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Woman reports scary gunpoint robbery at 20th and Mercer

A woman reported details of a frightening street robbery on Capitol Hill Thursday night that left her shaken and with a nickel-sized bump on her head after she says a robber put a gun to her temple and pulled the trigger only to have the weapon not fire.

Police were called to the area near 20th and Mercer Thursday just after 7:30 PM and a K9 unit was deployed but could not track down the suspect.

According to police, the woman said she got off the bus on 15th Ave E and was walking eastbound on Mercer when she heard somebody running behind her. She said she was suddenly grabbed, spun round and a black male in his teens or late 20s put what she described as a silver revolver to her head, saying “I’m going to kill you.”

The woman struggled as she said the man pulled the trigger and she could hear a click. She said the man struck her and knocked her to the ground where she landed on the sidewalk. He fought her for her purse and also ripped away her backpack before running from the scene. Witnesses reported hearing screaming and seeing the suspect flee.

The woman suffered a bump on her head in the fight but declined medical attention.

The reported robbery comes amidst growing concern about an increase in violent crime on Capitol Hill. Street robbery, however, was one category that showed some level of improvement in the neighborhood as a whole.

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K3
K3
11 years ago

I wish there was something I could do to help. I used to take the 23/28 every day from U-Dist to Cap Hill. I stopped because one night an asshole teenager smacked me in the face, and everyone who saw him do it pretended they hadn’t. I’m just glad he didn’t have a gun that night, and I’m sorry the one you met did.

(Also, jseattle, this ain’t simple street robbery, it’s clearly a threat of much worse – calling it a robbery minimizes the constant bullshit women deal with walking home from work around here).

Susan
11 years ago

This is news we are hearing about too often. This is assault and robbery. It’s obvious-as a resident near this location, that the law enforcement prioritizes parking enforcement-as we see them regularly on the street. The only police cruisers I see on the hill are when they’re parked at Tully’s on 19th & Aloha. Hope they’re enjoying coffee while individuals see the all clear to rob homes in the middle of the day!

cap hll guy
11 years ago

43/48 buses. Very disturbing incident.

Dennis O'Leary
Dennis O'Leary
11 years ago

If you have to carry a purse maybe put it in a shopping bag. Same with a pack.
Camouflage even the potential of valuables. Look like you are carrying groceries not valuables.
The police have some good advice on avoiding situations and protecting yourself.
It is clear there is some risk out there. Figure out ways to lower your vulnerability. If you have someone at home call them to meet you?
Be Safe

jess
jess
11 years ago

Are you joking? Or are you blaming robbery victims for having things other people want?
We should be able to go about our daily business without having to hide our purses in old paper sacks.

sam
sam
11 years ago

How about the police and citizens start standing up against the violence and kicking some butt around here. Why should I have to hide?

Susan
11 years ago

wait-where did 43 or 48 bus routes get mentioned? Is there more?

Susan
11 years ago

To the camouflage poster-that is one dumb idea. I’m sure I’d hang on tight to my groceries with hidden valuables while someone is holding a gun to my head “oh this ? no valuables here. just plain ol’ groceries!”
Of course we need a plan for prevention. This isn’t an x box game to “kick-but”. In the real world, where a gun left a print on the victim’s temple, I’d get the heck away.
At our block watch meeting, police suggested people should pay attention to what they’re doing, try to not walk alone, definitely not listen to earphones, or walk & text/talk on the phone.
No one should live in fear, but caution and common sense help.

Gracie
11 years ago

I called the SPD and double-checked the other day: It is entirely legal to carry and use pepper spray. This will not permanently harm anyone who wants to rob you or worse but it will provide you with an opportunity to run like hell should anyone try to harm you. I’ve ordered some online.

CaphillNeighbor
11 years ago

I live in the neighborhood and the local buzz is that it was a pellet gun, that the victim was in fact shot with it, the assailant dragged the victim for an unknown distance, and that he fled north on 20th. This is all second-hand gossip, so take it with a grain of salt, and stay safe out there.

Thoughts.
11 years ago

People like that do not belong on the street, do not belong outside, do not belong in society if they neither respect or value human life. I wonder what was going through this dude’s mind before he did this? I wonder what he thinks society owes him? Everybody has struggle, albeit by different names, but the guy who did this is disgusting, and a cannibal if he thinks he can go eating off another person’s dime and remain sane. If he thinks he can harm another human being just as they are walking down the street minding their own business… He is disgusting. In this once instance, I wish we had some angry police officers around to kick his @$$. People like him are the reason why Seattle needs better public safety, people should be safe in commuting on foot or otherwise. I hope they find him, lock him up, and lose the key.

Mmeans
11 years ago

That if you leave your car parked too long without paying…the friggin SWAT team will show up

calhoun
calhoun
11 years ago

I agree completely. These urban thugs seem to have an underlying sense of entitlement that they can commit any crime which strikes their fancy. Where does this arrogant thinking come from? Is it because they are at the low end of the economic ladder and think they “deserve” a better life? Is it because their parent(s) did not bother to instill a sense of right and wrong? Are they just trying to impress their friends, who have this same sense of entitlement?

I don’t have the answers, but the only way they will lose their criminal arrogance is to get arrested and spend a lot of time in prison. Unfortunately, this does not happen very often and their criminal activities continue.