Man robs Wonderland, chased on foot for three blocks

Meghan Walker Ballard

Wonderland Gear Exchange just can’t get a break: they had yet another robbery on Wednesday, this one in broad daylight while the store was open.

Co-owner Ben Mawhinney said a man came into the store, walked around for a minute or two, then grabbed a few high-end jackets and sprinted out the store. Mawhinney raced out after the man, chasing him across the street and through traffic and south toward 77th.

“It was pretty clear I was going to catch him, so he started dropping the jackets hoping I’d stop. Eventually he dropped all of them and dashed into the neighborhood.”

They brought the gear back to the shop and then drove around the neighborhood looking for him. A bystander called police, and said they had him at the Thunderbird Tavern. “In talking with the folks who obtained him, it sounds like he ran through an alley and tried to break into someone’s house before being chased by a neighbor to Sands Showgirls, where he hid in the bathroom,” Mawhinney said. “The man who obtained him pressed chargers for attempted assault, so the perp was cuffed and carted off.”

Mawhinney added that there’s no evidence it was the same person who recently broke in to the shop (see past coverage here and here).

“We’re definitely ready for a reprieve from the excitement,” he said. “Having three incidents in the last nine days is exhausting. Hopefully word’s getting out that we’re not messing around.”

My Ballard Group member Tiana Faye took the above photo from the traffic light at 80th and 15th — she saw the whole thing happen just before 5pm on Wednesday. 

39 thoughts to “Man robs Wonderland, chased on foot for three blocks”

  2. Interesting.
    “Obtaining “ a perp, it that the non-threatening way a millennial apprehends or captures a criminal? 😆😎

    2. Kudos to the victim for pursuit and capture etc but is it worth potentially getting stabbed or shot at (like Emerald City Guitars owner) over some merchandise? It’s clear that City Hall and about 50% of the population would just hug their own muggers, so what exactly is he fighting for here?

  4. Probably not the first to say it, but perhaps selling tents and outerwear in a neighborhood filled with junkies camping everywhere is uh…

    You get the idea. Almost as bad as trying to “do something” about drug addicts in a city with weed everywhere and a “look the other way” attitude about hard drugs.

    1. Normally I think you’re an irredeemable troll but even I have to admit there’s more truth in your comment here than makes me comfortable to admit. I really feel for those guys who run the shop. I’m sure there’s no help coming from City Hall, at least based on past experience owning my own business several years ago. Hence my own crabby comments about MOB.

      1. Thanks for the backhanded compliment. I might assist you if you are being assaulted by tweakers, unless I’m feeling “woke” and smug – then I will just shrug and say it’s “Trump’s fault”. Sorry :(

        1. lol…you are triggered by the word “woke” now? pathetic. i haven’t even seen anyone on here use it besides you. your tiny vocab needs updating. perhaps you can talk to your therapist about that too.

          1. Ah, well feel free to peruse my posts. On top of your assertions about my physical size, endowment, employment and/or relationship status, this one about my vocabulary elicits the biggest laugh yet.

            You guys invented “triggered”. People like us to go the gym. Go eat your soy.

          2. why do you use the same handful of buzz words every now and then if you have such a big vocabulary?
            you also seem to claim that you’re a victim quite frequently. i told you why i used the phrase lil bucky, and you seem to have taken it several other directions for some reason. i’m glad i’m giving you laughter – you need it when all you have shown is anger. all that anger you’re harboring needs to be dealt with – again, therapy can be a positive thing my friend.

          3. Yes, I am angry the city has been ruined by naive wishful thinking to the benefit of corrupt politicos, consultants and their developer cronies.
            I wouldn’t want to be in the company of people unable to feel anger when their taxes are wasted, their businesses/homes/cars burglarized, and their loved ones assaulted. Pathetic.

          4. Hey keyboard warrior, I’ll bet if you troll a few more sites like this, people will get woke and in turn Seattle will stop dying.

          5. is there anyone in the entire country that thinks their tax dollars are spent exactly how they’d like them to be? do you think i want over half of my tax dollars to be spent on pointless wars killing innocent civilians in poor countries? do you think i want to be propping up oil companies and banks with my hard earned money? no, absolutely not, just as you don’t want yours to be spent on providing services to mentally ill and homeless individuals, because “you got yours.” but that’s how a society works. if you don’t like it, you’re free to leave society.

          6. Please move. Your excuse machine is wearing thin and anything you say here is pure BS as you ARE apparently part of the problem, and NO solutions. Just remember that when you point that finger at others, there are 3 more aimed right back at YOU. Liberalism is a mental disorder

    2. Yeah! It’s the merchant’s fault. And it is not the weed that’s causing the problems – it’s the hard drugs and needles all over that is a problem.

      1. No, it certainly isn’t the merchant’s fault, however, it’s hard not to see the direct causation here with the junkie campers stealing camping supplies etc.

        As far as a city atmosphere where it is acceptable now to openly smoke pot – saw some sketchy guy doing it on Market Street this morning in fact – can you really say with a straight face that this doesn’t contribute to the drug problem we have?

        I’m quite familiar with drug culture, and while I agreed with cannabis legalization here initially, I think now it is another addition to the “this is why we can’t have nice things” column. Addicts will use anything they can get their hands on, so yes, weed everywhere does mean junkies everywhere.

        Let’s not even talk about the absurd taxation and intentionally convoluted regulations of the industry that have discourage would-be entrepreneurs. Worst of both worlds in many ways.

        WE COULD have a nice, safe, clean, weed-friendly city but City Hall and the Junkie Industrial Complex decided that biggest priority was ROLLING BACK law enforcement. There are a few competing theories as to why they did this, but the effects are the same, nonetheless. It’s really the most stupid thing you could do in these circumstances, so of course, they did just that.

