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Blotter | Another Cal Anderson robbery — Plus, hit and run chase crosses Hill

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  • Cal Anderson phone mugging: A string of robberies in Cal Anderson continued Wednesday night as a victim required medical attention after being punched in the face and mugged by two assailants accompanied by a group of young males in Capitol Hill’s central park. Police were called to an apartment near the park where the victim had fled following the robbery around 11:30 Wednesday night. The victim told police he was punched and robbed about 10 minutes earlier inside the park after he was surrounded by a group described as multiple young, black males. The attacker in the mugging was reported wearing a bright orange polo. A police search of the area turned up no suspects. Seattle Fire was called to the apartment to treat the victim for his injuries. The robbery follows a similar incident early Sunday morning in which a man who was settling in to sleep in the park told police he was attacked and robbed. Last Friday, a large group was reportedly involved in the hold-up of two men that ended with one of the victims hit by a grazing gunshot to the head. Police arrested a 17-year-old in connection with Friday’s incident. Last August, SPD also had its hands full with an armed robbery spree around Cal Anderson and Capitol Hill. Police eventually arrested three suspects in connection with the wave of robberies.
  • Hit and run chase crosses Hill: A man’s wild ride from a West Seattle nursing home to a failed car jacking in South Seattle ended with his arrest Wednesday — but not before a string of hit and runs including a collision or three around Capitol Hill and First Hill. One of the collisions was captured on video and posted online. Here is SPD’s report on the Wednesday afternoon wild ride:

    Officers arrested a 36-year-old man after her went on a tear involving hit and run collisions in multiple precincts and an attempted armed car-jacking.

    The incident appears to begin in West Seattle. For unknown reasons a man entered a nursing home, knocked everything off a counter, pushed a walker at an employee and then proceeded to drive away recklessly. According to the 911 caller, the man was driving on the sidewalk and was involved in a hit and run collision.

    Next, the suspect was involved in at least one hit and run collision near Mercer Street and Dexter Ave North. The suspect was then spotted on Capitol Hill and was involved in at least one hit and run collision there as well as another in the International District.

    Eventually the suspect made his way into the South Precinct where he finally ditched his car. Using a knife he attempted to car-jack someone, but failed. Officers located the man and took him into custody near Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Walden Street.

    Officers are still working to establish a clear chronology and given that the suspect’s antics spanned four precincts, the total damage and persons affected are still being tabulated. 

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really old
really old
9 years ago

What, the police used to be there!
Back in 1971, when guys were cruising in (what was then) Broadway Playfield and Volunteer Park, the police would be through several times a night in cars and on foot and they would go park to park with a police helicopter and spotlights no less,on occasion, to nab weinie wackers!
In fact, they’ve restored one of the 1970 Plymouth Squad cars and I saw it at Dick’s one Friday night and told the good natured officer I would recognize the sound of that V8 anywhere, and why, he got a good laugh.
Bring ’em back (the cops, too!)

Janet
Janet
9 years ago
Reply to  really old

Yup!

whatthewhat
whatthewhat
9 years ago

Cal Anderson is two blocks from the precinct. SPD should be embarrassed.

The situation at the park seems to be getting out of control. I don’t particularly care whether it happens every summer and then goes back to normal in the winter, because summer is when I would most like to use the park.

A consistent and visible police presence (on foot) would make people feel more comfortable and allow good activity to drive out the bad. Park hours and other rules and regulations should be closely enforced, at least for the time being. That is all urban policing 101 and it’s not too much to ask for.

Dave
Dave
9 years ago

This is getting ridiculous. Cal Anderson used to be my favorite park to visit but now I don’t even like going through it in the day! All the vagrants and thugs that have taken over have made what was once a great park for the community and families into something appalling. I honestly don’t know what to do since police presence never seem to be able to catch or thwart the uptick in violence in the area. This is how I know Capitol Hill is no where near the level of gentrification that everyone gripes about because with gentrification comes more money and families into the community, which then raises issues for more police presence.

I wonder what the late Cal Anderson would think of his namesake and how we have let it be overtaken? To think a park named after someone who broke barriers for the LBGT community now just a crime hotspot and homeless person dumping ground makes me sad.

jc
jc
9 years ago

You’d think people would know to stay away from CAP at night by now. Maybe a sign needs to be posted: “Enter at your own risk.”

chris
chris
9 years ago

I know this is Seattle and I’ll probably get flamed for this, but how about some cameras. Police are expensive, cameras are cheap.

If you are worried about a a surveillance state, then how about cameras that are not actively monitored, but can be subpoenaed for evidence to nail these guys after the crime. This would provided a level of deterrent and would take some burden off the victim to collating evidence in the midst of a crime.

