A quick roundup of recent police reports from the area.
Assault and robbery, 23rd and E Terrace
A man was assaulted an robbed in front of Garfield High School shortly after 7:15 p.m. January 14, according to the police report. He had just left the community center, where he was playing basketball, when a man called to him from across the street. The victim ignored the man and kept walking south on 23rd. As he approached the bus stop near Terrace, a second male approached him from the front. The victim told police he recognized the suspect as someone who sometimes plays basketball at the community center. The suspect accused the victim of “talking hella shit about my momma,” then allegedly punched the victim several times, knocking him to the ground. The suspect then allegedly stole his Blackberry and fled. The victim stumbled to a fire station, who then called the police. The suspect is described as a light skinned black male, about 5′ 7″, 160 lbs, wears glasses and has freckles on his face. He was not seriously injured.
Robbery, 28th S and S King
A group robbed a Leschi man in his mid-20s a little before 5 a.m. January 9, according to the police report. The man, who was intoxicated at the time, said he was walking home along S King Street when he was approached by a male in his mid-20s near 28th Ave S who asked him if he wanted to buy a stereo. The victim ignored the offer and kept walking. As he approached 29th, four to five other males ran up on him and grabbed his pea coat. The suspects were able to grab $140 in cash and his cell phone before he grabbed his coat back. The suspects then fled.
Robbery, MLK and S Norman
A woman was in her vehicle checking her mailbox around 2:30 a.m. January 16 when a man stole her purse. She was rolling up her window when a man allegedly smashed it with an unknown object and demanded her purse, according to the police report. She gave it to him. Before running off, the man said, “It’s a good thing your girls aren’t with you.”
The first instance occurred at 7:15PM so the hour isn’t that odd but the other two occurred at 5AM and 2:30AM? By no means do I condone this behavior nor do I think that the victims were at fault but stumbling home drunk at 5AM and a woman “checking her mail” at 2:30AM? Something seems odd. Also, in the first two attacks, it sounds like we’re missing some information. They were both coordinated attacks, from the sounds of it. Two men working in conjunction on the first attack then 4-5 on the second.
The woman coming home at 230am was in her car, so perhaps her mailbox was one of those curb deals, on a post, and she was afraid to get out of her car. Lots of poor people do shift work. I work revolving shifts and so often am coming home at 230am, having gotten off at 2am.
This stuff just seems to be getting worse and more coordinated.
Has anyone been arrested in these cases?
I’m with you, Joe…it’s not the victims’ faults, but people, pay attention to what you’re doing at these late/early hours when nobody else is around but the troublemakers!
Mailbox damage or tampering is a federal offense, right? Let’s get this guy and throw the book at him.
The 7:15 attack outside Garfield CC is seriously disturbing. It’s a frequented area by teens and young people, families – that could have been me. The fact that the guy was recognized as a CC user is also disturbing. People aren’t going to want to use a CC they don’t feel safe going to – in fact, I’m sure a lot of people already avoid it for these kinds of reasons. Can we get the police to step up patrols in that area like they did at 21st & Union two summers ago when the troubles were worse? I didn’t mind when the cops rolled by my house, because I figured if they were around, someone else wasn’t.
Something to bring up at the meeting with Chief Diaz next week!
Aren’t there surveillance camera’s on 29th & King? Do they work? I always assumed they were there to deter people from dumping their trash on the corner (which hasn’t helped), but if they do work, they may have caught some of that robbery on tape.