Police activity near Limback Lumber on Market Street Tuesday afternoon prompted several people to email us. According to Seattle Police, a Magnolia man arrived home around 2 p.m. and found the front door open and his place ransacked. Instead of going inside, he called police to investigate. Once the cops had determined the house was empty, the homeowner went to a nearby coffee shop to wait for them to finish processing the scene.
At the coffee shop, the man saw two males walking westbound on Dravus. One was carrying a backpack similar to the victim’s, the other carrying a camera similar to one that was just stolen. The suspects got on a Metro bus heading to Ballard and the victim followed at a safe distance, giving the police dispatcher updates along the way. The police converged in both marked and unmarked vehicles, arresting the suspects on the 2600 block of Market. The two have been booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Burglary. (Thanks everyone for the tips!)
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This is BRILLIANT! This is what we need to do more of. Monitor for ourselves. With cell phones and cell phone cameras we should form public/police partnerships via the web to follow up on recent crimes and help the police corner the perpetrators. Well done!
Burglars making their getaway on the metro bus just doesn't seem right. Shouldn't they be squealing the tires in a stolen Subaru?
no, these criminals were concerned about their carbon footprint.
kudos to the theft victim for following up!
It's disturbing that they came to Ballard. Looking for their fence or drug connection? Do they live here? Looking to hook up with other hood rats?
Why has Ballard become a haven for these wack-jobs?
Anyway, it's very fortunate that the owner spotted them, it's very likely that they would never have been apprehended.
Our apologies to Magnolia, seems our Ballard Bums are spreading their joy far and wide.
yahoo!! i love these kind of outcomes!!
I bet the guy did a spit take when he saw his backpack and camera! And I can't believe the 911 operator wasn't on his case about following the perps. I glad he did!
I'll bet the operator was. I would have kept following them, too! ;-) The operators sorta have to do that. It's probably a legal CYA thing.
Wish I'd been home to hear this one!! Dangit!
They also caught the dental office burglar in Oregon. See the SPD blog site.
Wow, pretty sad when the people have to do the job of the police here.
Also, no surprise that its related to the criminal element which has proliferated throughout Ballard in the past 2-3 years. I know I know, the naysayers will say “its just perception due to bloggers!”.
Guess vigilantism is the way to go.
I guess there's no one good left to rob in Ballard and folks have to come to Magnolia now, eh?
I saw on another seattle crime blog that the two suspects were returning to the shelter with the stolen goods. Nice to see that the shelters harbor criminals.
Which shelter?
Ha! This is good news indeed. Nice work, citizen!
Also: kudos to the police for taking his call seriously. How sad would it have been if the guy tailed the burglars, only to lose them in a crowd. The speedy response from the cops put these guys behind bars.
Interesting to see just what the records of these fine perps was/is and just how fast they got outta the poky? At least that shelter asks a lot of questions! Not sure about the food though. One thing for sure is; next time I see a crime I am getting coffee!
Don't you wish every burglary story ended like this?
Well, I for one am shocked…the shelter screens their guests, right????
Nope, they'll still be out too soon, back at it in no time.
I'd rather the police had 'seen' a weapon…
So some posts here are saying they were nabbed on their way “back the shelter”. Has that been confirmed? It's exactly what I would have expected, but would like to hear confirmation before going there. If so, which shelter?
No, that would be unamerican.
Actually, I'd prefer if more burglary stories ended with the perps getting shot by the police. Not fatally, of course…
or a homeowner, at least they'd have SOMETHING to be worried about.
Well, I was actually refering to the thrill of tracking your own perps across town and witnessing the arrest. I'd want my story to end like that. But if you guys want to talk about shootin' people, knock yourselves out.
EXCELLENT! I'd love to know the sordid details, if indeed these miscreants came from a Ballard shelter.
“Why has Ballard become a haven for these wack-jobs?”
Why? Because the bleeding hearts among us have opened our neighborhood as Belltown North Annex to every bum/felon on parole in the city, what with all the homeless shelters, that's why. I'd guess for every one person “down on their luck” due to the economy, there are 100 ex-cons taking advantage of our good will.
kitty kat wrote: “Wow, pretty sad when the people have to do the job of the police here.”
Exactly what part of the police's job did this guy do?
Was it calling 911 when he discovered his house was robbed?
Or maybe it was when he happened to stumble upon the perpetrators and recognize his own belongings?
He certainly was able to help the police apprehend the perpetrators, but only as a result of the fact that he was lucky enough to stumble upon the perpetrators in the first place.
Please don't uses this as an opportunity to bash the police or question their efficacy or dedication to their job. In no way did the police do anything wrong nor neglect to to their jobs.
Unless it was the police's job to guard his house against break-ins?
The police did exactly what they were supposed to do.
ALRIGHT! NICE! I love happy endings. And sweet revenge maybe a little.
