COPS AND ROBBERS

Carjacker indicates gun

By Dean Wong

After losing his automobile to a carjacker, the driver flagged down a police officer late one night. He said a man approached him as he was starting his car and opened the door. When the driver asked what was going on, the thief demanded the car.

The driver refused and tried to close the door. The thief grabbed the window and broke it. The victim said the suspect then said he had a gun and made a gesture with his hand as if he was going to pull it out of his jacket.

The victim threw the keys into the street and ran away. The police officer called in a K-9 unit and the dog failed to pick up the suspect's scent. A similar robbery was reported three blocks away that same evening in Ballard.

Patient thief waits for trip to jail

An identity thief went into a bank and tried to cash a check for $45,650. The teller became suspicious and asked the thief to take a seat so the check could be verified. The thief waited patiently for his loot. After the check cashing attempt was confirmed as bogus, a police officer arrived to take the suspect into custody. Rather than collecting the money, the suspect went straight to jail.

Poor memory leads to tall tales

An elderly woman called 911 and said that two males had broken into her home, then fled on foot. Officers checked the house and found no signs of forced entry.

The 80-year-old woman gave conflicting stories to police. She first said two men forced their way in. Then she said they knocked on the door and she let them in. She also told the 911 operator her husband was inside with the two men, but told the responding officer he died years ago.

The officer asked the woman if her mind was possibly playing tricks on her and she said no. The officer found the phone number of a friend on the refrigerator and called her. She said the husband had died five years ago. The friend said a cousin was going to check on the woman later that day. The woman takes medication and one is for her memory, noted the officer.

Stranger warns man he is being watched

"We are watching you," was the message on an elderly man's phone machine when he got home last week. The caller mentioned the man's name, along with his current and previous addresses, but said nothing else. The victim told police he had been engaging in an on-line chat room discussing AIDS. He said he uses an alias and never disclosed his real name. The office advised him to call and report any further messages of that nature.

Burglar cruis'in in a Land Cruiser

A homeowner asked his brother to check on his house while he was out of town recently. As the brother drove up, he saw a someone backing out of the driveway with his brother's Toyota Land Cruiser. He attempted to follow the car, but lost it in traffic.

The suspect had entered through a bedroom window and rummaged through the drawers and closets of a master bedroom and dressing room. An electric piano, computer and stereo were taken. While looking for fingerprints, the officer found a kitchen knife on the floor of the bedroom and an empty purse in the hallway. The knife and purse were taken into evidence because fingerprints were found on them. A stolen vehicle report was issued on the car.

Woman loses purse to "diversion scam"

The manager of a restaurant called police after an elderly customer got her purse stolen. The customer comes in often for meals and uses a walker to get around. Two suspects played a "diversion scam," on the victim by taking her purse from the walker, which was in the aisle next to her table.

Suspect No.1 took a seat behind the victim and asked her to pass some condiments. As the victim turned her face away, suspect No. 2 walked by and grabbed the purse, exiting out the door. An hour later the victim realized her purse was gone. The whole incident was captured on a surveillance video with good picture quality.

Hired help finds silver bars

A homeowner hired someone described as "related" to work on his house. The relative and a co-worker had total access to the home while they were putting in a new floor downstairs and upstairs.

The homeowner later found 17 silver bars missing from a room. They were stored in plastic bags under a small table and were covered with other items to conceal them.

A coin collection in a ceramic jar was also missing. The victim old police he suspected the man who was working with his relative on the job.

Smoker learns cigarettes bad for him

A shoplifter went behind the counter of a grocery store to steal cartons of cigarettes. When confronted by an employee, the thief tried to run out an exit door but it was locked. He then ran through the produce section where he dropped the cigarettes.

As the thief bolted for the front entrance, a Seattle Fire Fighter tackled him. Nine cartons of cigarettes were recovered.