Tag Archives: crime

$50K reward offered for identifying suspect in a June robbery of a Capitol Hill mail carrier

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The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is seeking help to identify a man suspected in a June armed robbery of a Capitol Hill mail carrier. USPS is offering up a $50,000 reward for anyone that can identify the suspect.

According to Postal Inspector Jeremy Leder, a man with a gun approached a mail carrier on June 30th around 5:50 PM in the loading zone of the Broadway and Denny post office. The suspect demanded the carrier hand over his mail bag, then fled the area.

Surveillance video showed the suspect was driving a white or silver Prius.

Leder told CHS investigators had some promising leads early on, but are now seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect. No images or details of the incident have been made public through the Postal Inspector’s wanted website or through the Seattle Police Department. The TV program Washington’s Most Wanted was the first media outlet to have access to the suspect sketch last week.

If you have information on the suspect, call 911 or the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 and select option 2.

Blotter | Man charged with hate crime for attack on transgender woman in Cal Anderson Park

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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.

  • Hate crime charge filed: A 28-year-old man has been charged with a hate crime after he allegedly attacked a transgender woman in Cal Anderson Park last month. Peter Trovesi pleaded not guilty to malicious harassment and assault during his arraignment Monday.  A trial has been scheduled to start August 24th.

According to police reports, officers responded to a disturbance call at Cal Anderson Park on July 23rd. A witness told officers that Trovesi approached one of his friends, a transgender woman, and began arguing with her about her sexual identity. As the woman walked away, the witness said Trovesi ran up behind her and dumped a cup of ice over her head. He then punched the woman several times in the head, the witness told police.

SPD’s LGBT liaison officer was called to the scene, but the victim and Trovesi had already left the area. Trovesi was able to elude police until later that night when officers found him when responding to a domestic violence call on Capitol Hill. Officers recognized his name and booked Trovesi into King County Jail for malicious harassment. Continue reading →

Federal agents confirm they quietly installed surveillance cameras along 23rd Ave in the CD

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One of the ATF cameras installed along 23rd Ave. (Photo: CHS)

Last month, a wave of Central District shootings prompted some community activists to call for police surveillance cameras to help keep the peace. While the Seattle Police Department and Mayor Ed Murray said they were studying the issue, federal agents quietly moved ahead.

Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms confirmed it was the agency behind two cameras installed high-up on light poles at 23rd and Union and 23rd and Jackson.

ATF spokesperson Brian Bennet emailed the following statement to CHS:

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has placed video cameras in Seattle locations to support an ongoing federal criminal investigation. These cameras belong to our agency. They weren’t requested by nor are they monitored by the Seattle Police Department.

As our investigation is ongoing, we have no further comment on this subject.

ATF’s surveillance activities are part of the work it carries out as head agency of the Puget Sound Regional Crime Gun Task Force. Bennet did not divulge any further details on how the cameras were being used, only that recordings were being downloaded to a hard drive and not actively being monitored.

In a July community meeting, Murray said the city was still in the process of “looking at” deploying advanced surveillance cameras and also promised that, unlike past use of cameras in Seattle, the process to deploy the technology would be fully public. Speaking before ATF representatives, Murray and SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole were both apparently unaware of the agency’s camera plan at the time.

During that meeting, Reverend Harriet Walden said her Mothers for Police Accountability should be counted among the city’s community groups calling for the new cameras. “We want convictions,” she said. Continue reading →

Police seek tips in a Denny Blaine home invasion

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suspSeattle Police are seeking information on an unidentified man suspected of breaking into a Denny Blaine house, tying up a woman inside, and stealing jewelry and cash.

The victim told police she awoke around 4 AM on June 20th with the man inside her bedroom at her house near 39th Ave and Lake Washington Blvd.

The suspect tied the woman up and demanded access to a safe. According to police, he fled the house in a white vehicle, possibly a Chevrolet.

Detectives developed a sketch of the suspect but have yet to identify the man, who the victim described as 5’10 with a medium build and had dark curly hair.

If you have any information on this incident, you can call SPD at (206) 684-5535.

Blotter | Police investigating ride share driver who allegedly demanded sex for lost phone 

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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.

  • Car service assault: A ride share driver allegedly tried to extort sex from a female customer when she attempted to retrieve her phone from the suspect’s car after being dropped off early Saturday morning at her house near 20th and E Republican Jefferson (UPDATE: SPD incorrectly reported the incident happened at 20th and Republican. We have notified SPD of the error), according to Seattle Police.The victim told police that after the suspect asked for sex in return for the phone, she reached into the car to grab the phone and the driver hit the gas, briefly dragging her behind his vehicle. Police are still working to identify the suspect.According to East Precinct radio dispatches, the victim’s friend who called police said the attacker was an Uber driver, but the SPD report on the incident identifies the company as Lyft — (Warning: Contains explicit language) Continue reading →

Yancy Noll killer sentenced to 29 years in prison

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Thomasdinh Bowman sobbed through much of the hour-long hearing (Photo: Bryan Cohen)

In an emotion filled courtroom, a King County judge Friday afternoon sentenced Thomasdinh Bowman to 29 years in prison for murdering Capitol Hill QFC wine steward Yancy Noll in 2012. Judge Bruce Heller said Bowman, 32, “showed an utter detachment from the terror he caused” and displayed an “extreme lack of empathy for another human being.” Heller noted that Bowman had no prior criminal record and the shooting appeared to be out of character, but the judge was not convinced Bowman acted out of self-defense.

