Post navigation

Prev: (05/20/15) | Next: (05/20/15)

Five taken into custody after armed hold-up, beating at 11th/Olive — UPDATE

A group of teens and one possible adult suspect were taken into custody after an early morning armed robbery reported on the eastern edge of Cal Anderson Park.

According to East Precinct radio dispatches, at least two victims suffered facial injuries and were robbed near 11th Ave and E Olive St around 12:40 AM Wednesday. Witnesses said as many as eight or nine people could be seen fleeing the area southbound on 11th Ave after the holdup in which at least two guns were brandished.

A witness who heard the melee called 911 bringing police quickly to the scene.

UPDATE: SPD has posted a brief on the incident including details of the reported hold-up:

Several witnesses called 911 around 12:30 AM when they saw a group of teens assaulting a man and woman in Cal Anderson Park. One witness told police an armed teen had a gun pointed at him when approached the melee. The group of juveniles then fled the park before police and medics arrived.

The victims told officers they had been sitting in the park when the group of suspects approached them and offered to sell them drugs. When the victims rebuffed their offer, the juveniles punched and kicked them and pointed a gun at the victims before fleeing with the man’s cell phone.

A group of five males was spotted minutes later a few blocks away walking on Pike at Boylston. Police contacted the group and brought witnesses to the scene to identify the assailants.

Police took five males into custody — four juvenile males and an additional male suspect. Police recovered two guns — one was an air gun, the other was found to be a “real gun,” according to police radio. The five taken into custody were transported to East Precinct. Additional police units were called to the scene following a disturbance involving at least one of the males as the suspects were taken into custody.

UPDATE: Police say all five suspects are teenagers:

Officers found the suspects near Pike St and Harvard Ave and took them into custody. Officers found a handgun on one teen, a BB gun on another and the victim’s stolen cell-phone on a third suspect. Two of the suspects are 13-years-old, the others are 14, 16, and 17.

SPD says all five were booked into King County’s Youth Services Center for investigation of robbery. One of the 13-year-olds was also booked for unlawful possession of a firearm.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene to provide aid for the victims.

Pike/Pine businesses and community groups have voiced concerns about the annual warmer-weather spike in crime that typically plagues the areas around Cal Anderson and the neighborhood’s nightlife district but 2015, so far, has been relatively quiet. East Precinct has rolled out “emphasis patrols” and officials have said they plan to apply tactics used to quell street crime downtown.

Subscribe and support CHS Contributors -- $1/$5/$10 per month

22 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
DB McWeeberton
DB McWeeberton
8 years ago

A depressingly familiar summer situation, but it sounds like the police response is getting better! If they can keep it up, the neighborhood might seem less like easy pickings for late-night predators.

John
John
8 years ago

Scary because an hour and a half before I was walking from pike on 11th to john. It is too dark in some points along the park side. I walked on the east side. I had my luggage coming from the airport. I am going to start cabbing/uber instead of bussing/trains. I was concerned walking at that hour alone. I prefer public transportation but I want to be safe.

I am glad them police have responded quickly. I don’t know if there is a solution to this.

genevieve
genevieve
8 years ago
Reply to  John

I still walk alone in Capitol Hill at night, but I avoid going near/in Cal Anderson park, or going down dark residential streets with low visibility if I can help it. If you stick to Broadway or 12th, rather than 11th, you should be fine. Keep in mind there is also a big difference between 11pm and 12:30am.

Binks
Binks
8 years ago
Reply to  John

You can take the light rail from SeaTac to downtown and get a cab there, that saves a bit of $$. I never feel safe walking around Cap Hill after dark, and I don’t walk by Cal Anderson after sunset, which yes, in the winter means not walking by there after 5 pm or so.

bb
bb
8 years ago

Soon to back on the street looking to do the same tonight.

philbob
philbob
8 years ago

Hmm no description on the perps…

nonplussed
nonplussed
8 years ago
Reply to  philbob

Hmm, no description of the victims.

8 or 9
8 or 9
8 years ago
Reply to  nonplussed

8 or 9 fled, 5 were arrested. I would like to know the race of the perps so I can perhaps look out for them in my walks in the area. Grow up victim-hater.

It is malpractice by the police not to report race by those seen fleeing from a crime even if some of their gang of THUGS were apprehended.

AHHHHHHHHHHH

jc
jc
8 years ago
Reply to  8 or 9

And what exactly would that tell you? Watch out for white kids or for black kids? You need a lot more detail than race for a description to be of any use.

bigbob
bigbob
8 years ago
Reply to  jc

that at least narrows it down. Safety too, can be a game of odds.

jc
jc
8 years ago
Reply to  jc

Those aren’t very good odds. Besides, it’s counter productive and feeds racism. Police will get calls, for example, reporting a young black man standing on a corner in a white section of town. Details are needed to be constructive and helpful.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
8 years ago
Reply to  philbob
Thed
Thed
8 years ago

I really wish SPD (or anybody) would post pictures of these little creeps, so others can identify them when they inevitably return to the hill with more guns in a month or two.

But, of course, the “right to privacy” of an ARMED 13 year-old criminal is apparently more important than the “privilege” of law-abiding citizens enjoying public places

DG
DG
8 years ago

If there were 9 attackers, and they only caught 5 of them, why is there not a description of the 4 that are still roaming the streets?

nonplussed
nonplussed
8 years ago

ALLEGEDLY…

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
8 years ago
Reply to  nonplussed

Yeah, OK, you just stand there or walk slowly along next time a gang of teenagers walks towards you. Hope that “allegedly” works out for you.

CD_Dave
CD_Dave
8 years ago
Reply to  nonplussed

So they can’t really jail them, they can’t really stop them, but could we at least bring mamma to the park, have the alleged take their spot over her knees, and let the victims tan their hides in front of a public who gets to laugh, point, and cheer? “Time Outs” did nothing for these boys.

RWK
RWK
8 years ago
Reply to  CD_Dave

The arrested perps are apparently in custody. They should remain so until their arraignment and subsequent trial….letting criminals out before trial is asking for more trouble. It’s time we got tougher on “kids” like this….they need to learn that they are responsible for their actions, and that there are consequences for their unlawful behavior.

Reality Broker
Reality Broker
8 years ago
Reply to  RWK

It doesn’t excuse the kids – but I’m admittedly more interested in knowing about the parents.

How do you raise kids to turn out like this?

Hmmm
Hmmm
8 years ago

I’d like to know how a 13 year old gets a gun.

IMHO, it sounds like Child Endagerment..

trackback

[…] shooting just before 2:30 AM Saturday follows an armed robbery reported early Wednesday morning near Cal Anderson Park. In that incident, police took five suspects into custody — two of the […]

trackback

[…] need to follow up with the county to learn more about charges for the five juveniles arrested in a May 20th armed robbery on the east edge of Cal […]