- Despite the city’s police force being on edge following a strange shooting off-Hill near the King County courthouse, Halloween 2011 was mostly a safe and sane event on Capitol Hill. The attached map shows all violent crime reported in the last 24 hours. More on that lone incident — a reported phone grab — below.
- As we reported last night via Twitter, we heard about SPD cruisers stoping trick or treaters across the Hill… to give them candy. Also reports of a police cruiser broadcasting Thriller via its loud speaker.
- On the fire end of things, there was a quickly extinguished house fire in the 700 block of Boylston Ave E that turned out to be a “food on the stove” callout and a dumpster was set on fire in the 500 block E Howell outside the Redwood just before midnight.
- As for that lone Capitol Hill Halloween violent crime report, somebody lost their iPhone to a nasty goblin outside the Safeway at 14th and John. According to SPD, the victim was standing at the bus stop adjacent the grocery store with their iPhone out and in their hand around 12:30p on Monday. The suspect, described as a black teen wearing a navy blue t-shirt, grabbed the phone and made a run for it through the Safeway parking lot. The victim tried to find the suspect’s location using a phone tracking program but the iPhone had apparently been shut off and a search for the perpetrator was not successful. On Monday, we reported that Seattle U sent out a bulletin warning its students about phone robbery attempts.
Note: Our crime mapping system uses approximate location based on block number for displaying incident dots. We have confirmed that the E John phone grab occurred near the Safeway bus stop, not Miller Playfield.
That wasn’t the only iPhone snatching on Cap Hill on Halloween night. I was standing in front of Dick’s on Broadway just after 9pm, when a young woman shouted “he just stole my iPhone.” A young male then ran through the Dick’s parking lot. I followed but lost him around Harvard and Thomas. I called police and gave what description I could. I went back to Dick’s but did not see the young woman. I don’t know if she reported it. There were a lot of people around, so the thieves are pretty brazen. People with iPhones take note – if you’re using your device in public be very aware, especially if you’re alone, which this young woman appeared to be.
Seems like iPhone thefts in the area happen at least every-other-day and the description of the suspects is always the same. I never pull my iPhone out in public, but if I do have to for some reason, I always have to look around really good and make sure the area is clear of thugs matching that description first. It ticks me off because I don’t want to be a racist.
I already carry a decoy wallet with me for the inevitable day that I get mugged. I’m thinking I need to also be carrying a cheap decoy phone.
Another street crime by a young, urban thug.
This is yet another example of why crime statistics (apparently showing a decreasing crime rate) are misleading. Many incidents are not reported to the police.
Here’s my story:
Monday morning around 10:45am I’m waiting for the #8 bus outside of the Safeway on 15th and John. As usual, I’m dicking around on my iPhone 4, not really paying attention to what’s going on around me, especially because it’s 10:45 in the morning and there are 10-15 people around. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a guy standing next to me around 10 feet away. I think nothing of it because we’re at a bus stop, and there are quite a few other people around. I’m holding my phone with one hand, look to the left to see the bus come around the corner, and the guy lunges at me and grabs the phone right out of my hand and takes off running northbound through the Safeway parking lot.
I immediately take off after him, screaming “HE STOLE MY PHONE” to the dumbfounded people in the parking lot. We run all the way across the parking lot, across Thomas and he runs in between two houses. I start to follow, then hesitate – I’d rather have a stolen phone than get jumped by and have my face broken.
Defeated, I start to walk back towards the Safeway to call the police, only to find two kind souls who were already on the phone with 911. The officer arrives within 3 minutes, but my description is kinda shaky. Young black male, navy t-shirt. Medium build, very fast runner. We try tracking the phone using the SPD officer’s personal iPhone with the Find My iPhone app, but it keeps telling us “Location Services Disabled”. I have the officer remotely lock the phone…and then the story ends.
I would like to comment on the extremely positive experience I had with the SPD – I have had very negative experiences with them in the past, but this officer was professional, calm, and comforting. She even gave me a lift to work in the squad car to try to make a horrible day a little bit better.
Thanks for sharing your story! I take the #8 bus to and from work,and am always playing with my iphone/checking “One Bus Away” while I wait for the bus next to Safeway. I will be much more aware when I take out my phone at the bus stop, or just in general!
Rachel – That’s exactly what I was doing. Checking “One Bus Away” to see when the (perpetually late) bus was going to arrive.