Teen who robbed man in need ‘ought to be ashamed’

Three Seattle police officers who bought food and warm clothes for a robbery victim in need over the weekend said Thursday that they are surprised by the attention their actions have received.

Officers Dionne Perkins, Mark Mullens and Chris Caron of the South Precinct said they didn’t think twice about bringing the man groceries, blankets, and winter coats after he had been beaten and robbed while walking home along South Horton Street in the Mount Baker neighborhood.

“It’s just something that you should do for someone who is in need,” said Officer Perkins, a 21-year veteran of the department.

“There’s police protocol and then there’s human protocol,” said Mullens, who has been with the department for nearly 24 years. “We could not walk away from this gentleman knowing that he was in dire need of basic things in order to survive.”

Perkins and Mullens were first to respond to the victim’s residence, where he had run after the attack Saturday evening. The young man who robbed him stole a bag containing two sweatshirts and a pair of gloves; items the officers later found out that he needed to stay warm inside his own home.

“We realized after going inside the house and closing the door, that the temperature inside the home was the same as outside,” Officer Perkins said. “We could actually see our breath when we were speaking with the victim.”

Temperatures that night dropped into the 20’s.

Once inside the home, officers realized that victim had no heat and no food.

While Officers Perkins and Mullens went to a nearby store to buy the man groceries with their own money, a third officer – Chris Caron – ran home to grab two of his own coats to bring back to the house.

“Most of us that are fortunate enough to have good jobs and homes have extra clothes lying around the house,” he said.

The public became aware of the officers’ actions after a reporter read the account in a police report.

“I think, in this situation, any of our almost 1,300 sworn officers would have done the exact same thing,” said Det. Renee Witt, a department spokesperson. “We have officers and civilians who do these types of things every day and it goes unnoticed.”

Officers have not identified a suspect in the robbery, but said the young man – described as a black male in his teens – has a serious lesson to learn.

“He ought to be ashamed of himself,” Officer Perkins said.

“What he took from this human being was something that was valuable to him, which was warmth,” said Officer Mullens. “He needs to understand the damage that he’s done to another human being.”