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Here is the latest batch of reports from the East Precinct for the first weeks of November. We also recently reported on the rash of car break-ins plaguing the area with a map of Hill car prowl hotspots.
We have created a new section in our forums for community Crime Reports if you see something or have something happen to you that you think the Hill needs to know about.
- : Sometime early this month, a person kicked in the door of a practice studio at 11th Ave's Chop House and took a 1970 Gibson L6S electric guitar. According to the very detailed report, the guitar has a natural wood finish with a custom Humbucker pickup installed near the bridge along with a custom three-way switch.
- : A man was detained after struggling with a police officer outside of the Harvard QFC following an incident involving the man and QFC security. Late on Friday, Novemeber 6, store security believed the man had stolen a can of beer from the store but the follow-up investigation by the police officer determined that the man had the can of beer in his pocket prior to entering the store but became angry when he was accused and began assaulting people with his umbrella. The man was released following an interview at East Precinct.
- : On Monday, November 2 around 10 AM, a man was spotted leaving a house and walking down E. Republican near 21st Ave carrying a TV under each arm to load into his car. A neighbor called police but the man was gone by the time the officer arrived. The officer found a basement window that had been broken out giving the burglar access to the house. No suspect description was provided in the report.
- : A man entered a 10th Ave E doctor's office on November 4th and threatened staff saying, "I'll punch you in the head." He had also been observed trying to tackle people and standing in the street stopping traffic kicking at cars and trying to knock over a motorcycle. The man eventually left the office after somebody inside brought their dog out for protection. When the officer arrived, the man was shirtless, on his hands and knees and growling at the dog. The man was taken into custody and booked into King County Jail for assault (12A.06.010), Pedestrian Interference (12A.12.015), Harassment 12A.06.040, and Criminal Trespass 1st (12A.08.040.B).
- : Late on Sunday, November 1, a man reported being assaulted after "trying to buy weed" near Volunteer Park at 17th and Republican. The man had contusions and swelling on both sides of face. He was also extremely inebriated, according to the report. He could not describe his attacker beyond identifying him as the man he was trying to buy drugs from due to his condition.
- : A burglary of a home in the 700 block of E. Olive Way netted $2,300 in ill-gotten goods on November 4.
- : A break-in at a residential parking garage in the 1600 block of Summit Ave netted the thief two prowled automobiles and a stolen 2008 VW Beetle used as a getaway mobile. There were no witnesses and no suspect has yet been identified, according to the report.
- : Finally, cleaning up with one from October we missed. A man can be seen on security video footage walking behind the bar at 15th Ave's Liberty and grabbing cash early in the morning of October 27. Staff at the bar said that $160 in tips and another $120 in cash from a wallet was stolen by the man who is described as a black male, 5'5", 130 pounds with "three days of facial hair growth, with short black hair, a pierced left eyebrow, and a pierced tongue with a blue ring in it," according to the report. The report says a staff member told officers the man said he was "from the Central District area of Seattle, had been born at University Hospital, and had a sister named [redacted] who was a stripper."
More about the L6S from VintageGuitars.org.uk
Went to Olive on Friday night this time, just after interviewing the artist at the Sound Transit installation.
This is the fourth of a weekly series of ambient shots around Capitol Hill. Every week I'll pick a different spot and stay for about 10 minutes to create a 'snapshot' of that location at that moment.
PAST EPISODES
Episode #1 - Cal Anderson Park
crawl space - shadowy steps
Originally uploaded by chromatography
A note sent out by Summit Ave's Crawl Space Gallery says the Capitol Hill nonprofit is breaking up after its next show:
After six years of curating and producing exhibitions, talks and special programs, the individual artists who run Crawl Space Gallery have decided to disband in order to pursue independent interests. Crawl Space will therefore cease to exist following our final and most ambitious show to date, Stranger Circumstances, opening on November 7th, 2009.
Thank you for your support. We hope you will join us for one last celebration on November 7th at 6pm.
This 2008 Capitol Hill Times article profiles the gallery and notes the hiring of respected director Jennifer Campbell. This Stranger blurb from its 2008 Genius Awards nomination says the group formed in 2003: "Amazingly, the changing roster has been able to maintain this inconveniently L-shaped and out-of-the-way Capitol Hill gallery as a place where, if you miss the show, you'll regret it every time."
