Queen Anne teen faces charges for 7-Eleven armed robbery
According to the Seattle Times, a local Queen Anne teenager has been charged with attempted first-degree robbery and first-degree assault for the January 2nd robbery of the Upper Queen Anne 7-Eleven at 1607 Queen Anne Ave N.
Here’s a quick synopsis from the Seattle Times:
“Just after 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 2, a masked male walked into the 7-Eleven store at 1607 Queen Anne Ave. N., pulled a gun and demanded that the clerk fill a backpack with money. The clerk didn’t believe the gun was real and threw a plastic milk crate at the would-be robber, hitting him in the right hip. As the clerk reached for another crate, the male fired a single shot, narrowly missing the clerk’s head. The gunman grabbed his backpack and fled without getting any cash.”
The next night/early morning, a local Queen Anne resident reported a burglary after finding a gun missing from the family’s safe. Only one of several guns was missing and with no signs of forced entry, SPD linked the two incidents, resulting in the arrest of 17 year-old Henry Hicks.
You can read the full story in the Seattle Times here.
Video of suspect’s 2013 SPD car joy ride & tour de Queen Anne now available
A little over three years ago, back in May 2013, a reader sent us a tip about a car chase that ended up with an SPD cruiser stuck on the railing on 8th Ave W near Olympic Place – here’s his shot of the scene:
Now, three years later, LiveLeak has published the dashcam footage of the event. It starts with the 35 year-old suspect on foot in the Battery Street Tunnel as SPD approaches. He runs, SPD takes chase, and he jumps into the driver’s seat of the SPD cruiser and takes off on a wild ride.
After exiting the tunnel and flying through Belltown, he hooks a right onto Mercer and heads up to Queen Anne. He speeds through West Queen Anne and finds that our neighborhood isn’t always conducive to those unfamiliar with our streets as he hits a few dead ends, takes a few alleyways, reverses in high speed for over a couple blocks, and floors it on 10th Ave W a few times.
Luckily, no one was hurt, although there are a few close calls with a couple of taxis and a pedestrian and a dog are awfully close as he rounds a turn.
It’s a little over 14 minutes long, but if you’re up for a dizzying first person tour of Queen Anne as he flees before crash landing at 8th Ave W & Olympic Pl, check out the video below:
Alert: Woman reports of attempted child luring at Ballard Fred Meyer
Although Ballard is a neighborhood away, many Queen Anne residents shop at the Ballard Fred Meyer. (CORRECTED) It has been reported to QAV that a man allegedly tried to lure a 9 year-old girl and while SPD was contacted, they never showed up to confront him. Instead, the mother had to follow him, take a photo, and then follow up later with SPD (after a 48 minute wait).
Here’s her story from her Facebook page:
“Please be on the lookout for this guy. He tried to lure my 9 yo daughter in the Ballard Fred Meyer. He approached her and offered her popcorn, a necklace, and finally a can of beer (when she ignored him, perhaps he thought the 9yo would be tempted by alcohol?). He invaded her personal space and a store clerk was in the vicinity, overheard the creep, and ordered him to leave the store. Instead of leaving, he went to the in-store Tully’s and took a defiant seat.
At this point, I rejoined my daughter and heard what happened. I spoke w/the Store Manager (who was ‘acting’ and all of 20 and admitted that there was no store manager onsite) and this staffer refused to call the police.
Since the store was not taking this seriously, I called 911 and went to photo ID this asshat. Police never came and after a little while, the guy collected his cart filled w/beer, popcorn and necklaces (among other things) and left the store. I followed him in my car, bc the police never showed, and got some pix of him pushing his cart south on Leary towards Fremont. I called 911 a second time to provide an updated location for this perp and the nice 911 lady admitted that there was no chance of a squad car responding bc of too many incidents/too few officers.
Perpetrator had tattoos on his face and neck and was belligerent in tone and attitude. This is a bad bad guy who needs to be off the street before a less streetwise kid gets caught in his crosshairs.
Note: My 9 yo daughter and 12 yo brother were together in the store, away from me when this incident happened, bc I believe kids should learn how to navigate a grocery store. I usually send them (together) to find some items while I am getting the rest of the stuff. Not anymore.
UPDATE: Some follow up:
(1) I filed a police report with a very nice SPD detective. Waited on the phone line for 48 minutes on the non-emergency SPD line to get a staffer who in turn sent a squad car to my home. If this incident did not involve a child, I would have hung up. It is no wonder that crimes are under-reported in this town.
