Somebody is threatening Capitol Hill gay bars with attacks using the deadly poison ricin. The Stanger reports that it and 11 gay bars received threatening letters today describing how the attacks would unfold. Here is the letter received by Re-Bar that appeared on the Slog:

The letter writer named Elite, Neighbours, Wild Rose, the Cuff, Purr, the Eagle, R Place, Re-bar, CC's, Madison Pub, and the Crescent in the letter sent to The Stranger. The writer, it seems, knows his or her gay bars including the top 5. Some talk of bar crawls this weekend in defiance of the threats. Going out?

A King County judge set bail at $2 million each for the two suspects in this weekend's shootings at Chop Suey. Documents from the hearing paint a picture of a personal dispute that played out with deadly consequences for those who happened to be caught in its path.

Roger La Branche, 25, was arrested at the scene of the crime on Sunday morning after he was grabbed and detained by clubgoers in the chaos following the shootings. According to court documents, the shootings were part of a long-running dispute between the Everett man and one of the two victims who survived the shooting. The victim told detectives he saw Labranche outside of the club earlier in the night talking to a man that was later identified as the second suspect, 18-year-old Carlos Bernardez. Bernardez, who lives in an apartment near Harborview, was arrested by a SWAT team at his parents' home, Sunday.

According to the documents, Bernardez claims he was recruited by La Branche at Chop Suey the night of the show to help in the shooting and that...

A second arrest has been made in this weekend's Chop Suey nightclub shootings that left one performer dead and two patrons wounded. From the SPD blotter:

Second Suspect Arrested in Chop Suey Shooting
On the evening of January 4th, the SWAT team was deployed to apprehend the outstanding suspect, believed to be involved in the shooting incident at Chop Suey night club. After a lengthy stakeout, the second suspect, an 18-year-old man, was taken into custody outside of his parent’s home. The suspect was interviewed and subsequently booked into the King County Jail, for Investigation of Assault.

This is the second arrest reported related to the early Sunday morning crime. Previously, a 25-year-old man was booked on suspicion of felony assault.

12:43a No word on injuries but report of assault with weapons tonight at 1325 E Madison tonight just before 12:30a. Got scanner report that officer believes he has the shooter in custody but that the weapon was taken from the scene by another suspect.

UPDATE 1:04a Slog reports three people taken to Harborview.

UPDATE: 5:15a I still don't have official word on any of the victims. Slog says at least one had died.

UPDATE: 6:33a Heard KOMO AM report on the story. They are also reporting 1 dead, two injured. BTW, Baltic Room shooting just under 1 year ago, Jan. 26, 2008.

UPDATE: 7:00a Here's the release from SPD on the incident:

Homicide, shooting in Central District
On January 4th at 12:27 a.m. officers responded to 911 calls of shots fired at a nightclub in the 1300 block of East Madison Street. Officers arrived on scene in under a minute and discovered three gunshot victims, all males apparently in their 20’s. SFD Medics were summoned immediately and subsequently transported all three victims to...

Seattle PI

One of the most interesting -- and darkest -- pieces of local journalism wrapping up last year is this Seattle PI article by Casey McNerthney documenting every 2008 murder in the city. Included in the piece is this map pinpointing where each crime occurred.

A little difficult to read the small map -- but you can see three dots marking deaths between the I5-Madison angle and the shores of Lake Washington. One of those was the murder of 25-year-old Moe Allen:

Maurice "Moe" Allen Jr., Jan. 26 -- Allen, 25, was shot outside the Baltic Room nightclub on Capitol Hill as patrons left a hip-hop-themed night called "The Lick."

He was shot in the chest just before 1 a.m.

The Baltic Room owner said that before the violence erupted, staff members turned Allen away from the door several times because he was wearing athletic gear and a hat, which were violations of the dress code. Allen also lacked identification. Security video footage shows him apparently smoking a cigarette near the curb before the shooting....

Read this one in a Last Days David Schmader voice. Strange Tuesday on the Hill. And, some of you admit it -- you scan this report to find out where you can score drugs on the Hill if you wanted to score drugs which you don't really want to do but think would be cool to try again someday.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Tuesday 12/30/2008 - Full Report

OK -- warm and fuzzy holiday time is over. Time to get back to what's going on in the dark cold streets of Capitol Hill.

And be careful out there -- might get windy tonight.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Monday 12/29/2008 - Full Report

3:30PM - 225 Broadway E. - Shoplifting - Person in custody at Panache

4:52PM - Broadway & E. John Seattle - Eluding - Officers are behind a vehicle that had previously eluded them a few days ago. Two taken into custody.

