11:43 PM: Thanks to everyone who’s sent tips/questions about police activity in north Arbor Heights, near 35th/Roxbury. Police have detained three people; we’re working to find out what for.
12:10 AM: Our crew at the scene has learned so far that this is a robbery investigation. The original scene is apparently near 35th/104th; closer to Roxbury, police were searching a car. No details beyond that.
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: The car (in our photo above) was impounded to be searched for evidence; one item recovered, per scanner traffic, was a purse belonging to a victim. Commenter “Neighbor” confirms this was a street robbery; we expect to get more details from police later this morning and will ask if there’s any suspicion it’s related to the holdup about 24 hours earlier in Admiral (reported here, with backstory on other recent cases).
10:15 AM UPDATE: Police say the suspects were responsible for three robberies/assaults last night – and are believed to be linked to other cases. From SPD Blotter:
Three men are now in custody following a series of robberies that stretched from Holly Park to Fauntleroy to Arbor Heights last night in a span of about 90 minutes.
The first robbery occurred at a bus stop at Beacon Avenue South and South Holly Street just after 10:00 pm. A woman was waiting for a bus when she was approached by a suspect armed with a black semi-automatic pistol. The suspect had a bandana covering his face, and demanded the victim’s cell phone. The victim handed over the phone and the suspect pushed her to the ground before he fled the area on foot. A witnesses driving by stopped to assist the victim and called 911. Officers conducted a search, including with a K9, but the suspect was not located. The victim had a few bruises on her elbow and hand, but did not require any medical attention.
Later, at about 11:10 pm, officers from the Southwest Precinct responded to a report of an assault with a weapon at Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Wildwood Place, just south of the Fauntleroy ferry dock. The adult male victim told officers he was walking to catch a ferry when he was confronted by an unknown male suspect. The suspect said something to the victim and then struck him on top on the head with the butt of a gun. The suspect then ran off without taking anything from the victim. Officers contacted the victim. He declined any medical treatment and left to board his boat. The suspect was not located.
About twenty minutes after that, 11:30 pm, officers from Southwest responded to the Arbor Heights neighborhood for a report of an armed robbery. A woman was walking in the 10400 Block of 35th Avenue SW when a suspect wearing a white hooded sweatshirt approached her from behind, grabbing her purse from her shoulder, yelling at her “Give it to me! Give it to me!” He then pointed something at her forehead, which the victim believed was a gun. The victim screamed for help and the suspect ran off east on 104th. Moments later, the victim and a neighbor saw a car drive by them with the suspect inside. Arriving officers made a high risk vehicle stop at SW 98th Street and 35th Avenue SW and took three males into custody.
Officers observed a woman’s purse inside the car, along with a blue bandana and several cell phones. A black handgun was observed under the front passenger’s seat. The suspect car was photographed and then towed to the processing room awaiting a search warrant.The victim positively identified the suspect wearing the white hooded sweatshirt as the suspect who had robbed her minutes earlier and positively identified her purse in the car.
Detectives from the Robbery Unit responded to the scene and will be responsible for the follow up investigation. It is very possible that this trio of suspects are responsible for a number of armed street robberies that have occurred in various neighborhoods citywide this summer.
Detectives spent most of the night interviewing the suspects.
The suspects, ages 19, 21 and 22, will be booked into the King County Jail following their interviews with detectives.
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