(2) Many have asked why Stella did not start screaming immediately. After the creep offered her a beer, she was taking a breath to scream bloody murder and at that instant the store clerk stepped in to intervene.
(3) Local media is involved, will see if this makes the news.
Feel free to share this story for constructive, public safety purposes. The perpetrator lured a child and he happened to be homeless. This is not exclusively a ‘homeless’ issue, but a broader societal issue of under-funded, under-resourced and flawed social/criminal justice system that allows creeps like this to walk the streets. It will take the collective efforts of the public sector, private sector (Fred Meyer….what were you thinking?), and NGOs to contribute to far-reaching, long-term solutions.
Learn more about the Block Watch program at Monday’s QACC Public Safety Meeting
If you’ve ever wondered about Seattle Police Department’s Block Watch program, you can find out more get answers to your questions at Monday’s Queen Anne Community Council’s Public Safety meeting. The meeting is open to all, and neighbors who already participate in Block Watch programs are encouraged to attend and share their experiences.
At the meeting, you can ask questions of current Block Watch captains, as well as of SPD representatives. Our local West Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator, Terrie Johnston, and SPD’s Officer Larrabee will be on hand to discuss the program and answer questions.
If you’re interested in starting your own Block Watch program, this meeting is a great way to find out the easy steps you’ll need to take to kick one off for your immediate neighbors.
As a reminder, the annual Night Out Against Crime is Tuesday, August 2nd. You can register to close your street for a Block Party, deadline to do so is August 1st.
The QACC Public Safety meeting will be held at Queen Anne Manor (100 Crockett St), from 7pm to 8pm on Monday, June 27th. All are welcome to attend.
Driver of stolen van crashes into cars, Queen Anne resident tracks him down
Around 5am this morning, residents in the 400 block of Halladay street saw a white van crash into several cars. As it took off, a neighbor followed it to 1400 Dexter Ave N and got a photo of the driver.
Thanks to the photo, the suspect was located and arrested. In addition to a stolen van, he was also found in possession of 6 grams of heroin and a scale.
Here’s the full report from SPD:
Police arrested a man on Queen Anne early Thursday after he crashed a stolen van into two parked cars and was later caught with heroin and a scale.
Around 5 AM, several witnesses awoke to a crash outside their homes in the 400 block of Halladay Street and saw a white van speeding away. One witness noticed the van was leaking fluid and hopped in his own car to follow the suspect.
The witness followed the suspect’s trail until he saw the white van parked near Dexter Avenue and Aurora. He noticed a man walking away from the van and snapped a picture of him before returning home.
When the witness arrived back at his house he found officers surveying and documenting the damage to the two vehicles on Halladay Street. He showed police the picture of the van and the suspect, and officers began searching for the man.
Police found the suspect near Aurora and arrested him in the 1400 block of Dexter Avenue North after a brief chase. Officers found he was carrying 6 grams of heroin and a scale and discovered the van he’d been driving was reported stolen. He was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of possession of stolen property and investigation of possession of narcotics with intent to distribute.
W Galer St standoff suspect: sex offender who robbed someone at gunpoint
More details have emerged about the identity of the robbery suspect who had an 8-hour standoff with SPD on Monday. Turns out he is a registered sex offender and an armed robber. SPD was serving a warrant for his arrest for a robbery of a man he met on Grindr. He robbed him at gunpoint for cash, watches, and a credit card.
I had inquired to our SPD contact about the registered sex offender at the same W Galer St address earlier this week, but SPD has not responded to my inquiries. The information on the suspect, Alik Aleksandrovi Lebedev, is available on the King County Sex Offender Registry:
No word on the identity of the young man – described as both a teen and adult – who left the house at 8:15am.
The Seattle Times has full coverage from the Prosecutor’s office. You can read more details on the robbery and Lebedev’s past crimes here.
Queen Anne is #1… in car prowls!
It’s not your imagination, car prowls are not only up on Queen Anne, we’ve taken over the top spot for all Seattle neighborhoods. That’s right, we beat out downtown, Capitol Hill, South Lake Union, Ballard… well, every neighborhood! That’s right, we now have bragging rights for car prowls.
You can see the stats below for car prowls for the year-to-date, click for a closer look. And, yes, if you’re curious, I too have been a victim of car prowlers. What can we do? REPORT all car prowls to SPD. You can use the online tool for car prowls (and other offenses).
