The rock-to-window method of breaking and entry ranks among the least sophisticated of heists, leading some in SPD’s East Precinct to believe Capitol Hill’s recent wave of smash and grab robberies may trace back to a soon-to-be caught suspect or group of suspects.

“Historically they are traced back to a group or single person,” said SPD spokesperson Patrick Michaud. “Some guys do it as a single person deal, but it tends to be riskier.”

The break-ins started last week with at least three reports of broken glass and stolen items at Capitol Hill shops, including E Olive Way’s Holy Smoke, 15th Ave E’s Shop Rite, and 19th Ave E’s Cone & Steiner in the unlucky group. Cone & Steiner lost a laptop and cash in its smash and grab. Continue reading →

Daphne is safe! Read about her brush with a bounty hunter, below.

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

• 19th/Thomas street robbery: Residents near 19th and Thomas called 911 late Thursday night to report an apparent purse snatch in the area. Police were called to the area just before midnight. Once caller said a female could be heard shouting that somebody had stolen her purse and that a male was seen running from the area. Police arrived to find the victim and a fight underway not far from the robbery scene. We’re still sorting out details so let us know if you saw what happened next. When we learn more, we’ll update with details from SPD about the fight and if there was an arrest made in the robbery.
• Pike/Broadway suspects: Police appear to have not yet made an arrest in the early Thursday morning stabbing near Pike and Broadway. A 61-year-old man was beaten and stabbed after getting into an argument and following a group on E Pike early Thursday.
• 19th Ave E burglary: Following last week’s small swarm of smash and grab incidents across Capitol Hill, we’re sorry to report that one of the businesses has been twice victimized. Cone and Steiner at 19th and Mercer again had its glass door shattered early Friday morning. No word on if the break-in included any stolen goods this time. We’re not aware of any additional commercial break-ins reported in the area. UPDATE: Somebody has found the smash and grab technique to be effective around the Hill. 15th Ave’s Cafe Ladro was targeted — unsuccessful in the “grab” part of things — Sunday morning. Meanwhile, Friday’s second break-in in a week netted the burglar Cone and Steiner’s safe. The market lost a computer in the first break-in. The small wave of break-ins involving smashed glass appears to have flared up mostly on 15th and 19th Avenues but that could also be a coincidence of opportunity. The thefts — so far — pale in comparison to the $30,000 burglary of a 19/Aloha flower shop in May.
• Drugs are bad: Police tracked down a pantsless man seen running frantically through the streets of Capitol Hill and Eastlake and damaging cars Tuesday night, June 17th. Here’s the SPD report on the incident which ended about as well as it could — with the freaked out man taken to the hospital for treatment:

  Man Takes Tons of Drugs, Trashes Car, Tears Out Hair, and Runs Naked Through Eastlake
  After ingesting a cocktail of cocaine, methamphetamines, LSD and other unidentified drugs, a still-unidentified man ran through lower Capitol Hill and Eastlake Tuesday night, smashing cars and stripping off his clothes before collapsing on the side of the road.

  Around 7:30 PM, police received a report of a man—described as a 30-to-40 year-old white male wearing a white t-shirt and no pants—was throwing rocks and denting and smashing cars near Lakeview Boulevard and Belmont Ave E.

  At the scene, officers found a damaged car at the scene, and located the suspect walking near Lakeview and Boylston Ave E.

  When officers contacted the man—who had apparently torn out patches of his own hair—he refused to provide officers with his identity, giving them a fake name. Then he took off running.

  Officers chased the man, who stopped mid-flight, picked up a large rock and turned back toward officers. Police told the man to drop the rock, which he did, before he again fled down the street, stripping off his remaining clothing as he ran.

  Officers eventually found the now-completely naked suspect lying on his back in a planting strip in the 2000 block of Minor Ave E—about a half-mile from the scene of the original incident—and took him into custody.

  The man told officers he had taken cocaine, methamphetamines, LSD and other unidentified drugs earlier in the evening.

  After officers arrested the man, he began scratching all over his body, asked officers for his clothes, and then complained he was too hot.

  “I could feel his heart racing just while I was holding his arm to brace him,” Officer Jay McNeil observed in a report of the incident.

  Officers called for medics, who transported the man to Harborview for treatment. Police weren’t immediately able to identify the man, who was unable to provide police with his real name or home address.

• Dog bounty hunter strikes in CD: In another one from SPD’s har har files, police are investigating a case from earlier this month involving a “hipster dognapper,” Craigslist, and a Central District puppy named Daphne:
  Police Seek Hipster Dognapper After Claims of Purloined Pooch Lead to Craigslist “Hit”
  An alleged Craigslist “hit” over a disputed dog has left Robbery detectives scratching their heads and working to collar a shaggy suspect who, police believe, attacked a man and tried to steal his puppy in the Central District earlier this month.
  

  Police are looking for this dude

  On June 2nd, the victim was walking his small puppy outside his apartment near 23rd Avenue and E. James Street when he noticed the suspicious, shaggy man following him. The suspect walked up to the victim and began petting the victim’s puppy, before he Daphne – May21stunclipped the dog’s collar, picked up the pooch and took off running.
  The victim chased after the man, tackled him and wrestled the dog away from the suspect, who fled.
  The victim, who sustained cuts to his hands and arms in the attack, called police and reported the incident. Officers searched the neighborhood, but weren’t able to find the suspect.
  A few hours later, the victim called police once again and said he had found ads on Craigslist offering $100 to anyone who stole his dog. The victim told police he believed the $100 “hit” was posted by a woman, who he had recently had a falling out with over the dog.
  According to the victim, the dispute with the woman began about a month earlier after the woman returned from a trip to Mexico with a brand new dog. The victim said the woman offered him the dog, but began hounding him to return it after the victim had already paid to vaccinate, license and feed the pooch.
  Officers later contacted the woman about the ads, and while she admitted to posting them, she said he had not intended for anyone to attack the victim. She simply wanted the dog back, she said.
  The strange case was sent to robbery detectives, who have dug up a few leads in the case, including a few pictures of the suspected dognapper.
  The suspect is a white male, 25 to 35 years old, about 6’0, last seen wearing tight pants, dark shaggy hair, large dark glasses, and a possibly ironic Dick’s Drive-In commemorative Seahawks t-shirt and Seattle Supersonics cap.
  If you can help detectives put this suspect in the dog house, please call (206) 684-5535 with information.