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Police investigate reported Cal Anderson gunpoint robbery — UPDATE

A victim told police he was robbed at gunpoint in broad daylight in Cal Anderson Park early Monday evening despite ongoing emphasis patrols in the area.

According to East Precinct radio dispatches, the victim fled to Seattle Central where he reported the hold-up to 911. Police were called out around 5:20 PM.

According to the victim, the hold-up occurred near the basketball court off Nagle Place. The distraught victim told police his assailant threatened him with a 9 MM pistol during the robbery.

Police were looking for black male, bald, with a chin-strap style beard and wearing a light blue plaid shirt with navy or gray pants. Police believed he may be a person known to area officers who has previously been trespassed from the park.

Seattle Police say East Precinct and gang units are continuing emphasis patrols in the Pike/Pine area. Last week, precinct officials asked Seattle Parks to leave the lights on around Cal Anderson until 2:30 AM on the weekends to help quell a wave of street crime. Meanwhile, the mayor has announced he plans to hire more officers and give them better crime fighting intelligence.

UPDATE 9/16/14: SPD has so far been unable to track down the suspect in Monday’s reported armed robbery. Records show he was arrested this summer on a weapons charge and for harassment.

Meanwhile, CHS has learned of an additional robbery reported near the park over the weekend.

According to radio dispatches, several SPD units including officers on foot patrol, and a K9 officer were in the area of 11th Ave at the time of a reported 12:45 AM street robbery just outside the park early Saturday morning. Several units responded to the area to search for the mugging suspect described as a heavyset Latino male in his 20s, around 6’1″ and wearing a blue button-up shirt.

A search of the area was not immediately successful. No further details are available at this time.

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Timmy73
Timmy73
9 years ago

Wow, that is frightening!

I rarely spend time in Cal Anderson Park so on Sunday thought it would be nice to visit and experience the park. It was a mixed bag experience. Great seeing the fields in use but as far as just going to relax, not so much.

There as a police cruiser touring the park around noon breaking up bands of homeless who were embedded in clusters. Also, solo’s who were clearly in for a long period of sleep. None of them were all to happy to have been greeted by the officer. Their relentless yelling and threatening her made it unbearable to stay and relax.

I commend the offerers composure during her many ordeals as she tried to make the park a pleasant place for all.

I left the park feeling troubled. While the park is not a campsite, displacing these people who have no where to go isn’t the answer to the larger problem and fails to address the root of the issues.

I hope the suspect in this case is caught.

calhoun
9 years ago
Reply to  Timmy73

I don’t think the SPD has the legal right to disperse groups of vagrants during park hours just because they are there. But of course an officer can intervene if laws are being broken, such as drinking in public or urinating/defecating….although I doubt this is done very often, because the police know that a citation will be ignored and there will be no effort by the City Attorney’s Office to track the perp down.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  Timmy73

It’s not the crusty bums that are the problem geniuses.

MarcusB
MarcusB
9 years ago

I’d like for all of us to stop making excuses for so these called homeless in our parks. Most of these people are junkies or chronic alcoholics. Somehow calling them homeless gives them stature. And the gang bangers pointing a gun at a poor innocent. Jesus Christ this is a fucked up City sometimes. Why do we tolerate this shit!!? Sorry everyone….just really frustrated with what a pussy town this is. We have a nice gentle Mayor, and a delicate City Council. Ugggh. I hate it.

Marc
Marc
9 years ago
Reply to  MarcusB

Unfortunately we’re not pussy enough to implement the services that would help addicts and the mentally ill. I’m super tired of tolerating the pussy-ass logic that just sweeps people into other neighborhoods or into jail for treatable conditions.

Also, move somewhere else. Please. Eastern Washington is nice I hear. Idaho too.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  MarcusB

What do you care if a drunk or junkie sleeps in a park?
Wouldn’t you be more concerned about the relatively ‘priviledged’ and entitled thugs violently robbing people? Ding dongs?

Razr
9 years ago

Take this park and turn it into a gated community or secured apartments. This park is crap now and should be made into housing. Let the developers turn it into housing with private courtyard parks. I’ll buy one of the homes if they do, just as long as its under $500,000.00

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  Razr

The park is beautiful. Fuck your condos. Take back the night you weenies.

J
J
9 years ago

I walked to the park after work on Monday and sat by the old reservoir, thinking how peaceful the park is during the day. There were dogs playing in the water and people enjoying the sun. I had no idea I was sitting close to where this happened about 15 minutes earlier. :/ I figured this was a relatively safe place during daylight hours.

I didn’t see any police around the water areas when I was there from 5:30-6.

J
J
9 years ago

I took some friends from Portland there on a Sunday around noon so their kids could play and we encountered the following: A gigantic pile of human excrement, a family (?) having a full blow raging argument, a fountain filled with duck shit and algae, and countless transient folks sleeping/passed out throughout the lawn. As we walked home to 15th, we encountered a group of of folks who were getting super high and could barely stand, and a toilet sitting on the street corner. All I could do was laugh to myself and think “WELCOME TO SEATTLE MY FRIENDS!” Good lord, I was embarrassed for our city and for my neighborhood.

r
r
9 years ago
Reply to  J

I’ve got news for you, downtown Portland has a WAY higher homeless population than Capitol Hill

Reality Broker
Reality Broker
9 years ago
Reply to  r

Yes, but Portland also has vibrant urban areas that are not crawling with psycho drug addicts who bite and swallow your ear off because you ask them to stop attacking their girlfriend in your front yard – like we have in Cap Hill.

Last summer, my mom visited me in Portland and in Seattle. In Portland, she declared the Pearl District to be “a wonderful place where I’d love to take the grandkids – family friendly, parks, great to walk around.”

Cap Hill, well, she congratulated me on my new home and let me know she wouldn’t be visiting me there again. She nearly had to go to the hospital several times tripping on bad sidewalks, streets were hard to cross, the nearby Cal Anderson park was full of crazies, and the whole place was just stressful to be in.

#cuetheyuppierants

Reality Broker
Reality Broker
9 years ago
Reply to  r

…so the more relevant question is what Portland does to control their homeless population so that it doesn’t ruin the livability and safety of every dense, urban neighborhood in their city — like it does in Seattle.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  r

Again, what is the problem with people being homeless if they leave you alone? Why aren’t you outraged that thugs in 200 dollar shoes are whooping your ass for your change?

calhoun
9 years ago

DAMN these urban thugs who act with impunity and who are making certain areas of our neighborhood very unsafe!! I’m beginning to understand why some people advocate for a vigilante approach.

Michee
Michee
9 years ago
Reply to  calhoun

By “vigilante” I assume you mean defending yourself from people trying to prey on you?

Francois
Francois
9 years ago

It’s been fun, Crapitol Hill, but I’m outta here.

citycat
citycat
9 years ago

Capitol Hill is the new CD. Seriously. I have lived in both areas, and Capitol Hill is starting to experience the serious crime that Central Area neighborhoods had to deal with for years. It makes for some very unpleasant living conditions. We had five shooting deaths within six blocks of our house in a period of about four years. The police wouldn’t/couldn’t do anything to curb the violence and gang activity. It was horrible, and I can say from experience that I feel your pain.

bb
bb
9 years ago

Lots of lip service from our mayor but no progress. Robberies keep occurring mere blocks from a police station.

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[…] Monday, CHS reported on an incident at Cal Anderson around 5:30 PM involving an extremely upset man who told police he had been held up at gunpoint in the park: […]

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[…] has reported on a few reported street robberies since the emphasis patrols started earlier this month but one purported armed robbery turned out to […]