Imagine how high that blue bar would be if everyone on Queen Anne reported every car prowl? No neighborhood could touch us! Queen Anne for the win!
BREAKING: SPD SWAT activity at W Galer St & 4th Ave W
UPDATE @ 2:30pm: The standoff has ended on W Galer & 4th Ave W. Per the SPD Blotter:
Medics have transported the suspect to Harborview Medical Center after he was found with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police are still investigating and working to determine his relationship to the juvenile male released from the home earlier in the day. At this point, detectives do not believe the juvenile male is related to the suspect.
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There is currently Seattle Police Department SWAT presence at W Galer & 4th Ave W, but no official word from SPD on details.
Per KIRO via Twitter, there is a robbery suspect and teenager holed up in a home while SWAT negotiates. W Galer is closed between 3rd Ave W and 5th Ave W during the incident/negotiation.
UPDATE @ 8:15am: teenager now out of home, father still in standoff with SPD SWAT.
UPDATE @ 8:40am: SPD was serving a warrant at the home for the robbery suspect, which led to the current/ongoing standoff.
UPDATE @ 9:15am: Per the SPD Blotter, here’s the current standoff situation:
Negotiators have been working for the past three hours to resolve an incident involving a robbery suspect barricaded in a residence in the 400 block of W. Galer Street.
Shortly after 6:00 a.m., SWAT officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant on the suspect. The suspect refused to come out and claimed to be armed with a handgun. At approximately 8:00 a.m. the suspect allowed his adult son to leave the house. The son was not injured.
Negotiators are still attempting to establish a dialogue with the suspect and resolve this standoff peacefully. The surrounding streets are blocked as this incident continues.
UPDATE @ 1:45pm: SPD just set off flash bangs at the standoff location.
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King County Metro is rerouting routes 2 and 29 to the W Queen Anne area, until further notice:
- Route 2 is rerouted off of W Galer St to West Queen Anne. Heading toward downtown Seattle use or Route 1 on 10th Av W or Route 13 on Queen Anne Av N.
- Route 29 – Use the stops reroute W McGraw St west of 3rd Av W or on Queen Anne Av N south of Galer St.
This post will be updated as the story develops.
Next Neighborhood Safety Alliance is at SPU this Thursday
The Neighborhood Safety Alliance met earlier this month in Magnolia, with a standing room only crowd. Representatives from Magnolia, Queen Anne, Ballard, and North Seattle were on the agenda, joined by City Council members Sally Bagshaw and Mike O’Brien, and representatives from the Mayor’s office, SPD, Human Services, and the City Attorney. The main topic of discussion – RVs illegally parked on city streets – resulted in the Mayor’s plan to establish legal RV parking sites.
Residents also voiced concerns over SPD response times to 911 calls and the lack of response to cleaning up waste and debris from RVs. Attendees also requested more SPD patrols in the neighborhoods, including Queen Anne.
This Thursday, January 28th, the group is hosting another meeting, this time on Queen Anne at Seattle Pacific University’s Gwinn Commons at 6:30pm. An agenda isn’t available for the meeting, but the group’s website states the following:
“We would welcome ALL areas of the city to attend, especially those neighborhoods that feel the effects of RV’s in their neighborhoods.”
If you’re interested in the January 6th meeting, full video coverage (three 30 minute YouTube videos) of the meeting is available online via the Neighborhood Safety Alliance website.
Private Queen Anne Patrol meeting scheduled for January 14
Concerned neighbors are meeting this Thursday, January 14th to discuss a proposed private Queen Anne Patrol to help curb crime on Queen Anne. The proposed private security patrols would be neighbor-funded, similar to the Magnolia Patrol that started in December.
Note: the Queen Anne Patrol is separate from any SPD organized Neighborhood Watch groups. (photo to upper right used because the Queen Anne Patrol website is under construction)
The organizer of the Queen Anne Patrol is neighbor John Compatore, a former Oakland Police Department officer.
Private security in Magnolia runs $250 per year, per household with patrols on duty 4-6 days per-week. You can read more about the Magnolia Patrol here and here.
If you’re interested in learning more, you can sign up for updates on the Queen Anne Patrol website, and also attend Thursday’s meeting, which will be held at 7pm at the Queen Anne Baptist Church, 2011 1st Ave N. All are welcome to attend and learn more.