The cops are not in patrolling the park because they are running around the east precinct responding to 911 calls. There are not enough police to do any proper community/preventative policing… they aren’t even enough police to properly respond to 911. With current east precinct staffing, if Cal Anderson does get an increased police presence it will only come at the cost to the CD which sees far more gun violence than Cap Hill and already receives far less in resources.

Ask Mayor Murray why his ‘Comprehensive Public Safety Strategy for Seattle’ – http://www.seattle.gov/documents/departments/mayor/6-25-14-publicsafetystrategy.pdf involves no new police or cameras in any form; really no tools or resources for police. I don’t disagree with anything in his plan; all good stuff, it just seems to have a giant hole in it. This is particularly concerning since when candidate Murray was after votes he was for hiring 100 new police – http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/09/murray-promises-100-new-police-officers/

Ask him about his 100 new police promise.

jc
jc
9 years ago
Reply to  chris

“If you are worried about a a surveillance state, then how about cameras that are not actively monitored, but can be subpoenaed for evidence”

SPD has been very sneaky and underhanded in these matters up to this point, and I wouldn’t trust them to stay within the guidelines for very long.

Adam
Adam
9 years ago
Reply to  jc

At this point, I’m supportive of security cameras in Cal Anderson Park. We have traffic cameras all over the city, it’s not like this is some huge deal where all of a sudden the government can see you on tape. London is famous for its extreme amount of cameras, it doesn’t strike me as a dystopian wasteland.

chris
chris
9 years ago
Reply to  Adam

We have cameras for red light enforcement, school zones speed enforcement, parking enforcement, and tolling. I’m sure many think that is all being feed up to the black helicopters… er… black drones.

Interesting this about red light cameras: state law forbids any use of red light cameras for anything except for red light enforcement. So if a murder takes place in view of the camera, the video/photos cannot be subpoenaed… it is completely out of bounds. Nice. Any business’ or individual’s camera video can be subpoenaed by a court, but not red light cameras… that makes sense.

We can have cameras for revenue collection, but not for preventing crime or catching a murderer. Yeah, makes sense.

jc
jc
9 years ago
Reply to  chris

“Interesting this about red light cameras: state law forbids any use of red light cameras for anything except for red light enforcement.”

This was in deference to civil rights issues, but the legislature has since reversed it.

chris
chris
9 years ago
Reply to  chris

I was at a meeting two months ago with a city attorney that work directly under Pete Holmes. She said that red light photos can not be subpoenaed for anything, that the photos are solely for the use of red light enforcement. She said their is a push to change this, but that what is is and has been. Unless you have demonstrable understanding of state law greater than the city attorney’s office I will defer to their understanding of the law.
http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.63.170

jc
jc
9 years ago
Reply to  chris

Thanks for the correction. I had it in my mind that HB 1047 had gone through, but it hasn’t cleared the Senate at this point.

chris
chris
9 years ago
Reply to  jc

Not a policy or guideline, but a law passed by the city council on the use of the camera and video. Place the cameras and video in the hand of someone outside of the the SPD. If SPD want to see the video they need a court order.

jc
jc
9 years ago
Reply to  chris

Oh, that’ll keep ’em in check. Been reading the Snowden files?

zeebleoop
9 years ago
Reply to  jc

what examples can you point to where they’ve been sneaky and underhanded about not actively monitoring video feeds that were, in reality, monitored to entrap the citizenry? personally i’ve not heard of any but may have missed a news article about it.

jc
jc
9 years ago
Reply to  zeebleoop

In the last few years SPD has discretely installed surveillance equipment around the city, with no disclosure of what they were doing and only to be discovered after the fact. This equipment is disabled, but can be activated at any time. One was reported to be operating at an education rally recently. SPD apologized and said it was a “technical” issue. Then there were the drones.

trackback

[…] between Cal Anderson’s community house and its notoriously filthy bathrooms. That night, another in a short string of park muggings and robberies went down during the park’s late night […]

Bear
Bear
9 years ago

CAP would be a lot safer if the SPD deployed drones to patrol the park. It would be great if they could be equiped with a laser to stun offenders until the police arrive.

poo
poo
9 years ago

The problem appears to be youth run amok. They think it’s OK to run around in packs an assault people for entertainment. Three seems to be little will on the public’s part to address this issue and the blame falls on the homeless and other easier targets.

trackback

[…] that nobody in the area reported seeing the robbery. The victim was not injured. The incident joins a string of reported hold-ups and muggings in and around the park this […]