A 911 dispatch came down the wire earlier tonight regarding an assault with weapons in the neighborhood. The callout was designated '7 per rule' which typically means life threatening injuries. The location was the main Group Health building so I set out expecting to find a bad scene. But when I arrived there no ambulances, no police cars, no press (except for me and, I think, the guy in the black Land Rover who circled the hospital 8 or 9 times). My first thought was a typo in the 911 dispatch. But I called the SPD's media update line just to be sure. Turns out, they already had their report on the incident.

According to SPD, the shooting didn't happen here. The 911 call was made from Group Health when, around 6:25p, a black male in his 20s showed up at the entrance to the emergency room with two gunshot wounds to the leg. SPD says there are no known incidents involving a shooting on Capitol Hill or anywhere in Seattle at this time and that the victim is not being "very forthcoming" with information. The investigation,...

How cop cars gets chains

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Thursday 12/19/2008 - Full Report

A 64-year-old woman who walked dogs and watched homes while allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of art and jewelry from residents in one of the richest neighborhoods in the country made her home in an apartment somewhere on Capitol Hill, Seattle Times says. Allison Chodl is being hit with a variety of theft-related charges for a series of crimes in lovely Medina WA, home to Bill Gates and the richest ZIP code on the Puget Sound with households averaging income of more than $1 million.

Her beauty, reports KOMO, was an asset:

"Because she was an attractive lady, there was absolutely no suspicion that anything was wrong," said Nancy Robinson of Redmond Cash Brokers.

I tried digging into where Chodl's apartment is on the Hill but couldn't find anything in public records like licensing databases, etc.. Sometimes big media can be very liberal with the definition of "Capitol Hill" so it's possible she isn't a resident of the area. But if anybody saw the Medina police force loading a big truck full of...

Scanner tidbits from the Capitol Hill streets are below. Make sure to check out the outstanding coverage of last night's Garfield Community Center shooting over at CDNews.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Tuesday 12/16/2008 - Full Report

Monday's chill made for a quiet day in police action on Capitol Hill.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Monday 12/15/2008 - Full Report

12:08PM - 1719 17th Ave - Disturbance

Only two reports of note in the scanner hopper this morning but one of them is yet another car vs. pedestrian accident near Pike and Broadway. It's on the list of city's worst intersections. Be careful -- drivers, walkers and bikers. Also, following up on an incident we mentioned yesterday regarding a 911 dispatch to Bellevue & Denny, SFD says the call was for a man who became ill. No accident, etc.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Wed. 12/10/2008 - Full Report

Here are a few crime notes from a hey-that's-alright-with-me slow day on the Hill. One bonus item from Twitter:

12:44AM - 1521 24th Ave E - Single Car Accident - Twitter report of flipped SUV on 24th Ave early Monday a.m.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Mon. 12/9/2008 - Full Report

1:12PM - 1200 10th E - Suspicious Circumstance - A man has been following the female complainant recently. He's now sitting on a bench at 10th E & E. Harrison, and she wants police to give him what-for.

1:52PM - 900 12th E - Alarm - Audible residential alarm

2:40PM - 21st & E. Union - Narcotics Activity - 3 subjects are approaching cars to sell the drugs. Unknown race male in a black hooded jacket.

The case against Long Hoang Le, the 20-year-old man we named as the suspect in the Kerse tribute tagging in Pike/Pine last month, is now with the King County Prosecutors office, spokesperson Dan Donohoe confirmed for us this week. But it's still not clear if Le will be hit with the felony-level malicious mischief charge authorities initially were considering for the incident. From Donohoe: "There has been no decision regarding charges. The case is still under review."

Here's the rundown of Capitol Hill police activity for a soaked and shoplifting-full Tuesday.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Tue. 12/2/2008 - Full Report

10:33AM - 723 E. Pike - Disturbance - A man with mental issues walked into a store and started yelling, threatened to throw things around. He left eastbound on Pike. White male, 40s, pony tail, missing some teeth.

10:52AM - 1401 Broadway - Shoplifting - QFC security is chasing two shoplifters.
Update: Female caught, male still on the run. White male, 25, black coat, black pants
Update x2: Security is still following the man, now in the parking lot next to the B of A at 10th E. & E. John

4:25PM - Denny and Melrose - Accident - Pickup vs Two pedestrians, no injuries, Northbound traffic blocked

4:29PM - 11th Ave and E Howell St - Hit and Run - Tan Mercedes hit a car and fled. He is driving very slowly and might be intoxicated. Update: Officer sees the suspect vehicle attempting...

December's crime watch started with a whimper with this paltry list of Hill activity. Holidays for criminals?

We did get tip about some police activity down Roy off Broadway that we're looking into involving a shuttered apartment building and squatters. More when we find it.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Mon. 12/1/2008 - Full Report

In Google StreetView. Any idea what they are "discussing"?

