Wednesday, Feb. 25, around 5:30 p.m., a woman was walking in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue Northwest when she realized she was being followed by a man in a car (she provided no description of the vehicle). He pulled up alongside and asked if he could take her picture. She began knocking on doors of homes, trying to get assistance. The man then asked, “Do you live here?” The man kept pace with her but drove off when someone finally answered her knock. He is a white male with black hair (but balding).
Late Thursday, a man whose face was covered by a scarf followed two women who were walking in the 7700 block of 3rd Avenue Northwest. He was walking quickly and did not respond when one of the victims yelled at him. After they entered a residence, he remained outside on a corner and seemed to be “casing” a nearby car. He was a white male with a slim build, appeared to be between 18-21 years old, and wore a hooded dark coat and a scarf over his face.
Around 6 p.m. Friday, as three young girls walked on Northwest Blueridge Drive, a tan or gold Toyota with four teenage boys drove by. One boy, a white male with short blond or strawberry hair and a black ski cap, asked the girls four or five times, “Hey, do you want some candy?” The girls were scared, and heard the boy laughing out loud as they ran away. A 54-year-old south-Seattle resident was found lying on the sidewalk in front of the bus stop at 14th and Market. As officers roused him for a chat, he kept trying to walk out into traffic and had to be held down on the bench. He was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation.
Late Friday, Feb. 27, officers used a taser after a man wielded a box cutter at passersby in the 5100 block of Ballard Avenue Northwest. The man had been refused service at one bar and had been told to leave another after insulting female patrons. He threatened to kill several employees (who managed to keep patrons and bystanders away from the man until officers arrived). The man ignored officers' orders to drop the weapon, and the first use of the taser had little effect, likely due to the man's heavy clothing. On a second try, the officer was able to aim the device so that it made better contact and, indeed, the suspect fell to the pavement, momentarily dazed. He quickly became agitated and belligerent, struggling with the officer who was handcuffing him and saying, “Kill me! Kill me!” The 42-year-old was taken to Harborview for treatment until he could be booked into King County Jail for investigation of harassment.
At Adams Elementary School, someone stole a teacher's purse from her unlocked classroom.
