Ballard police

He just didn't want to go to jail

By Dean Wong

Police officers were on night patrol in downtown Ballard when they spotted a group of men standing on the porch of a closed business with cans of open beer. Offices made contact with the men and noticed a fixed blade knife and several pieces of crack cocaine. "It appeared that the knife was being used to cut the crack cocaine into pieces," the reporting officer said.

Officers struggled to handcuff one suspect who resisted arrest. "He was ordered to put his hands behind his back. He refused and twisted his upper body away ... we were finally able to place handcuffs on him ... he then dropped to the ground and began violently twisting his body around as he screamed, we lifted him up and attempted to place him in the patrol car. He refused to get in, standing rigid and putting his legs against the car to stop us from putting him in," the report stated.

Officers searched him and found numerous narcotics needles, a spoon with heroin and other drugs, including 100 OxyContin pills worth $5,000 on the street, along with morphine valued at $3,000.

An Auburn woman got more than she bargained for when she accepted an offer to drive a female suspect to Ballard for $50. The suspect told the woman she wanted to visit her ex-husband. When they arrived in Ballard, the suspect pulled out a knife and told the driver to get out of the car. "She said she complied because she feared that the (suspect) would stab her with the knife. She jumped on the hood of the car in an attempt to stop her from stealing it. She said the suspect started and stopped the car abruptly a few times until she fell off of the car, causing minor injuries," the report said. A witness heard all the noise and saw the car moving erratically before calling 911.

Pepper spray was used on two employees of a restaurant in the Greenlake area during a robbery attempt last week. The unknown suspect, wearing black coveralls, a black ski mask and a gas mask fled from the scene. "Both males were suffering greatly from the effects of the pepper spray and were actively attempting to flush their eyes with water," the report stated. The employees told police they were counting money when the suspect entered through an unlocked door. "The suspect then sprayed them with pepper spray, which instantly incapacitated them. The suspect was then able to grab the entire cash register till, carry it to the cooler room, and then steal all the paper money," the officer said. A security video camera recorded the entire incident.

It was around 11:56 p.m. when a Ballard woman heard what she thought were raccoons "going crazy on my roof." She looked in her loft and saw a burglar who had broken a window to gain entry. He ran across the roof and into a neighbor's backyard to escape. Officers found the suspect nearby. As he was being searched, the suspect kicked one officer in the shins and was quickly taken under control. At the police station, the suspect apologized, saying it was an accident and that he was just flailing after resisting arrest. "He also said that he broke the window earlier this week with the consent o f the victim. He said he knocked to get back his belongings this evening and the victim yelled profanities at him." The victim initially told police the suspect stole her pink i-Pod and later changed her story, saying the i-Pod belonged to the suspect, who was later booked into King County Jail.

The Washington State Patrol called Seattle Police requesting assistance for a person who had jumped off the Ship Canal Bridge. The Seattle Fire Department was also called. A Seattle Police Harbor Patrol unit was already in the water, helping rescue the victim. The victim was given aid at the scene before an ambulance took him to the hospital, where he later died.

When a bad guy saw a baseball cap on a middle school student's head, he knew he had to steal it and he did. The incident took place on a Metro bus. As the suspect stood up to get off the bus, he grabbed it from the victim's head and ran off. The suspect is believed to be a student at the same school.

If someone walks up to you on the street and says "hey, nice i-Pod," watch out. A 13-year-old boy was going home from school when three suspects took his i-Pod away. One suspect punched the boy. He told police he would recognize the thieves if he saw them again. The report said similar robberies have occurred in the Holman Road and 15th Avenue Northwest area recently.

Police officers were sent to the parking lot of a fast food restaurant on Market Street early one evening when a call came in regarding two men chasing each other; one was armed with a knife. Suspect one said he was having an argument with his girlfriend because she had taken his cell phone and would not give it back. Suspect one then took her purse and said he would give it back if he got his cell phone in return. The woman reportedly started yelling, "give me back my purse," as he ran away. Suspect two pulled out a knife to protect himself and ran after suspect one, thinking he had robbed the woman. By the time police arrived, the woman was gone. After talking to witnesses and interviewing those at the scene, officers determined that no crime had been committed.

Two teddy bears were stolen from a 1990 Honda Accord parked in Ballard last week. The owner's daughter saw the front passenger door slightly ajar and told her father. He came out and found no damage to the call, but the stuffed animals were long gone. The thief also made off with a bag of groceries left in the trunk. Hopefully the thief fed the bears.

Dean Wong may be reached at dino@robinsonnews.com or 783.1244.