Police Blotter: Shoplifting leads to altercation; two vehicular collisions escalate; bar burglarized in the middle of the day
Fri, 04/20/2012
By Cassandra Baker, Intern
1:07 a.m. on April 16th. 99th block of Holman Rd NW
Police responded to reports of shoplifting at the QFC on Holman road in the middle of the night on April 16th. Two cashiers at the grocery store said that a dark colored sedan had dropped off an unknown white male at around 1:00 a.m. They later saw the male exiting the store with beer bottles concealed in his jacket pockets. One of the cashiers confronted the suspect because he believed that the suspect had not paid for the items. The cashier asked for a receipt for the beer, and the suspect began to argue with him. When he found out that the cashier worked at the store, he became more agitated and suggested that the cashier should be fired.
The suspect then shoved the cashier twice, and the cashier attempted to disengage but shoved the suspect back when the suspect would not desist. The suspect walked away, yelling insults at both cashiers and with the beer bottles still in his pockets. The cashier involved in the altercation did not sustain any injuries.
Officers conducted an area check and found a vehicle matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle on the 3rd block of NW 97th St. The occupants were three males, one of whom matched the description of the suspect. Officers detained the three subjects, and the cashier at QFC identified the suspect but said that he did not want to press charges. The suspect admitted to stealing the beer but denied shoving the cashier, and the officer removed the two bottles of stolen beer from the vehicle. The suspect’s acquaintances denied knowledge of the robbery, and they and the suspect were released.
9:27 p.m. on April 14th. 43rd block of 5th Ave NW
A woman called police on the night of April 14th after she believed a car ran into her deliberately. The victim was getting groceries out of her car when a vehicle drove by and struck one of the bags she was carrying, causing pain to her shoulder. The victim recognized the driver of the vehicle, and the driver began yelling and swearing at the victim for being in the way. The driver did not stop or try to exchange contact information with the victim.
The victim told police that she believed the assault was intentional. She said that she tried to get out of the way, and the road was wide enough for the suspect to drive around her. There have been previous incidents between the victim and the suspect, and the victim feared for her safety. A witness standing nearby said that the suspect deliberately steered the vehicle toward the victim. The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment of her shoulder. Officers located the suspect’s vehicle, a dark blue Expedition with gold trim, in a parking lot on 9th Ave NW. There were scratches in the paint on the driver’s side of the vehicle. Officers determined that the registration of the vehicle did not match the suspect’s information.
11:00 p.m. on April 9th. 53rd block of 11th Ave NW
A small vehicle collision turned into a physical altercation on the night of April 9th. The victim said that he was parallel parking outside his home when he bumped into the car in front of him. There were three males in the vehicle, and two of them got out, and the driver told the victim that he would have to pay for the collision. The victim saw no damage to either vehicle and thought the demand was strange. The other male who had left the vehicle suddenly punched the victim in the face, reached into the victim’s vehicle, and stole his iPhone.
The victim did not sustain serious injury. He said that the suspects spend time in a nearby park, and he would be able to identify them if he saw them again. He described their vehicle as an old green SUV, possibly a Ford Explorer. The driver was described as a 20-year-old white male about 5’7” in height with a medium build. The male who assaulted and robbed the victim is described as a 20-year-old light-skinned black male about 5’8” in height and wearing a hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and a baseball cap.
12:30 p.m. on April 9th. 52nd block of Ballard Ave NW
A Ballard bar was burglarized on the afternoon of April 9th. The manager called police after a bartender went to get cash out of the locked drawer in the register and found that it had been forced open. About $1100 was taken. The manager called two delivery drivers who had been at the bar at around 12:00 p.m. that day, and one of them said that he had seen an unknown black male standing behind the bar. The driver thought the man was an employee and did not think he was suspicious, but the manager said that no one should have been at the bar at that time. The manager said that there might be surveillance footage of the crime. Nothing inside the bar was disturbed other than the cash drawer.