Hard to say exactly what happened here, but it may be a case of burglars being burglarized. Officers responded to a burglary in progress at a home on 21st Ave s.w. last week. Someone had seen a white male in his mid 20s lurking around the house and going into the bushes, and then called police. When officers arrived the suspect was gone, but they found two toolboxes and two antique lamps in the back yard and a broken window on the back door. Here is where it gets interesting … the house has been abandoned and overgrown with blackberry bushes and other vegetation. When they entered the house, officers found evidence of squatters (sleeping bags, clothing and camping equipment) and “an abundance of expensive tools, machinery and valuable antiques.” Officers put the toolboxes and lamps back in the house and were unsuccessful in finding a property manager to contact.

Using a gardening tool with a wooden handle and a metal shaft, an unknown suspect tried to pry open a storage room door down on the 9200 block of 45th Ave s.w. last week. The suspect pried and pried, but got a little overzealous and broke the gardening implement turned crowbar at the handle, then bailed from the scene.

Last week a woman had a laptop computer and plasma TV stolen from her house. Although she did not see any suspects, she mentioned to police that about six months prior she had gone through a divorce. Her husband told her certain items (including the TV) should have gone to him instead of her, although the court did not agree. The investigation is ongoing.

Back on Oct. 6 Papa John’s Pizza on California Ave s.w. was robbed at gunpoint. Luckily, no one was hurt in the robbery. Police released the report from that intense night recently and here is the summary:

Around 10 p.m. on a Monday night two Papa John’s employees were finishing up for the night when two masked men, one described as black (Suspect 1) and the other Samoan (Suspect 2), entered through the back door. They both had on black ski masks, black shirts and pants and wielded guns (which were not specifically identified).

Suspect 1 confronted the employee near the back of the store, pointed the gun at his head and said, “Get on the ground (expletive)! Get the (expletive) on the ground!” Suspect 2 moved towards the front of the store and demanded that the other employee get on the ground, telling him not to do anything stupid.

Meanwhile, Suspect 1 pushed his victim to the floor and told him to open the safe. The victim told him he did know the code by memory but that it was written down in the office. Suspect 1 dragged him into the office and Suspect 2 ordered the other employee into the office.

The employee found the code and was dragged back out to the safe where he opened it. He was ordered to lay face down on the ground while Suspect 1 filled a backpack with cash from the safe. While the safe was robbed, Suspect 2 had the other employee walk to the front of the store (easily visible from the street) and pretend to take a phone call.

The suspects emptied two cash registers and ordered both employees to get in the food freezer and shut the door behind them. They did as instructed and waited silently until they heard the back door beep, slowly checked to make sure the robbers were gone, and quickly locked both front and back doors before calling 911.

Approximately $800 was stolen by the suspects who are still at large.

Burglaries/break-ins/car prowls by block: 1000 Harbor Ave SW, 4800 SW Stevens, 5700 SW Admiral Way, 3700 40th Ave SW, 3700/7000 Beach Dr SW, 4500 51st Ave SW, 4800 42nd Ave SW, 6000 California Ave SW, 6700 17th Ave SW, 6700 Murray Ave SW, 7300 Vashon Pl SW, 7100 18th Ave SW, 3500 SW Austin St, 7900 35th Ave SW, 9000 9th Ave SW, 8600 Delridge Way SW, 9400 20th Ave SW, 9000 36th Ave SW, 9000/9200 34th Ave SW, 9200 32nd Ave SW

The success of this column is largely based on feedback, tips and suggestions from you, the reader, so please contact Ty Swenson anytime at policeblotter@robinsonnews.com.