Around 4:30pm on October 7th my black and white dog wearing a pink bandanna, Dita, was hit my a dark colored SUV. The SUV was traveling East toward Cal Anderson Park and struck Dita near the intersection of Denny and Belmont. Please e-mail me: carlos@agillian.com if you have any information concerning the accident.
Thank You.
Previous
Design reviews begin Wednesday for the expansion of the Belroy apartment building at 711 Bellevue Ave. E. The development proposed by Point 32 and Weinstein Architects not only refurbishes the original 1931 building but replaces four existing two story houses with three modern apartments.
Weinstein and Point 32 held several meetings with Capitol hill residents to present their initial plan, discussing among other things, the amount of open space remaining for residents of the existing building, and the scale of the three proposed structures; two three story apartments match the scale of the existing building, one Northern building requires a variance.
Wednesday's meeting at 6:30 at the Seattle University Alumni building, 824 12th Ave is the first opportunity for public comment. For many in the neighborhood the new construction is a test for a stretch of the hill which contains some of the best -- and most dismal -- urban design the neighborhood has to offer.
Fair to say Twice Sold Tales qualifies as one of the Hill’s venerable businesses. Owner Jamie Lutton first started selling used books out of a cart in the old Broadway Market in 1987; the move to her own store front off Broadway on East John Street came in 1990, after which the store evolved into a neighborhood fixture and a business that helped define Capitol Hill.
So it's worth considering how Twice Sold Tales is doing after Sound Transit took over the block and tore down the store and other buildings to make way for Broadway’s light-rail station. The store’s most recent incarnation — call it Twice Sold Tales 3.0 — opened on the southwest corner of Harvard Avenue East and East Denny Way in May 2008 in a vacant storefront that had been a dental clinic. It’s a warren-like space with nooks and crannies that appeal to book hunters as well as the cats that call the store home. (As of this posting four felines occupy the premises.)
When asked how things were going, Lutton was quick to answer, “I’m still here!”
Any changes to Twice Sold Tales’ current fortunes are sufficiently intertwined between its Sound Transit relocation and the overall economic downturn that Lutton finds it difficult to separate the two. In simple terms, it’s been a tough stretch. Overall, she said, foot traffic is way down — not surprising given the store is no longer adjacent to a heavily used bus stop — but the people who do walk in are more apt to buy books rather than simply browse.
“More customers come with specific intent. Fewer walk in just to use the bathroom or camp out,” she said.
Shoplifting is way down, Lutton opines, because far fewer homeless people walk inside. Her clientele is a little older than it used to be and a little more residential, also not surprising since she’s closer to more apartments and condos. She said she’s now sells fewer books about drugs and marijuana growing operations and is selling more mysteries, more books about birds and more science fiction.
“I do my happy dance if someone wants to sell me science fiction titles,” she said.
Physically, the store is 50 percent larger than its predecessor and thus more titles fill the shelves, roughly 40,000 by Lutton’s best guess. But the relocation/recession meant that she recently had to lay off three employees, leaving 2.5 coworkers when there used to be eight. Lutton herself typically works six days a week, sometimes more. At one point this year she worked three straight months without a day off. Such is the life of an independent bookstore owner.
Still another sign of change: Lutton sold her Twice Sold Tales on lower Queen Anne earlier this year.
“That was a sign of the economy,” she said. “It’s just thriftier to run one shop instead of two.”
As for her experience with Sound Transit, the agency that took possession of her store through eminent domain, she’s basically sanguine about how it all went down. The relocation money provided by the agency didn’t come close to what was required to reopen her store — adding a wheelchair ramp alone cost roughly $20,000 — nor does she think Sound Transit’s efforts at signage and promotion were or are sufficient. But she said it things could have been worse; after all, she’s still in business. Lutton gives the agency a B, even B-plus, all things considered.
“For one thing, Sound Transit first told me I’d have to leave by 2001 and they didn’t get around to it until 2008. Their delay helped me out a lot,” she said.
Yes, there still are kitty cats (Photo: Doug Schwartz)
She’s less enamored with her dealings with the city, saying that obtaining the permits allowing her to convert the space into a used bookstore was cumbersome, expensive and often subject to the evolving whims of bureaucratic capriciousness.
