By Tim Clifford

Real Change
On Feb.13 on California Ave. S.W. in the middle of the afternoon a police officer was flagged down by a highly intoxicated man claiming to be the victim of a robbery on the street. The victim was selling “Real Change” newspapers on the sidewalk when a man came up to him and began yelling at him to leave. The man then pushed the victim onto the ground and reached down into the jacket of the victim and stole what money he had on him (between 2 and 4 dollars) telling the victim “this is my money”.

At this point the suspect’s girlfriend pulled up in a red car and got out long enough to push the victim around herself. Once she was done the suspect loaded into her car and they drove off. The intoxicated victim wandered into a bar nearby and demanded money from a person in the bar as compensation and threatened to call the police if they refused. The phone was given to him immediately. Supposedly the suspect works at the bar that the victim went into after the assault. Police were unable to contact the alleged suspect.

Kick in the door
Just after 6 p.m. on Feb. 17 at a residence on 15 Ave. S.W. officers were dispatched to a residence where a suspect had kicked in the front door in an attempted robbery. The victim was at home and upstairs when he heard a loud thud from downstairs. When he looked out of his window he noticed a white male (the suspect), 5’9 wearing a dark green winter jacket and carrying a black bag, walking away from his home. The victim called the police and reported that the suspect was still possibly walking down the street.

Responding officers managed to identify a man walking down the street who matched the description. They also recognized this man from prior encounters. This man’s jacket was close to the description given but had a fur lined hood. The victim told officers he could not be sure this man was the same person he had seen at his residence, at which point the police released this “suspect”.

Crimes reported between Feb.14 and Feb.20

Burglaries by block: 3400 block of Beach Dr. S.W., 3300 block of S.W. Hinds St., 5400 block of 17 Ave. S.W., 4500 block of S.W. Othello St., 7500 block of Fauntleroy WY S.W., 7500 block of 35 Ave. S.W., 7900 block of 32 Ave. S.W., 8400 block of 20 Ave. S.W., 9600 block of 30 Ave. S.W., 10200 block of 30 Ave. S.W., 9400 block of 24 Ave. S.W., 9600 block of 20 Ave. S.W., 9200 block of 22 Ave. S.W., 9400 block of 15 Ave. S.W.

Car prowls by block: 1700 block of 47 Ave. S.W., 3800 block of 38 Ave. S.W., 2800 block of S.W. Yancy St., 4200 block of S.W. Morgan St., Delridge WY S.W./ S.W. Graham St., 8000 block of Fauntleroy WY S.W., 7900 block of 17 Ave. S.W., 2500 block of S.W. Barton St. (2 reported), 8900 block of 8 Ave. S., 9400 block of Delridge WY S.W.

Car thefts by block: 4100 block of 20 Ave. S.W., S.W. Alaska St. / 44 Ave. S.W., 2100 block of S.W. Cloverdale St., 9200 block of 15 Ave. S.W.