  6. Oh great, while I’m toiling at work at a retail establishment here in Ballard witnessing this same thing happen “in broad daylight” all day long over and over, that is, tent-dwelling addicts stealing anything and everything to finance whatever habit they have, my home a couple of blocks from Wonderland in the neighborhood the “thief” fled into is also now another possible target/means to what ever end the thief needs at that moment.

    Why City of Seattle are you allowing this to happen? What could you gain by allowing/encouraging this unchecked illegal behavior to continue? And let me just say, I, and others like me who work for a living in this neighborhood, are tired of being called Nimbys because we don’t want addicts pitching tents on our sidewalks, along the sides of the road, in our backyards, or in my backyard, which recently happened (true story, also it happened in “broad daylight”. I’m starting to see a pattern here…) Anyway, it’s not unreasonable to not want addicts living in tents and stealing in and from our neighborhoods. What is crazy is normalizing this behavior, accepting it. It’s not normal, and I, and a lot of people in Ballard, are not accepting it anymore.

    By the way, if you don’t live and /or work in Seattle proper, don’t bother trying to deny or argue that what I’m expressing isn’t the reality here. It is. Let me just say that again. IT IS. Even if you don’t want it to be. And, those of us who do live and/or work retail/blue collar jobs here live this reality every day with addicts running amok unchecked by law enforcement, for the most part, thanks to the City of Seattle and their unofficial “homeless policy” pushed on to the police, who I’m sure just want to do their job and police their community.

    And before you decide to judge my comment as the political rant of a cold-hearted right-wing conservative, and thereby attempt to nullify any validity it has, as so often happens when this subject is broached in Seattle, hold on to your hats folks, I AM A LIBERAL. In fact, I am one of MANY liberals who feel this same way about this situation in Seattle right now. And as a compassionate liberal, I can tell you that this entire situation in Seattle is insane. Pure insanity. Just as you wouldn’t spoil your kids and expect them to grow up and suddenly exercise self-discipline and contribute to our society in a positive way, enabling an addicts’ behavior by letting them steal and live rough on the streets does not hold them accountable to anybody or for anything they do. Like a spoiled child with no limits, discipline, or accountability, they run amok taking whatever they want and doing whatever they want to anybody that crosses their path, just like that spoiled child would. And, please don’t tell me the majority of those doing the stealing, the car prowls, the burglaries, and the other crimes aren’t addicts of some kind. They are. Remember my neighbors, my co-workers, we live it every day.

    Once again, if you don’t live this every day, don’t reply to this comment. Because those of us that do have had ENOUGH of the denials from people like you who don’t. And, if you are so certain these homeless addicts only need help and not the “toughlove” of forced intervention/rehab, then, by all means, take these addicts into your home where your valuables and your children reside, and then report back to us how that goes.
    I promise we’ll listen to you. It’s more than you, or the city of Seattle, have done for us…

    2. Holy S, somebody that THINKS like I do, and more should. “Think” being the operative word here. I don’t give an S about people’s feelings any longer here. Ignoring things is part of being a good solid Seattle liberal. Swallowing one’s pride isn’t happening any time soon. Blaming Trump is the pill they take and everything just goes away. Time to rid ourselves of the gender politics and start over here.

    3. I live near Wonderland and I’m tired of seeing trolls on here whining and calling people names. That doesn’t solve anything. I ignore UB’s rants, just like I ignore online ads. It’s the same rant every time and no solutions. There’s no reason to read UB’s or other troll comments. Same tired rants day in and day out.

      What are your (and the trolls) solutions to the problem? You can’t keep people out of the city and/or Ballard. Ultimately any solution will cost money and you can’t lock them up forever. Perhaps you and UB should step up and run for mayor or city council, if you want the problems to be solved.

      1. multimodal,
        So you’re tired of ‘trolls calling people names’ yet you use the term troll three times in this post. Interesting. But you do ask the right question about what are the solutions to the problems in Seattle.

        Here are some of my suggested solutions- which I have posted before:
        Enforce the existing laws of Seattle. The no-loitering laws to keep sidewalks and pathways clear and safe. No camping in city parks, planting strips or greenbelts. No public defecation. Parking ordinance enforcement. No operating unlicensed and unsafe motor vehicles. No dealing illegal drugs or using them in public and no dumping of dangerous drug paraphernalia.

        Feel free to disagree and please add to the list if you wish!

  8. Instead of some of you attacking each other constantly has any of you thought about offering some solutions to our drug and homeless and mental illness problems. I never see any solutions offered here, just anger and frustration with the problem. Admittingly I don’t have the answers to these problems but I have a few possible ideas to combat this but I’m not sure if I want to express them on here without ridicule. Anyways, you people that are always on here are free to offer some of your solutions. I want to hear them, come on, don’t be shy.

    1. If you bemoan the lack of solutions, and say you have some to propose but don’t because someone may disagree? You’re just noise.

    2. i would start by enforcing existing laws regarding open drug use, drug dealing, drug possession, parking, current tabs, vehicles having emissions checked/insurance, shoplifting, camping on public right of ways.

      i know you will say that is mean or something, but really, laws are there for everyone in a society to follow – rich, poor, short, tall, etc.

      i don’t think that is much to ask. it doesn’t “criminalize” homelessness. it criminalizes being a criminal.

  9. What was left out of this article, is that the man fleeing, after he was caught hiding in the restroom and escorted out by the good samaritan, took a dirty needle out of his pocket and tried to stab the Samaritan saying “I’m HIV positive”. So thank you good samaritan for having the guts to chase this person down.

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