“Don’t get me started about the city,” she said.
Lutton projects more than just cautious enthusiasm about the prospects of enduring through tough economic climes. It took years, but she said she was very lucky to find Twice Sold Tales' current location. And after 20 years she clearly still relishes being a bookseller. Recently a customer came in and asked for a specific algebra textbook. Jamie had the title at the counter within arms reach and handed it over within seconds. It had been in the store for months but Lutton was just resorting it. Such moments of serendipity — not to mention a $50 sale — bring a smile to her face, not to mention the stunned look on the face of the customer.
Lutton acknowledges that the Internet, Amazon’s Kindle, changing reading habits etc. make the notion of running a brick-and-mortar used bookstore a far more precarious proposition than it used to be. But she’s determined, and actually even nominally optimistic, about Twice Sold Tale’s chances:
“I’m having a good experience here. Business is not great but it’s acceptable. I have a corps of regular customers who keep me open and I still have eight years left on my lease. I’m planning on staying. Besides, I don’t know how to do anything else.”
Neighbor Ryan is looking for help -- if you saw anything, leave a comment or drop CHS some mail and we'll put you in touch.
I was the victim of a hit and run while I was riding my bike to work this morning. I was riding down Boren between Pine and Olive when a white truck pulled a mid-block u-turn in front of me. I ran into him and while I was pulling myself up on the flatbed he started dragging me down the street.
There were a good number of witnesses but I didn't get anybody's name down. If anybody saw anything, I would love to hear from them.
Anyhow, I was wondering if you could give a shout out to the CHS community if it's not too much trouble. Thanks.
-Ryan
A man, who was sipping coffee while waiting to cross the street in front of City Market, was unaware that he inadvertently became the subject of a few laughs on my homeward commute.
500 E. Pine is ugly. It's empty. It's useless. For some, it represents the development powers that be, and their plot to destroy any ounce of historical culture that flows through Capitol Hill streets. These feelings have been shared by many that walk by the mound of dust and dirt now dubbed the People's Parking Lot. But for structural engineer and urban planning enthusiast Keith Harris, the frustration became innovation. This April, he made this video, this site, and a baby, all while losing his job in the midst of the poor economic climate. Bad for Harris, but great for the community as he has had time to explore his passions and make something out of the empty lot that plagues Pine. With his job creating commercial big box buildings behind him, Harris thought this project would be more suited to what he believes in.
But the website had few visitors, and Harris had no idea how, or even what he hoped to do with the empty lot. After failing to attract accidental visitors to his cause by posting random parking-lot related tid-bits, Harris said that help from CHS was what finally got the ball rolling. Putting the normal developer-aimed anger aside, Harris called the owner of the lot and got his blessing to feature it as the main area of the the Capitol Hill Garage sale. With the success and enthusiasm surrounding the sale, Harris worked quickly to start the next project, Park(ing) Day 2009. Three months of research, marketing and planning will culminate this Friday into what Harris hopes will become a very memorable day.
According to the Park(ing) day website, the event originally started in San Francisco in 2005 when an art collective dressed up a public space around a parking meter. For his part of the Park(ing) Day event in Seattle, Harris is coordinating with Feet First, an organization who helped promote and support the event last year, the Capitol Hill Community Council and other community groups.
With the People's Parking Lot as a "Central Park", Harris created twenty-four 20x10 ft. spots for people, businesses, and organizations to create mini parks. The parks will be judged by our own jseattle along with architecture professionals, and compete for a $200 prize on top of a gift cards and other local business gifts. Despite business support and involvement, Harris said, following Park(ing) day rules, no promotional material or advertisement can be included in parks. According to Harris, the cost of the event, mostly for insurance, was covered by the Seattle Art Commission's Smart Ventures Grant, with the prizes covered by an optional $20 entry fee and donations from local businesses.
As we reported earlier, there is still room for more parks. Harris said that 12 spots are definitely taken, with 5 more hopefully on the way. These parks aren't just thrown down sod, Harris explained, saying one group requested a second space and made a structure of 12 feet was not breaking any height limits. While anyone can participate, landscape architects and urban planners are coming out in full force for what Harris said was "just for fun."
