By Tim Clifford

Two armed robberies in two days on Delridge stairs
Two armed robbery incidents were reported on the same stairwell located between S.W. Holden St. and Delridge WY S.W. within two days of each other. Both incidents involved teenage girls being accosted by suspects with handguns.

The first incident occurred at 7:10 a.m. on Jan. 29 while a middle school aged girl was walking to school. As the victim approached the first landing of the stairs a black male came towards her with the gun pointed and demanded she give him everything. After going through her backpack the suspect began pulling up the young girl’s shirt and searching through her bra, pulling out her pockets, and demanding she give him her cell phone. After being informed that the victim’s parents hadn’t given her a phone the suspect told the victim to leave.

Police were contacted by a school security officer roughly three hours later.

The second incident occurred on Jan. 31 at 1:40 p.m. as a teenage girl was walking down the steps when she heard a noise coming from nearby bushes. Having heard about the earlier robbery that had occurred there the victim began running as soon as she heard footsteps coming up behind her. The victim looked back to see a male with his hoodie up chasing after her with a gun drawn yelling “hey, stop right there”.

The victim ran to the S.W. Precinct building and tried to get in by means of a locked security entrance. When that didn’t work she ran to the Delridge Library where unbelievably a librarian denied her the use of a phone to call authorities. At that point she ran to a nearby friend’s house and together she and the friend walked to a community center and called 911.

In the first incident the suspect is described as a black male in his 20’s standing around 5’6 or 5’7 with a notably darker than usual complexion. The handgun used in that incident is described as “silver”. In the second incident the suspect is described as being a black male in his 30’s wearing black denim and brandishing a black gun. Because this suspect was 10 steps up from the victim and wearing a hoodie a detailed description could not be given.

Marijuana, camera, and computer stolen
On Jan. 28 a woman on the 7700 block of 36 Ave. S.W. called police after returning to her home from an overnight trip to find it broken into and vandalized. The timeline for the incident is between noon on Jan. 27 and 1:40 p.m. Jan. 28.

When officers arrived and conducted a search of the home they found tools and other valuables in plain sight in the living room and basement untouched. When they reached the victim’s bedroom her closets and drawers had all been flipped inside out.

The victim told police that she was missing pill bottles and three jelly jars from her bathroom cabinet. Each jar was marked “stress”, “pain”, and “anxiety” and between the three of them contained a quarter ounce of marijuana. In the bedroom she showed officers that her digital camera, lenses, and Macbook were also missing.

Officers managed to recover a number of possible prints at the scene for processing. The victim did not have any ideas for a possible lead. The suspect remains at large.

Crimes reported between Jan. 31 and Feb. 6

Burglaries by block: 4700 block of 40 Ave. S.W., 5900 block of High Point Dr. S.W., 7500 block of 13 Ave. S.W., 7700 block of Highland Park WY S.W., 1200 block of S. Cloverdale St., 9200 block of Delridge WY S.W., 9200 block of 14 Ave. S.W., 9400 block of 15 Ave. S.W.

Car prowls by block: 3200 block of 48 Ave. S.W., 3600 block of 47 Ave. S.W., 3900 block of S.W. Bradford St., 4500 block of 36 Ave. S.W. (2 reported), 5600 block of Delridge WY S.W., 7700 block of 41 Ave. S.W., 8000 block of 41 Ave. S.W., 9100 block of California Ave. S.W., 8800 block of 8 Ave. S.W.

Car thefts by block: 1500 block of Sunset Ave. S.W., 42 Ave. S.W. / S.W. Alaska St., California Ave. S.W. / S.W. Brandon St., 5900 block of 37 Ave. S.W., 6300 block of High Point Dr. S.W., 7100 block of W. Marginal WY S.W., 7900 block of 18 Ave. S.W., 8600 block of 9 Ave. S.W., 9200 block of 17 Ave. S.W., 9200 block of 2 Ave. S.W., 9900 block of 33 Ave. S.W.