Armed robberies of students in U-District might be linked
Sep 26, 2013, 2:15 PM | Updated: 2:56 pm
Seattle police say two violent robberies at gunpoint took place in a suburban University District neighborhood near 50th St. and 18th Ave. NE happened just days apart. (Google Maps)
(Google Maps)
Police are investigating two violent robberies in Seattle’s University District, days apart, at nearly the same location.
The latest happened early Thurs. when two students were confronted by a man with a gun in the 5000 block of 18th Ave. N.E.
“The main suspect pointed a handgun at the victims and told them he wanted all of their stuff,” said Renee Witt with Seattle Police. Cash and a cellphone were taken. One of the robbers smashed another cellphone so the victims could not call police, said Witt. A total of four people ran off.
A similar crime happened just one block away on Sunday night. Again, two students were robbed on the street by four people.
“One held them at gunpoint and in this one on Sunday, one of the suspects assaulted one of the victims, punched him in the nose,” said Witt.
The suspect descriptions are similar in both crimes. The robber with the gun is described as a black male in his 20s, six feet tall with a slim build and a short afro.
