They almost got away with it, but…
May 14, 2015, 8:03 AM | Updated: 8:11 am
The SPD settled on a $195,000 payout to a woman who was punched while handcuffed by an officer after she kicked the officer in the face. (SPD)
(SPD)
A 22-year-old bike thief might have gotten away with the crime, if he hadn’t stopped to sign his work.
And a 42-year-old car prowler might have gotten away with his caper, if he hadn’t returned to the scene of the crime to burglarize the same vehicle.
Officers had help nabbing two suspects Thursday, but from unlikely sources: a victim of the crime, and the suspects themselves.
Seattle police officers responded to a First Hill apartment building around 10 p.m. after witnesses called 9-1-1 to report a man attempting to force open the door to a locked bike room.
But when officers arrived, they only found a damaged door. No suspect was in sight.
A quick check of the surrounding area around the 1000 block of Union Street produced the suspect, who, instead of fleeing the scene, decided to stop and tag a concrete pillar with his signature. An officer approached the man, a 22-year-old, while he was engaged in his art, and took him into custody. Police also found meth, heroin, and various house and car keys on the suspect. He was booked into the King County Jail.
Earlier that same day, police arrested a man after he attempted to burglarize a van in the Brighton neighborhood around 2 p.m., the same van he robbed the day before.
The 42-year-old suspect was witnessed by the van’s owner walking down the 4400 block of South Eddy Street, and then making his way down a gated driveway toward the vehicle.
The victim of the car prowl watched the suspect enter the van and went to confront him. As he approached, the van’s owner saw the suspect searching through the vehicle. But when he noticed he was discovered, the suspect jumped on the van’s owner and wrestled him to the ground.
A rumble ensued. The suspect attempted to draw a knife, but his opponent told him he “would face serious bodily harm if he didn’t put it away,” according to the Seattle Police Department. The suspect agreed and put the knife away. The van’s owner came out on top and held the suspect down while 9-1-1 was called.
The suspect was arrested and was sought by police for various felony warrants for burglary, firearm theft and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was booked into the King County Jail.
