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- Single Shot burglary: A new Capitol Hill restaurant suffered a costly lesson in a weekend break-in. According to the SPD report on the incident, Summit Ave’s Single Shot suffered more than $4,000 in losses after somebody broke into the month-old venue next door to Top Pot Donuts and stole two computers and around $1,000 in cash. Police say the business was found unlocked and a key box located outside the restaurant had been damaged. The report also notes that police were told Single Shot did not yet have an alarm or video surveillance system in place “due to the fact that it had recently opened.”
- E Union cafe burglary: A cafe in the 2000 block of E Union suffered a $500+ burglary earlier this month after an unknown thief busted the restaurant’s front door sometime over the weekend of November 9th:
The break-in is part of a string reported in the area:
- E Pine burglary caught on video: A shop in the 900 block of E Pine also suffered a burglary early Monday morning, November 10th, in a break-in caught on security video:
Police say the business suffered $1,000 in losses in the break-in. - 12th/Jeff armed robbery report: Police are investigating another reported armed robbery near Seattle University. According to police and campus security reports, a victim reported that an armed male demanded his phone and wallet in a street robbery near 12th and Jefferson early Thursday around 4 AM. At the time of the report, it was not clear what type of weapon the suspect used in the robbery. A school security bulletin describes the suspect description as “very vague.” On Monday night, two teens armed with a silver handgun held up a victim in a Seattle U parking lot. SPD is looking for help identifying the suspects and the getaway car in that hold-up.
- Backpack robbery chase: A robbery victim got off relatively easily despite some ominous threats in a mugging early Monday morning near 11th and Howell. According to the SPD report on the incident, the victim chased the suspect who stole his stuff to 15th Ave despite a serious threat:
The victim told police that during the chase the suspect finally tossed his stuff over a fence in the 1800 block of 15th Ave. Police were able to recover the property and found nothing was missing. - Repeat burglary target: A home near 24th and Union suffered its second break-in attempt in a week late Sunday night and the responding SPD officer made a few interesting observations in the report on the incident:
The second attempt, according to the report, was not successful but the officer collected evidence from the window the would-be thief attempted to open to gain entry. - Mail slot burglar: A burglar used a novel approach to make off with several purses and other items in a Friday, November 14th break-in near 25th and E Roy. According to the SPD report on the incident, the thief was able to unscrew a mail slot near the home’s door, reach inside, and unlock the front door’s deadbolt.
- Coin toss mugger: In another innovative approach to crime, CHS has learned about new details of the technique applied by a local mugger in a November 13th street robbery at a Pike/Boren bus stop we previously reported. There have been no arrests:
[…] Blotter | New restaurant suffers $4k… […]
It’s good that the businesses are getting hit instead of just individuals.
Might as well share the misery if nothing can be done about it.
I know that Cortona Cafe was hit twice (it was blacked out in the above police statement) and Swing Salon was hit once. I heard Katy’s was as well, which seems to be the cafe listed first above. Union Market was also hit, I heard. A couple of my clients (I work at Swing) have mentioned that neighbors had been burglarized too, recently.
As much good as the increased patrols in the pike/pine area have done to keep it safe (and thanks for that!), it seems to have pushed the crime a bit south.
There may not be a direct correlation in terms of the same bad guys changing haunts as much as other bad guys looking for relatively under-patrolled parts of the East Precinct. Thieves take targets of opportunity, of course, but the criminal who mugs/assaults pedestrians isn’t necessarily the same person who breaks into businesses. This may be less about pushing the crime and more about thinning out the police (at least in perception — it’s not like the occasional patrol car rolling down Summit is going to make any real difference in catching the Single Shot burglar in the act).
At any rate, it sounds like we have some criminals specializing in hitting businesses; the only positive is that businesses tend to have things like serial numbers recorded, so sooner or later the cops are going to find a garage stuffed full of looted computers they can match up with the crimes. (Has anybody checked that 12th Ave house recently?)
I’m sorry for the owners of Single Shot…must be especially maddening since they just opened. But why does any business leave their cash easily accessible to burglars? It seems to me a business basic that cash should be locked up in a safe when the business is closed (or taken off-site).