PoliceInteractions

SEATTLE — Officers with the Seattle Police Department responded to a home for a burglary, but when they found the suspect, he started to chug gasoline, KOMO reports. Police said the initial call stated someone with a wooden stick was trying to break into their home. When police arrived, the only person home was a teenager who was too afraid to answer the door. While officers were standing outside, they heard loud banging noises from inside the home. Officers then breached the front door and began their search for the suspect and the 17-year-old victim. It wasn't long until officers found a man who was inside the homeowner's vehicle in the garage. As officers approached the vehicle, they noticed the man had both a gas can and a hammer in his lap. When officers asked the suspect to exit the vehicle, he began to drink gasoline out of the container he was holding. Body camera video shows officers asking the man to exit the vehicle several times, but he refused and continued to drink more gasoline. Police eventually broke the driver's side window and removed the suspect from the vehicle. Once the man was in custody, officers found the teen on the second floor of the home and escorted her to safety. The 40-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail.

Two thieves burst through the emergency exit of the SoDo Costco carrying armloads of stolen laptops and vacuums Wednesday afternoon, only to spot a group of officers standing between them and their getaway driver. On March 14th, at about 5:30 pm, South Precinct officers responded to a call of a shoplift in progress at the Costco. Loss Prevention officers inside the store recognized one of the suspects inside and said he had previously stolen items in the past and run out the fire exit. According to the security personnel, the suspect had carried a large knife in past incidents. Officers responded to the store and located a black Toyota occupied by a female driver, backed up to a set of emergency doors. The officers pulled their patrol vehicle in front of the Toyota to prevent it from leaving and contacted the 18-year-old woman. As police were interviewing the woman in the car, officers standing at the emergency exit could hear someone attempting to open the doors. Moments later, two suspects, a 30-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman opened the emergency doors and attempted to walk out of the store carrying stolen computers and vacuum cleaners. Officers quickly detained the two suspects, much to their surprise. According to the Loss Prevention staff, the same group was suspected of stealing a similar amount of merchandise from another Costco earlier that day. The total value of items was $2,200. Officers located a 7″ fixed blade from the male suspect. A detective from the Major Crimes Task Force interviewed the suspects and will handle the follow up investigation. The male suspect was later booked into the King County Jail for investigation of robbery, while the two women were booked for investigation of theft.

Seattle Police Department Harbor Patrol officers saved a man from drowning in Portage Bay Friday evening. At 7:45 p.m., officers responded to multiple 911 calls of a man in behavioral crisis swimming off the shore of Fritz Hedges Waterway Park. Harbor patrol officers arrived within minutes and located the man at the water line. Officers attempted to establish communication with the male before land units arrived. However, the man re-entered the water and began to drown. Officers maneuvered the boat towards the male and threw him a flotation device. The male was unable to grab the device and quickly sank beneath the surface. An officer shed his gear and dove into the water. After multiple free dives in thick marine vegetation, the officer found the victim at the bottom of the water. The officer pulled the victim to the shore, but the man was not breathing. Officers began CPR and thanks to their efforts, the male regained consciousness. Seattle Fire Department personnel arrived, and the victim was transported to the hospital in stable condition.

On August 13, 2023, Seattle Police officers arrested a 22-year-old male suspect after he attempted to car-jack multiple vehicles in East Queen Anne. Shortly after 6:00 p.m., several 911 calls were received regarding a male suspect attempting to car-jack multiple vehicles armed with a knife. According to the victims, the suspect blocked traffic then attempted to stop and take vehicles. The suspect caused significant damage to multiple victim’s vehicles as they passed. Officers arrived and located the suspect on Dexter Way North in a tunnel under Aurora Avenue North. The suspect ran from officers and was caught in a nearby greenbelt area. While taking the suspect into custody, both the officers and the suspect were stung by wasps several times. One of the officers also suffered a laceration during the arrest. Both the officer and the suspect were transported to Harborview Medical Medial Center to treat their injuries. The suspect was then later booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault, property destruction, and attempted robbery.

Police arrived around 1:00 a.m. in the 10700 block of 38th Avenue Northeast in Lake City and observed a shattered window next to the front door. Through this window, an officer saw multiple subjects inside the home. Police gave commands for the suspects to exit through the front door, but some of the suspects ran towards the back of the home. Officers ran after the suspects to apprehend them. As they made it to the back of the residence, police heard someone running through a bush and into the woods. The other intruders, not able to escape, became still and quiet within the home. At this time, the 70-year-old female victim armed with bear spray was on the line with 911 and advised to barricade her bedroom door and to not exit as police prepared to search for the suspects. ` Several announcements were made over a PA system for the suspects to surrender and come out of the residence. One suspect, a 60-year-old male, complied and exited voluntarily but the others did not. Officers entered the residence to search for the remaining suspects. A second suspect, a 38-year-old male, was found hiding in the victim’s vehicle in the garage. The third and final suspect, a 34-year-old female, was located in a back bedroom closet.

Seattle, Washington — Shortly after 12:30 a.m., officers responded to a reported robbery near the intersection of 4th Avenue and Wall Street. Officers contacted two 35-year-old victims who stated they were walking home from a bar when two males approached, one armed with a gun, and demanded their belongings. Police were able to review security footage and identify a vehicle associated with the robbery. Multiple officers responded to the area and were able to locate the vehicle at a gas station in the 600 block of Elliot Avenue West. The vehicle fled the scene at a high rate of speed, but one of the suspects was left behind. Officers contacted the male and after a brief foot-pursuit took him into custody. A firearm was recovered during the arrest. The victim’s identified the suspect as the male with the gun. Officers recovered some of the victim’s stolen property and returned it to them on scene. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for Investigation of robbery. Officers continue to look for the outstanding suspect.