For Harris, who is designing a park himself, this is just a beginning for both his career and the People's Parking Lot. Entering into the Ph.D program at the University of Washington in Built Environments, Harris, his wife and his 5-month old child are chugging along. Harris, wants to continue working with the PPL, but is taking it one step at a time with classes just around the corner. "If it is going to sit empty, why not do something that [people] can come out and use." The future of the PPL, Harris hopes, will be focused around regular use, not just big events. According to Harris, the owner of the land still has no plans for it, but Harris sees it as an "Important space geographically and emotionally," and it needs something to fill the dead zone. Following the model of a parks organization in Burien, one of Harris' ideas is licensing the space from the owner as a temporary space for a garden, art space or an outdoor movie area.
For now, Harris is focusing on this Friday. Although the dozen parks will only be a 12-hour cure for the emptiness at 500 E. Pine, Harris is confident in the event's effect beyond the 18th.
"All you can do is remember it," Harris said. "Make it memorable."
Two men were robbed at gunpoint of cash and a cell phone early this morning in the 1700 block Boylston Ave E. Seattle Police Department spokesperson Jeff Kappel said the two men were robbed by 'between 1 to 3' assailants around 12:37 AM.
The nature of the crime and the description of the suspects fits into a string of armed robberies this week around Green Lake and North Seattle, the Seattle PI reports. Hours before the Boylston hold-up, SPD says the three suspects robbed five victims near Green Lake Thursday night:
On 9/10/09, at approximately 11:25 p.m., a citizen was robbed in Greenlake Park followed by the subsequent robbery of four more victims who had been walking along the Greenlake path. The three suspects were wearing bandanas (sic) across their face and at least one suspect brandished a handgun during the robberies. A K-9 unit and King County Guardian 1 helicopter responded to assist.
A man was robbed of his cellphone, iPod, backpack and wallet in the same area of Bolyston on July 20. The suspect in that incident was described as a black male in his 20s. The suspect was also wearing a mask or a bandanna over his face.
Good news about this eyewitness report of a morning accident from neighbor Angie:
I was on the #43 bus this morning around 8:45 going to downtown, and there appeared to be an accident at the corner of Bellevue and Olive. I think it might have been a car that hit a pedestrian. I saw only one black car, and the medics were working on a woman who was lying on the ground.
Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Helen Fitzpatrick tells us that a woman was indeed struck this morning at that intersection and medics responded around 8:20 AM. Fitzpatrick said the woman was treated at the scene and did not suffer major injuries. It's a tricky, busy area with five routes intersecting as you can see in the Google StreetView of the accident location.
Despite spotting a full dispatch on the 911 log to a "fire in building" call at 2 AM this morning, a potential blaze at 404 Howell turned out to be just a spark. Dana Vander Houwen from SFD confirmed damage only to the contents of the room where the fire occured, with no structural damage to the building itself and no injuries.
The Chapel Bar
Originally uploaded by The Shifted Librarian
Sometimes, CHS reports news that happened 3 minutes ago. Sometimes, it happened last year. We haven't seen anybody write about this so, therefore, it's still news: Chapel has a new owner.
On August 21, Chapel's Change of Corporate Officer Application was approved by the Washington State Liquor Control Board. We spoke to Elizabeth Harazim, Chapel's Marketing and Promotions Manager, and she stated that the change in ownership happened last year and they had been delayed in notifying the liquor board.
The state corporation filing for Chapel lists Medina resident Charles Knox as the 'registered agent' of Chapel Bar, Inc.
Harazim said that Chapel will be stepping up its efforts to host more events (e.g. djs, fire eaters, comedy, and other performances).
When I first saw this poster, I had a couple of questions. Not about the Barista Jam to be held at Visions in SODO - a day of coffee workshops seems pretty straightforward to me. But how exactly does one hold a Latte Art Smackdown? And why does this one deserve capital letters?
"Victrola hosts latte art smackdowns on a regular basis - pour-offs", said Sarah Jane Hoppe, manager of the I-5 shores Victrola, "This Smackdown is a pre-qualifying round for Seattle baristas only for September's event at Coffee Fest, which is versus L.A." Sarah Jane explained that "like any self-respecting coffee establishment", only freepour latte art was allowed, and that the baristas would compete tournament style, with two baristas pouring at once and presenting their lattes at the same time to judges and the webcams. "This is also a practice run for September, when the judges won't be in Seattle", said Sarah Jane. Judges will be looking for the symmetry, contrast, and definition in the latte art patterns, and I assume, just plain prettiness.
