- Halloween reports: Capitol Hill was relatively peaceful if not entirely quiet for Wednesday night’s Halloween festivities. There were assorted reports of assaults and fights — including one that went down around Linda’s on E Pine involving combatants using umbrellas, according to police radio — but apparently no major incidents or 911 callouts. Police did decide to break up a large crowd that formed near 10th and Pike when a marching band starting doing its thing and a Halloween street party swelled. The crowd dispersed without any significant incidents, according to radio dispatches. Thanks to @msbeervendor for posting this image of the crowd to Twitter. We also count four DUI incidents around the Hill overnight. Fortunately, it looks like all four involved drivers coming to a stop because of being pulled over — not crashing into something. UPDATE: Forgot about one incident of vandalism to include. Witnesses told police a group used a skateboard to bust out a window in the building home to Walgreens and Broadway Crossing apartments at Pine and Broadway. We’re not aware of any arrests made in the incident.
(Image: @msbeervendor)
- Police searching Swedish Cherry Hill: Police and SWAT are trying to locate a man that a witness reported was carrying a rifle in the parking garage at the Central District hospital Thursday morning. The search is still underway. UPDATE: No details on what happened but SPD said the situation is wrapping up now.
- Halloween fire in CD: A family was out trick-or-treating when flames destroyed their home at 26th and Jackson Wednesday night. The community is rallying to provide the family with support.
- 10th/Republican hold-up: From a police report just released to CHS, we’ve learned details of a Monday night street robbery at 10th Ave E and E Republican in which two men were arrested and then released when the victim could not be certain they were the same men who had just held her up.
According to the report, a woman walking in the area around 9:30 PM was approached by two men. One of the men stuck something against her back and said, “Give me your purse. Don’t give me any trouble, I’ve got a gun.”
The woman told police she handed over her purse and asked, “Can I at least have my keys?” as the duo fled the scene. The woman told police she never saw a gun during the incident.
Police were called to the scene and K9 units were called in but were not successful in tracking the two men both described as black males in their 20s, one wearing a beaning, a brown hoodie and baggy jeans. The woman was not seriously injured in the robbery.
According to the report, police found three “possible suspects” in Cal Anderson Park. The victim was brought to the scene and identified two of the men as her attackers. They were taken into custody and read their miranda rights, according to the SPD report. As the East Precinct headquarters, the suspects were searched but none of the woman’s possessions were found. A search of garbage cans and bushes in the area also did not turn up her bag.
In a follow-up interview, police say the woman was “less than certain” that the men taken into custody were the same men who had robbed her. According to the report, the men were then released from custody.
The victim called police later Monday night to tell them her credit card had been used at a South Seattle gas station — while the two men she had identified were in police custody.
- Man fends off “armed” robbery with wrench on Lake WA Blvd: Well off the Hill but we haven’t seen this reported elsewhere. East Precinct police were called to the Arboretum last Thursday just before 9 PM to collect details of an attempted hold-up. Details of the report on the incident are below. It’s the second report in recent weeks in the area of somebody saying no in a potentially dangerous situation. CHS does not advise it. But here is one report of what happened when somebody decided to call his potential robber’s bluff:
