasting downtown in the carpool lane (good/bad) to rescue her. XXX’s screams (good) attracted the attention of a classmate and her dad (good), the paramedics came (good) and a police report has been filed (good). We spent some time last night googling mace antidotes (milk! who knew?) and hanging out together (good). She’s ok today and off to school to share her story (good). Moral of the story? There’s more good than bad. Especially when it comes to reliable friends!
We can confirm the medic callout and will follow-up with SPD to find out more about the incident.
5PM????
I know! That’s a busy busy intersection- at rush hour!
I’ve heard too many stories about muggings, aggressive pick-pockets, killings, etc… my friends and I have talked about it and decided on picking up our own mace cans.. you can get them pretty much anywhere for only ~$12. They’re small and fit on your key ring… better safe than sorry!! Protect yourself and the ones you love.. perfect holiday gift.
It’s completely dark at 5pm. These thugs act any time of day because it’s the element of surprise and very quick. I hope this girl is alright.
Nice thought, but a thief will catch you by surprise (whether with mace or anything else). By the time you get your mace out of your pocket, they’re likely gone or have at least overpowered you in some way.
I’m a little confused when I read the lighthearted – almost humorous – account of the incident. This whole “(good)” & “(bad)” thing takes away from the seriousness of this crime. If my daughter were assaulted on a street corner with pepper spray, I kinda doubt I’d be writing about it like it was a script submission for a sitcom. Sheesh. This is NOT funny.
Awareness is your best defense, not mace.
I’d say awareness + mace is your best defense.
Bravo to the parents for maintaining a positive attitude in the face of a scary event.
Again, there is NO TIME to react to these thugs by methodically pulling your mace out when you have finally realized you are in danger. It’s the art of Surprise, and Seattle folk are not trained by instinct to react to it. Unless a person is waiting with their mace in spray ready format at all times (finger on the trigger), it is of little help. In this particular case, the mace would have been stolen with the iphone, do you think the thugs are ‘buying’ these cans of attack mace? Two against one, one holding the girl down while the other pats her down for the goods. Mace = no good, Awareness and alertness away from the iPhone would be more good and then Mace if you are ready to use it.
This is why I keep my old phone and drive a non-flashy car. Well, this and the fact that I’m cheap.
I applaud the parents for taking a lighthearted approach to the incident. The child is thankfully ok and no sense in causing panic in the young girl. Seems like it would easier for her to adjust going out alone better and not be afraid but be more alert. You live, you learn.
To those who are talking about mace on their own, these thugs probably have more exposure to the chemical than you do and you can build up a tolerance to pepper spray. They may not have the same reaction to the chemical you do and may be able to resist the effects better than you can. If you’re going to fight back, pepper spray isn’t the best choice and might actually get you into worse trouble. Best method is to create space (run) and get somewhere safe. You can fight through the effects of pepper spray but you need to remain focused.
It does not make sense to use the terms mace and pepper spray interchangeably because they are two very different things.
> “Here’s an ugly trend: pepper spray appears to be the new must-have criminal accessory …”
> “and sprayed her in the face with mace”
From the report it sounds like mace was used, not pepper spray. Fyi here is an explanation of the differences:
http://www.pepper-spray-store.com/relatedinfo/mace-vs-pepper
In particular:
>
What is pepper spray? What does it do?
A 1-Second blast of Pepper Spray will render an individual incapacitated for 15 minutes to over an hour. Pepper Spray is an inflammatory agent it will IMMEDIATELY: induce coughing, choking, nausea, it will dilates the capillaries of the eyes causing temporary blindness, the mucous membranes will swell to the point of cutting off all but life support breathing, causes intense burning and an assailant to be temporarily incapacitated. Remember that Mace is also a brand of pepper spray in today’s self defense products market.
1. I enjoy the lightheartedness of the parent’s account and found it very informative. Having the “good” and “bad” associated with the comments was why my friend posted it on facebook and why I read it in the first place (good!).
2. I think having mace by your side and your finger on the trigger can be helpful if you feel unsafe and are walking around the hill, but is definitely not a feasible answer to muggings on the hill.
I think it’s time parents pulled their children aside and taught them to pay attention to where they are and what they are doing. We live in an active urban environment, and kids are texting and on ipods while walking/hanging, immersed in their own little world, oblivious to what’s going on around them. This girl is lucky, I hope this was a wake up call for her and her friends.
Just received this UW Police ‘Notification of a Criminal Incident’. This happened 2.5 hours later, and it’s a short drive from the first place:
On Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at 7:25 p.m., a UW student crossing N.E. 45th Street at 12th Ave., N.E. was tapped on the shoulder by one of three unknown suspects. When the victim turned around, she was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance. The victim’s purse, containing her cell phone and credit cards, was taken. The three suspects left the area in a yellow sedan, make unknown. The first suspect is described as a black male with short hair, 5’10”, 18-21 years of age. The second suspect is also a black male, 6’0″, 200 lb., with a shaved head. A third suspect is a male of unknown race with no other description information available.
An email was sent to UW students and staff today about an incident that also occurred yesterday:
On Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at 7:25 p.m., a UW student crossing N.E. 45th Street at 12th Ave. N.E. was tapped on the shoulder by one of three unknown suspects. When the victim turned around, she was sprayed in the face with an unknown substance. The victim’s purse, containing her cell phone and credit cards, was taken. The three suspects left the area in a yellow sedan, make unknown.
The first suspect is described as a black male with short hair, 5’10”, 18-21 years of age. The second suspect is also a black male, 6’0″, 200 lb., with a shaved head. A third suspect is a male of unknown race with no other description information available.
And here are some tips they often include in these notifications to help w/crime prevention.
Crime Prevention Tips for Similar Incidents:
– Call 911 to report suspicious activity or persons to the police.
– Avoid confrontations with suspects if possible.
– Be aware of your environment and alert for possible danger.
– Consider keeping electronic headset volume down or wearing one ear-bud when in public.
– Remove yourself from potentially dangerous situations as soon as possible.
– Walk in groups whenever possible.
And UW students and staff can sign up for alerts at http://www.uwalert.org
last night around 730 two guys also mugged a girl in the U-district, taking her phone and purse and spraying her in the face (the report sent around by the University didn’t say with what, but i’m assuming some sort of pepper spray, since silly string probably wouldn’t be scary enough). They had a get away driver, but I wonder if it was the same crew?
but of course we’re not allowed to use them, because its more important in seattle to be PC than to accurately describe criminals or take appropriate action against them.
james bible will scream on tv if appropriate action is taken.
at no point will an organized group defend the rights of the victim….
I can’t find details anywhere else.
If I was the parent of this innocent girl, I would be damn angry, and would not minimize the crime by writing such a polyanna-ish description of what happened.
Thanks…I agree with you completely.
Wow, that’s got to be the most annoying crime report in the history of mankind (bad).