To enter Saturday night's Latte Art Smackdown, you just have to be from Seattle, have $10 in your pocket (winner takes the pot!), and for your own sake know something about pouring a latte. And of course, coffee geeks are invited to to view the proceedings.
The Latte Art Smackdown's companion event, Barista Jam, requires nothing but the willingness to hand over $35 for a day full of coffee teachings. The class caps at only 25 people, so if you're interested I'd recommend signing up soon.
After being happy resident of Seattle for six years, Comrade Bunny started blogging about it. That is so Capitol Hill. For more geek/green/Seattle, see Life on the Hill and Other Stories
UPDATE:
Seattle City Light spokesperson Mike Eagan said this outage is limited to only 40 customers in Sara's building. Cause is failure at a 'terminal pole' near the building which is a transition point between underground and overhead transit wires. Eagan said service should be restored by 1:30 PM and, at this time, the service disruption does not seem related to this week's massive outage which knocked out power to more than 3,000 customers in the area.
Original Report:
Just saw this mail from neighbor Sara reporting that the lights went out in I-5 Shores again early this morning. We'll check around to find out what happened. There's nothing about the service disruption on City Light's announcement page.
Just wanted to inform you that power went out at abour 4:07 am on Bellevue near Roy again last night. I live at 740 Bellevue Ave. E. across from the #14 bus stop and across from the Lookout. There was a big pop sound like that of a champagne bottle being uncorked - release of pressure sound - and then power went out. It was pretty loud and woke me up. Maybe a transformer blew? I lived my place at 8:30 am today and it seemed like lights were back on although they were very low power for some reason (like there was a back up generator but there's not...). Seemed like Mode at 752 Bellevue Ave. E. (next door) also didn't have power. I am guessing our block was out again.
I looked on CHS today to see if I could find out why the power had gone out again (after Wednesday's outage!). I didn't see anything and so I thought I'd let you know about this in case you hear anything more and can share it with everyone on the blog. Have a great day. Thanks for the continually great coverage!
Sara
And now for a completely different way to end your weekend: Cafe Metropolitain is going to get its Drag Bingo on tonight to (and I swear I'm quoting their advertising posters when I write this) Save the Boobs. Proceeds from tonight's Drag Bingo go toward Diana McCasey's tally for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk for the Cure. Since Diana is trying to raise $2,300 for breast cancer research, there's also going to be a raffle and a silent auction of goods and services from community members and artists.
Yes, I know, we're in the middle of a recession, but each bingo card is only $5 and it goes straight to a very, very good cause. So hustle on down to Olive and Boylston between 6:30 and 9:30 tonight and help Giggles Galore and Bingo Boy Marc save some cleavage.
UPDATE 8/10/09 12:50 PM:
Seattle Police Department spokesperson Mark Jamieson says Sunday's incident is not currently being investigated by the bias crimes unit because there is no evidence that the beating was motivated by the person's gender or sexual preference.
The incident report from Sunday afternoon by the responding officer details that the victim and suspect were found sitting near each other on the sidewalk near Howell and Bellevue. The victim was bleeding from the head and mouth but the emergency crew who responded said his injuries were minor. The report did not indicate if the victim was transgendered as was reported by the e-mail CHS received about the incident (see the original report, below).
Three eyewitnesses including the person who called 911 to report the attack said they saw the suspect hold the victim down on the sidewalk and punch the man repeatedly in the head. No witnesses reported hearing any bias related statements from the suspect and the suspect said he knew the victim and that he thought both he and the victim should go to jail for fighting. The victim also did not say the attack was bias motivated when talking to the responding officer, according to the report.
According to Jamieson, the suspect was arrested but not immediately booked because he was transported to Harborview following the incident due to an unrelated medical condition.
Jamieson said it is still possible that the bias crime unit would get involved if new information becomes available.
