By Tim Clifford

Bottle beaten
On Feb.19 officers were dispatched to an apartment building on the 9400 block of 16 Ave. S.W. about an assault that was reported by witnesses. When officers arrived they found broken glass and blood outside of the entrance to the building. Once inside they made contact with the victim who was bleeding from gashes to his face and was badly bruised.

According to the victim, as well as other witnesses, he was standing outside of the building when four Hispanic males (possibly accompanied by one Hispanic female) came up and asked him for a dollar. When he told the suspects that he didn’t have a dollar they began demanding that he hand over his cell phone. The victim “made a face” to this demand and before he could actually say anything three of the suspects began beating and punching him until he was on the ground. One witness told police that he saw one of the suspects rush into the melee swinging a beer bottle. Once a neighbor came outside to break things up the suspects ran off.

The victim was taken to the hospital by ambulance due to his bleeding wounds, low blood pressure, and lethargic demeanor while speaking to officers. Broken shards of glass were photographed and collected for finger printing. The suspects remain at large.

In progress
In the middle of the day on Feb.21 a woman at a residence on the 7100 block of 34 Ave. S.W. called the police to report that she could hear someone trying to break into her house. The victim called again shortly to report that she had just heard the window to her basement being broken. When officers arrived the victim was standing and waiting outside of the front of her home.

Officers surrounded the back of the residence as well as an alley near the basement door and could hear a male voice inside. The officers arrested the suspect as he came running out of the basement and into the alley. When the suspect ran into the police officers he was holding a knife and an engineer’s hammer, both of which he quickly dropped to the ground. The victim was asked if she knew who the suspect was to which she answered she didn’t. The suspect later told officers that he had broken into the victim’s residence looking for food and shelter. The victim reported that nothing was missing from her home.

Crimes reported between Feb.21 and Feb.27

Burglaries by block: 1600 block of 42 Ave. S.W., 1700 block of Arch Ave. S.W., 2700 block of California Ave. S.W., 5500 block of Spokane St., 5000 block of California Ave. S.W., 5000 block of 40 Ave. S.W., 6500 block of 35 Ave. S.W., 7100 block of 34 Ave. S.W., 6700 block of 14 Ave. S.W., 1200 block of S. Cloverdale St., 9400 block of 6 Ave. S.W., 11000 block of 31 Ave. S.W.

Car prowls by block: 4700 block of 44 Ave. S.W., 8000 block of Fauntleroy WY S.W., 500 block of S Cloverdale St., 2800 block of S.W. Barton St., 9400 block of 25 Ave. S.W., 9500 block of Meyers WY S.

Car thefts by block: 2700 block of California Ave. S.W., 3200 block of Walnut Ave. S.W., 3800 block of Beach DR S.W., 4700 block of 44 Ave. S.W., 4600 block of 36 Ave. S.W., S.W. Avalon WY/ S.W. Genesee St., 6000 block of California Ave. S.W., 6000 block of 30 Ave. S.W., 6500 block of Delridge WY S.W., 7300 block of 16 Ave. S.W., 8800 block of Delridge WY S.W., 1000 block of S. Thistle St., 9000 block of 17 Ave. S.W.