If the shots aren't fatal, the police aren't very effective shooters. If a police officer feels compelled to shoot, it is NEVER to wound. It is to “stop” – to kill. One of the rules of discharging your weapon is to not shoot at anything you are not willing to kill. That applies to everyone, police or not.
That being said, I don't think and am not saying that property crimes should warrant the death penalty.
Most likely WA will just release two more criminals early to make room for these two.
#1 – it was a lucky coincidence that the victim saw his stuff (even if police had been nearby they wouldn't have stopped them as they were just carrying a backpack and a camera.
#2 – it wasn't really vigilantism – he didn't beat them or anything (thank goodness) he followed at a safe distance and called authorities
I wouldn't say the police didn't do their job in this case – they caught them so kudos to all involved
How many homeless shelters are there in Ballard?
Too many.
Come on folks, has anyone here ever called 911 and said “zomg, these guys robbed me, I'm following them to see where they're going”.
You know what the 911 dispatcher is going to tell you? Hang up, don't follow them and provide a description. The police or any dispatcher is NOT going to condone following anyone – there are serious liabilities with a dispatcher or a police officer consenting or asking a victim/caller/anyone to follow anyone.
Even if you called up to report where they are at a given moment, the police response is not going to immediate. Remember, the only immediate response is going to be where violence or the threat of violence is at play.
It was pure luck that this good resident had things turn out the way they did.
Yes, Washington state law enforcement has had some serious blows in the past few months with regards to attacks on officers. There is street thug mentality that is OK with hating on police officers and wishing them ill (as seen by the furious styles t-shirts that glamorize one cop killer). But people, lets not get off course here:
Our police department is stretched ultra thin and sadly, they aren't complaining publicly about it. I have no idea why, I can only assume the senior echelons of the police department want to keep a smiling face and retain their jobs (especially with a new mayor coming on). Someone has to highlight this issue, which is probably difficult given that certain areas of the city are complaining about excessive force and police brutality.
Also what does not help is that the homeless situation in Ballard isn't good. I've hung out with some of the crew at the 7/11 a few times and have learned a ton (I bought them some 40z's, but it was worth it). Basically the word across the Seattle area is Ballard is the new hot spot and the police aren't as active as other areas (Belltown). The shelters are open and lax and few people call the police if they're a nuisance in the area. They also talked about the criminal element that's moved in, not just the transients and drifters, but also two street gangs (interestingly enough, the street gangs are the ones trying to keep the peace and property crimes down – its the transients who bring that). The street gangs (not really well organized, mostly wannabes) just focus on selling drugs and want little crime to continue their business without any noise.
kittykat wrote: “I've hung out with some of the crew at the 7/11 a few times and have learned a ton (I bought them some 40z's, but it was worth it). Basically the word across the Seattle area is Ballard is the new hot spot and the police aren't as active as other areas (Belltown).”
It's also apparently the spot where the homeless can easily get people to buy booze for them…
It was “worth it” to buy them some 40's? Really?
What is the law in WA state, can I shoot an intruder?
vig·i·lan·te
noun
1. One who takes or advocates the taking of law enforcement into one's own hands.
2. A member of a vigilance committee.
Following a suspect across multiple communities (Magnolia -> Interbay -> Ballard) all the way up until arrest I would imagine is a job law enforcement should be doing. Not saying what this person did was wrong (I'd do the same thing), but they clearly doing the job which is law enforcement. They took it into their own hands to follow the person and report their position to law enforcement/dispatchers. I don't see anything about violence in the entry for vigilante.
The word vigilante must trigger some Death Wish / Charles Bronson flashbacks I guess in this crowd. Perhaps you should consult with the dictionary, rather than your pop-culture one.
There's a big difference between people who are living in the streets, roughing it, getting by day by day versus those out to rob the community and be a nuisance.
Why do we have stupid shows like Survivor? If you want to see true survivors, look to the streets.
Anyone whose been around Ballard long enough (before the emo, lady-jean wearing hipsters rolled up) knows who the old timers are on the streets. They don't cause a fuss and they're generally nice people just trying to get by.
I guess its easier for you to stereotype and say anyone not in a Sip-and-Ship t-shirt that says “Ballard” with a hipster red star on the front is clearly smoking the rock that is made from crack.
Following the perp for identification purposes is not enforcement.
It is incredible dangerous to have the bad luck of encountering a criminal in your house. It didn't happen here, but it does, and the scum bag burglars subjected this guy, and his family, and his pets to an unlikely but awful risk he and his family did not sign up for.
Home is a man's castle, corny but true. I'm impressed this guy only followed the burglars — I'd feel like I deserved a medal for not ambushing them with something blunt and rusty, taking back my stuff, and never telling the cops a thing.
great about the happy ending – must have been very satisfying!