Original report:
Received this note from neighbor Tiffany about an act of violence Sunday afternoon at Bellevue and Howell. It's a hard day to confirm that this is being investigated by the SPD's bias crimes unit but look for an update on Monday. SPD has its hands full after a violent weekend in the city. In the meantime, we can confirm that there was an emergency medical callout to this location just before 2p.
Apparently there was a hate crime again on Capitol Hill, this time at Bellevue and Howell. This afternoon, a transgender person was walking by this intersection with a friend, and they were both attacked due to the gender identity of the TG person. I live in the apartment building next to where this happened, and there were police and multiple ambulances that were here to take care of the injured. I did not see the actual assault, so don’t take this as a firsthand account, but I was informed later on by someone who works at a local market nearby. But I wanted to let you guys know about this, because I think that you guys letting the community know that this stuff is happening can only lead to good things.
If you saw anything this afternoon, let us know. More when we can get details from the police department.
UPDATE 8/10/09 8:51 AM:
We've confirmed that medics did treat a man at the scene for a head injury suffered in a fist fight but that he was not transported to the hospital. No victim information was available.
Unpaving Paradise, Cafe Metropolitan, Capitol HIll Community Council, The Crescent Lounge and City Market are all co-sponsoring Chill-N-Grill, a block party that happens on East Howell between Olive and Bellevue. In past years, this same event has been called the Olive-Howell Street Block Party. Chill-N-Grill on the Hill is a part of National Night Out to encourage communities to reclaim their streets. I stopped by this block party last year and it was quite fun. Because there is an incline, many have a good view of the bands. This year, music will be provided by Mighty Tiger, Eagle Seagull, Norey, Viva la Villain and The Autumn Electric. There may be other parties on the Hill closer to where you live. We know that neighbors are getting together on 11th Avenue between Harrison and Thomas (thanks Michael Seiwerath for letting us know about it). If you know of a party, please let us know in the comments.
The deadline for registering a Aug. 4th National Night Out party for your block has been extended to Monday. You can throw a block party without registering and without closing your street but it's more fun with firetrucks (from registering) and being able to play in the street (from getting street closure permission from the city).
If you'd rather join the people's block party, the Chill n Grill on the Hill is a large everyone-invited party planned for Tuesday night.
Here are the 911 call notes from a most suspicious of suspicious circumstances investigation that went down on Boylston Ave E Sunday afternoon around 1:50 PM:
Investigation of witchcraft, unknown suspect. Scarf is located there now.
According to the SPD report filed on the incident, responding officers found a woman waiting for them at the address. She told the officers that she believed somebody had been practicing witchcraft outside her second floor condominium window.
The woman said she had seen "a gentleman in the tree right outside her bedroom window the night prior," the report states. The woman said an unidentified man was in the tree approximately 25 feet off the ground. She said she couldn't remember what the man was wearing but, the next morning, she saw a black scarf hanging in the tree where the man had been. She said there was something left inside the scarf but she couldn't tell what it was.
The responding officers could, indeed, see the mysterious black scarf. But whatever the man had left in the scarf was gone. The officer writes, "From multiple vantage it did not appear that the scarf had any items inside of it."
Turns out, when you're busy running a neighborhood news blog business, you don't make the best party planner. Could be good news for you, however. This Saturday, CHS is holding a small get-together at Vino Verite to thank the people who gave during our recent pledge drive. For 10,000 reasons, there's plenty of room for more people to come Saturday night and have a little CHS party together. So CHS is throwing the invite open to everybody. It's short notice, yes and if we had it all to do over again, probably would have been genius to plan it this way from the beginning. So it goes. Let's not look back! Looking forward, I hope to see you there. RSVP soon. Have to limit the roster to 40 of CHS's closest friends so please consider joining us Saturday, 7p at Vino Verite.
From eyewitness reports, including my own: At about 1pm this afternoon, a Bronco XLT driving east up E Denny Way lost control, clipped three parked cars and crashed into the corner of the Abonita Apts./Twice Sold Tales building. The driver of the vehicle, a middle-aged Caucasian male (5'9" - 6') with light sandy hair and light colored pants, was seen walking away from the scene. He was possibly accompanied by a passenger, a middle-aged Caucasian female. Both seemed uninjured by the accident and were last seen heading up E. Denny Way toward Broadway. He seemed uninjured by the accident and were last seen heading up E. Denny Way toward Broadway.