Can't embed here (wish I could!), so you'll have to click:
cop and dude "discussing"

Update from jseattle: We have a solution to allow anybody to embed that we're ready to roll out any day now. In meantime, I can do it for you. Here's your Street View find from 12th Ave E. Looks like a meter maid is doing some lecturing!

I'll check in with SPD about the E. Prospect prowling suspect.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Tuesday 11/25/2008 - Full Report

11:44AM - Harvard E & E. Olive Way - Theft - A man stole some tips from the cafe. White male, tall, slender build, gray coat, black wool cap, with a messenger bag

12:40PM - 1200 E. Prospect - Suspicious Circumstance - Male on his bicycle was seen going into a backyard. Possible prowler. Update: "One at gunpoint in the backyard"

4:14PM - 1650 Interlaken Dr. E - Narcotics Activity - Twelve high school-age kids see smoking drugs at the entrance to the park

4:56PM - 1800 Bellevue Ave - Threat - Complainant says that he's had death threats via email from a known male.

An interjection before we get to the scanner notes -- The headlines don't say 'Capitol Hill' but you might want to pay this attention. The wave of violence that just swept across Seattle involves kids living right around the corner -- Seattle PI: Gang link seen in shootings:

Gabe Morales, a local gang expert and consultant to law enforcement, said the Hoovers are part of a group of South End gangs that have had a long-running feud with gangs in the Central District. He said the number of victims last weekend heightens concerns about reprisals.

 "I think the police are on top of it, but unfortunately, as soon as the pressure backs off, I think the South End is going to start blasting around the CD," Morales said.

The connections between the Hill and the CD might seem little more than geography but there are more solid connections like the Hill kids who go to school at Garfield. These connections don't stop where one neighborhood ends and another begins -- these connections are carried here. We're wrapped up in this...

According to Capitol Hill Triangle, the Obama Mural on E John St has been restored.  Let's hope the taggers show a little respect this time around. 

Speaking of tagging, there was some talk a while back about possibly asking neighborhood stores to restrict the same of spray paint.  Another way that may be easier to help control the persistence of tagging is to be aware of what's going on in the neighborhood.  Keep an eye out, report taggers to the police, install lights near popular tagging places, and keeping our neighborhood clean.  A study, echoing the "broken windows" theory, has shown that the present of graffiti (not art, but plain graffiti) tends to raise the persistence of littering and theft.

A late-night shooting on Madison Saturday night/Sunday morning leaves one dead. 1st Hill Bar and Grill and a joint called Northwest Grill in the immediate vicinity.

On November 23 at approximately 12:06 A.M. officers responded to a call of shots fired inside a nightclub in the 900 block of Madison Street. Officers arrived on scene and found one male victim with a fatal gunshot wound. The victim was apparently shot inside the club. Homicide, Gang, and CSI Detectives all responded to the scene to investigate. The suspect remains at large. Homicide Detectives are actively investigating.

Police blotter has this account of a knifing in the 1600 block of 13th Ave early Saturday morning. Looks like there are few apartment buildings in the area including La Villa and The Bristol. Will have to check with SPD to find out where this occurred.

On November 22 at 3:30 A.M. officers initially responded to a disturbance in the hallway of an apartment complex in the 1600 block of 13 Avenue. As officers were arriving they were getting a second call of a stabbing at the same location. Officers arrived on scene and contacted the male victim, who had cuts to his left thigh and lower back. The victim was apparently at a party in one of the apartments and got into a verbal altercation with another man. Both men walked outside in front of the building while arguing and the suspect reached out with a sharp object, slashing the victim in the thigh and back. The suspect then fled the scene. Officers conducted an area check for the suspect but were unable to locate him. The victim was treated by SFD at the scene and...

A reminder and a big thank you -- the good neighbors over at Central District News collect these reports for us every day. Here's what the police on Capitol Hill had their hands full with on Thursday.

Central District News East Precinct Scanner - Capitol Hill - Thursday 11/20/2008 - Full Report

12:24PM - 1700 Boylston Ave - Family Disturbance - Mother is arguing with 17-year-old daughter and wants her removed

12:35PM - 22nd & E. Madison - Accident - Complainant says that a white Honda CRV damaged her vehicle. It's still parked in the area.

1:10PM - 23rd E. & E. John - Accident - Two vehicle injury accident. Twitter report

1:19PM - 610 Harvard Ave E - Disturbance - One neighbor is yelling at another in the community room of a building

3:13PM - Denny Way - Welfare Check - A man is standing on the Denny Way overpass looking down. Unclear what his intentions might be. White male, white stocking cap, yellow sweatshirt, arms stretched out "like on a cross"

3:19PM - Summit...