SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Dori: Another assault in Ballard, this time a child at a community center

Jul 18, 2018, 3:47 PM | Updated: Jul 19, 2018, 1:12 pm

Ballard...

A woman is accused of assaulting a 4-year-old outside the Ballard Community Center. (Seattle Parks and Rec)

(Seattle Parks and Rec)

On Monday afternoon at the Ballard Community Center, a woman under the influence assaulted a 4-year-old child after she was asked to leave, according to Seattle Police. The woman then attempted to shoot heroin behind the center. A children’s summer camp was in progress at the time.

According to police, officers were unable to locate the woman when they responded to the scene.

Listeners who were at the site and live in the neighborhood told us that the woman has been seen around Ballard quite a bit in the last several months.

RELATED: Petition writers want Mike O’Brien to rethink policies

The woman is described as white, in her 50s, approximately 5’8, and with short blonde hair. She was dressed in all black at the time.

We’re trying to get hold of SPD because there’s a little disparity here. The description on the Nextdoor neighborhood blog says that police arrived 20-30 minutes later. The SPD blotter states that police arrived “quickly.” Twenty to 30 minutes is not “quickly,” so I want to figure out which one is correct.

I know this community center. This was practically my home when I was a kid. This was where I played Little League. So many of my favorite memories took place here. I get so sorrowful when I think of what the site of my childhood memories is turning into — the rampant crime, the druggies everywhere. The fact that the representative on the Seattle City Council for Ballard, Mike O’Brien, is too busy rolling out a plan today for inter-connected bicycle lanes downtown to pay attention to the needs of his own neighborhood.

Hey, Mike O’Brien — why don’t you worry about cleaning up your own community of Ballard instead of trotting out these $2 million bicycle lane ideas? You have a community in crisis right now where children are getting assaulted by druggies shooting up at the community center. There is a day camp going on for kids right there, and our children are not safe.

The assault of 4-year-old girls at summer day camp is on Mike O’Brien. And here he is, rolling out a bike lane plan and sending out self-congratulatory press releases. The lack of prioritization on this council is unbelievable. For Mike O’Brien, everything is just a diversionary tactic. “Well, everybody loves bike lanes, so I’ll put out this press release, and maybe for two seconds everyone will forget how drug-filled Ballard has gotten.”

Guess what, Mike? We don’t forget. And we clearly can identify the reasons why this city and this entire region have been overrun with crime and drugs — because of bureaucratic losers like you, who are only worried about putting tolls on every street downtown, so families that are too poor to afford the tunnel will still have to give even more money to government. That also was a Mike O’Brien plan that got a step closer to fruition this week.

Clean up your streets before you work so diligently to get even more taxpayer money, Mike O’Brien.

Associated Press

Failed Tennessee execution renews the debate over death penalty methods

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee officials have yet to explain what went wrong during the failed execution of Christa Pike, which was called off after she was given two doses of the drug meant to kill her. It wasn’t clear if Pike was still alive on Thursday. She could be heard snoring loudly in the […]

12 minutes ago

FILE - Flowers and photos are left at a memorial site for Renee Good on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, in...

Associated Press

Renee Good’s family sues US government and immigration officials over her killing in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Renee Good’s family sued the U.S. government and several immigration officials Thursday, alleging wrongful death and other violations of federal law in the 37-year-old woman’s killing by an immigration officer during a federal crackdown in Minneapolis. The two lawsuits were filed by Good’s partner, Becca Good, and Renee’s brother Brent Ganger. One […]

30 minutes ago

boeing renton Flydubai 737 MAX...

Charlie Harger

Harger: Twenty-seven kids on a diving Flydubai 737 MAX got home safe. Thank a Boeing worker in Renton

Earlier this week, a Flydubai jet headed from Dubai to Tel Aviv nearly went down. Officials said the co-pilot stabbed the captain and tried to crash the plane.

33 minutes ago

bite attack seattle...

KIRO 7 News Staff

New video shows aftermath of downtown Seattle bite attack

KIRO 7 obtained a new look at the aftermath of a gruesome attack in downtown Seattle.

1 hour ago

FILE - Sixth graders read a passage and give constructive feedback to their partners during Nancy B...

Associated Press

Federal scholarship for private school and homeschooling will be open to most kids in 30-plus states

Nearly all schoolchildren in at least 30 states can apply for a new federal scholarship next year to help pay for private school, homeschooling and other educational expenses, according to proposed regulations issued Thursday by the Trump administration. The first national school choice scholarship program, the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit, will launch Jan. 1, establishing […]

1 hour ago

attorney general physicians...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Attorney General ends Puget Sound Physicians investigation, $410,000 settlement reached

The Washington Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has ended its investigation into Puget Sound Physicians.

1 hour ago

Dori: Another assault in Ballard, this time a child at a community center