No bystanders were injured in the crash. The Abonita Building only seems to have sustained superficial damage. Two of the cars hit by the Bronco only sustained minor damage, though the third had a huge scrape up all of its side panels facing the street.
Jamie, the owner of the Capitol Hill Twice Sold Tales, says she's relieved that no one was hurt in the crash and that she'll likely use pictures of the incident as her new business cards.
Confirmation from Seattle Police Department spokesperson Renee Witt this morning that last night's standoff was the result of good acting:
Witness reported that he had seen a man and a woman pointing guns at each other inside an apartment. Officers responded and determined that the subjects were in unit ---. Patrol officers formed a team and positioned themselves so that they could observe the apartment. People could be heard arguing inside, and at one point someone said, "ow, jeez, stop it." and "go ahead and shoot me." Once the apartment was contained, ACT officers took over the tactical aspect, and established voice contact with the occupants. Three people came out of the apartment and were taken into custody. Officers swept the apartment and found a fourth person inside the bedroom, on a bed. She was taken into custody without incident. Investigation revealed that the four subjects were filming themselves as part of a school project. Three guns were located and determined to be false. All four subjects were investigated and released at the scene.
UPDATE 9:47 PM:
Actors! From an eyewitness inside the Carroll Kensington Apartments:
"the people upstairs were rehearsing for a play w/ fake guns. Got the swat team called on them. Just about every cop in Seattle"
In late May, police officers swarmed Broadway and briefly detained a man dressed in paramilitary gear for a zombie costume contest.
UPDATE 12:45 AM:
A report of the incident from SPD has been posted here
I've reviewed the scanner archive to try to learn more about what happened. A 911 call came in at 8:31 PM reporting that an unknown man had told the caller someone may be getting robbed at gunpoint. Officers arrived and walked with the caller to the brick Carroll Kensington apartment building where he said he believed the robbery occurred.
Officers observed people looking down from an upper floor window of the building and then shutting the blinds.
Around 8:42 PM an officer reported descriptions of two suspects in the building -- a white male and woman in their 20s, both with unknown handguns.
A few minutes later a request for SWAT support went out but was put on hold. Meanwhile, an officer reported he could hear voices from inside the apartment.
At 8:50 PM, there is a report of screaming and later 'smacking' sounds from inside the apartment. More officers arrive. One is carrying a ramming shield.
8:53 PM The fighting gets louder.
8:55 PM Bellevue Ave is closed to traffic and sidewalks are taped off.
8:58 PM Officer reports somebody in apartment shouted, "Go ahead and come in and shoot me." Attempts to phone the apartment are not successful.
9:03 PM Officer reports the suspects have agreed to come out of the apartment.
9:05 PM Additional officers are called up to apartment's floor.
9:10 PM Officer reports that they are about to 'clear' the apartment.
9:13 PM Officer reports apartment is clear. Suspects are in custody.
Original report:
A police standoff that started around 9 PM had the area around Bellevue and Thomas in a 30-minute lockdown. Just getting word from people stuck inside buildings near the intersection that police officers have told them it is now safe to leave the building. We're looking into what went down.
Via Twitter, Babeland marketing director Audrey McManus described the scene to us: "@jseattle guy with gun in thomas park across the street. WTF? cops won't let us leave. Fighting in this building. Tons of slamming &yelling"
While we're recognizing bravery in the line of civic duty, here's a quick note about honors bestowed upon the emergency workers who arrived first on the scene of this winter's icy bus crash that left a tour bus full of kids partly dangling over I-5.
Columbia Basin Job Corps, the organization that had chartered the buses involved in the accident, honored members of the Seattle Police Department, Seattle Fire Department and Washington State Patrol who were the first to respond to the December 19th crash scene in a ceremony on Wednesday at East Pine's Fire Station 25.
I was one of the first reporters on the ground (the helicopters beat us all) at the slippery, icy scene that Friday afternoon and was surprised how calm the situation was only 30 minutes after the bus first crashed through the wall above the freeway. Of course, there was also the issue of what to do with the kids after the accident but that was a different problem.
The accident was investigated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration but any reports have not yet been made public.
