Category Archives: Crime

Police investigating after report of dead body found behind 11th/Spruce building — UPDATE

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Seattle Police and Seattle Fire were called to the area behind a 11th Ave apartment building Sunday morning after a caller reported finding what appeared to be a dead body in a pool of blood next to a handgun.

According to East Precinct and Seattle Fire radio dispatches, the man was found behind a locked gate in an alley near 11th and Spruce. The victim was reported to be deceased on the ground with a Glock-style pistol nearby.

Police were cordoning off the area and closing some streets to traffic in the are for the investigation.

UPDATE 1:45 PM: SPD says the death is not believed to be suspicious. The coroner is now responsible for identifying the victim and investigating the death.

CHS respects the sensitivity of covering suicide and attempts to cover incidents by sharing the facts in a responsible manner that provides information about what is happening on the streets and in the community around you. Here are two resources to help those in need: National suicide-prevention hotline: 800-SUICIDE. Local Crisis Clinic: (206) 461-3222.

Blotter | DUI arrest after Volunteer Park water tower wall crash

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See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS Crime coverage here.

  • Water tower crash: A reported teen driver was arrested for DUI early Thursday morning after the car he was driving smashed into a stone retaining wall near the historic Volunteer Park water tower. Police and Seattle Fire were called to the park just after 1 AM following the collision that also reportedly damaged several cars. There they found the driver still in the vehicle and passed out at the wheel. He was not seriously injured and was taken into custody for investigation of DUI without incident. No serious damage to the rock wall was reported. Continue reading →

Thief makes off with Amazon delivery van in Capitol Hill carjacking — UPDATE

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UPDATE 9/10/18: New information in the SPD report on the carjacking clarifies the location of where it went down and reveals that the ripoff appears to have been a targeted heist.

According to the report, the suspect wore a green motorcycle helmet to cover his face as he attacked the driver from behind, smashing him in the back of the head before leaping into the van and speeding away.

According to the report, Amazon valued the loss at $30,386 but it’s not clear if that included any packages stolen with the van.

As of last week, the vehicle had yet to be recovered, according to Seattle Police.

Original report: Amazon did not become a one trillion dollar company by losing packages but the retail giant is down a full delivery van in a carjacking Wednesday afternoon that began at E Roy and Harvard in the 200 block of 10th Ave E on Capitol Hill and had SPD and Washington State Patrol searching I-5 and area streets.

Police were called to the area just off Broadway around 1 PM to a report of an Amazon delivery driver who said his van had just been stolen from him. The van suffered damage to the driver side as the thief smashed into a vehicle or two as he fled the scene. Continue reading →

One hit in shootout at 15th and Union — UPDATE

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One person was reported hit by gunfire in a shootout involving at least one vehicle Monday afternoon near 15th and Union.

Seattle Fire was called to the scene around 1:45 PM to treat the victim who, according to East Precinct radio reports, was hit in the crossfire. We do not have further victim information at this time. Continue reading →

Ruling puts I-940 to change state law hindering prosecution of wrongful police shootings on November ballot

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I-940, a measure that will provide more training on de-escalating lethal situations and make it easier to prosecute law enforcement officers accused of unnecessary deadly force by eliminating Washington’s “malice standard” for police shootings, will be on the November ballot without changes, the state’s high court ruled this week.

The Washington Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the initiative should go to voters, ending, for now, an effort to introduce a modified version of the proposal favored by law enforcement advocates.

Continue reading →

Seattle cracking down on protesters who block downtown streets

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A March “No New Youth Jail” protest set the stage for a new activist tactic in Seattle (Image: CHS)

City Attorney Pete Holmes has come out swinging against protesters who block traffic on downtown Seattle streets:

This new type of highly disruptive action can cause workers to arrive late for work and emergency-response vehicles to be stuck in traffic. The ripple impact of these unanticipated traffic blockades quickly spreads and creates gridlock in the downtown core of our city and on to state Highway 99. This impact will only be heightened with the forthcoming Viaduct teardown and our city entering the “period of maximum constraint” traffic strain.

“When protesters use these methods, they are doing more than advocating for their cause,” Holmes wrote this week in an op-ed for the Seattle Times explaining his decision to prosecute people arrested at downtown protests earlier this year. “They are creating a disruption that redirects vital resources that could be needed elsewhere.” Continue reading →

CHS Pics | East Precinct’s community picnic: police horses, 17% raises, and, yes, reforms

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The Seattle Police rank and file were part of the fun Saturday as Capitol Hill’s East Precinct hosted its annual community picnic, this year back on 12th Ave in front of the precinct headquarters. If you noticed brighter smiles, one, hopefully the brass did all the work grilling the free hot dogs. Two, everybody is about to get a raise.

It’s not exactly a celebration but there is likely more than a little relief that the union representing the department’s more than 1,300 personnel seems to have finally reached a compromise deal with the city on a new contract that will give officers solid raises while also tying further reforms to the package. Continue reading →

Blotter | Thief makes off with phone in gunpoint robbery at 14th and Howell

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See something others should know about? Email CHS or call/txt (206) 399-5959. You can view recent CHS Crime coverage here.

  • 14/Howell hold-up: The suspect in a armed hold-up at 14th and Howell made off with the victim’s phone and managed to elude a police dog search as the thief ditched a white hoodie and fled the area in a robbery reported to SPD around 9:15 Tuesday night. According to East Precinct radio dispatches, officers were called to 14th and Howell after an area resident reported being robbed at gunpoint by a male who appeared to be his teens carrying a black pistol. The victim was forced to hand over an iPhone to the suspect who fled the area and was last seen near 17th and Howell where a witness reported seeing the person shed their white hoodie before leaving the area on foot. A long K9 search of the area did not produce any immediate arrests. There were no reported injuries. Continue reading →

SPD responds to ‘7 in 72 hours’ Central District gun incidents with increased presence, arrests

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Following CHS’s report on a spate of gun violence in the Central District. a Seattle Police official said Thursday night the department is making progress quelling the uptick in shootings and has made arrests in connection with some of the recent incidents.

At Seattle University on Thursday, the monthly East Precinct Advisory Council (EastPAC) meeting was attended by a standing-room only crowd as anxious community members hoped to hear about SPD’s plans to stunt the recent spate of shootings in the Central District.

SPD Deputy Chief Marc Garth-Green announced that three arrests have been made in connection with the recent shootings. Continue reading →

‘NO WEAPNS, NO THREATS, NO STRUGGLE’ — Thief runs off with thousands in Broadway ATM cash bag heist

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It might just have been the calmest, coolest $20,000 heist in Capitol Hill history.

And it would have been even larger if the bandit hadn’t somehow dropped a massive stack of bills after he won a game of high stakes tug of war and beat a hasty retreat on Broadway. Continue reading →