Bowman faced a maximum 32-year sentence for the murder under state sentencing guidelines. Sobbing through much of the hour-long hearing, Bowman asked the judge for mercy in a brief statement he gave before the sentence was delivered.

“I pray for the friends and family of Mr. Noll… that they’re able to find some closure in this horrible chapter of their lives,” Bowman said. “I’m disappointed that the jurors didn’t believe me.”

Defense attorney John Henry Browne said Bowman was sorry for what he had done, and that Bowman expressed his remorse when he attempted to commit suicide by slitting his wrist in jail the day he was found guilty.

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Bowman found guilty in murder of Yancy Noll

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Bowman was taken away immediately after a King County jury convicted him of first degree murder (Photo: Bryan Cohen, CHS)

A King County jury has found Thomasdinh Bowman guilty of first degree murder in the 2012 shooting death of Capitol Hill QFC wine steward Yancy Noll.

After one day of deliberation, the jury upheld the prosecutor’s claims that Bowman’s actions were premeditated, not stemming from road rage or self-defense, as Bowman had claimed.

Bowman, 32, showed little emotion as the verdict was read on Thursday. He remained emotionless through much of the three week trial, where prosecutors finished their closing remarks on Tuesday. Prior to reading the verdict, Judge Bruce Heller commended the jury for their work.

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Bowman, who pleaded not guilty to the murder in 2012, faces a 20 to 30 year prison sentence, plus an additional five years for using a firearm. The judge did not set a date for sentencing.

After the verdict was read, defense attorney John Henry Browne told reporters he was not surprised by the decision and vowed to appeal the conviction. Under the law, Bowman could have asked the judge to have the jury consider a second degree murder charge. Instead, Browne said Bowman wanted to challenge the first degree charge head-on.

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Blotter | Gunpoint robbery at 24th and Harrison’s Prentis Frazier Park

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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.

  • Gunpoint robbery: A woman said she was robbed at gunpoint Wednesday night while sitting on a bench at 24th and Harrison’s Prentis Frazier Park, according to Seattle police. Police are searching for two male suspects. The victim told police that around 10:20 PM two men approached her as one pointed a silver revolver at her face and said “give me your stuff.” When she screamed the man threatened to shoot her, at which point the woman handed over her back pack and phone. According to SPD, the victim described the suspects as “two black males in their 30s. One man was about 5-foot-9, the other suspect was approximately 6-feet tall.” Officers searched the area around the park but made no arrests.
  • E Pike phone robbery: A Capitol Hill man said a group of men robbed him of his iPhone early Thursday morning outside the QFC entrance at Broadway and E Pike, according to police reports. The victim told police 5-6 men approached him near the Cha Cha Lounge on E Pike. The victim said the men chased him as he ran towards the QFC, where he tripped and fell. The suspects then took his phone. Police made no arrests.

Suspect sought in woman’s rape near Capitol Hill park

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Seattle police are continuing to investigate a woman’s claims that she was raped early Sunday morning near an unknown Capitol Hill park by a man who gave her a ride from a downtown hotel.

No arrests have been made in the attack as police work to determine exactly where it occurred. An SPD spokesperson said surveillance footage is still being sought. The suspect was described as Middle Eastern or Black male driving a red SUV.

According to SPD, the woman, who is in her late 20s, was visiting from Texas and trying to get from downtown to her boyfriend’s Capitol Hill apartment when she got into the suspect’s car sometime before 2 AM. It’s still unclear under what circumstances the woman got into the car, but police said the woman was intoxicated and did not know the driver.

The woman told police she was unfamiliar with the area, but said she knew the driver was not taking her in the right direction. During the ride she told police the suspect turned off to an unknown park on Capitol Hill, pulled her out of the car, and raped her. The suspect then dropped her off near 15th and Thomas where a nearby resident saw the woman and called 911.

Police initially said the woman had used the app-based carshare Uber to hail the ride, but later determined the driver was not affiliated with any taxi company nor did he pretend to be.

Blotter | Man arrested after shots fired outside Capitol Hill IHOP

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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.

  • IHOP shooting: Seattle police arrested one man after a shooting early Tuesday morning outside the Capitol Hill IHOP restaurant near 10th and E Madison. No injuries were reported. According to police reports, witnesses said the incident began when one man called another man’s girlfriend a “bitch.” Some time later a patrol officer at 11th and Pine heard three gun shots near the IHOP at around 2 AM Tuesday morning. While responding to the scene a second officer stopped a car that matched a description of one that had fled the scene. The driver of the car later told police he fired the shots to break up a fight. Witnesses at the scene told officers that the man fired the shots at another man while yelling “I’m going to kill you!” After the shots were fired, the victim ran into the IHOP where witnesses told police he was screaming that someone had tried to shoot him. Police said the man was drunk and scared, and eventually became uncooperative.

Continue reading →