Strong-arm robberies, car prowls increase

Seattle University student Caitlin Lane was walking home Oct. 16 to her apartment three blocks away from Trader Joe's on 17th Street and Madison Avenue, where she works, when a man pulled up beside her in his car and pointed a gun at her.

Lane said the man demanded she hand over her phone.

"I asked him if he really wanted my phone because it's a piece of crap," said Lane, senior graphic design major. "He asked me again and told me to give him my purse and iPod."
The man pointed the gun at her again and ordered her to walk down the street.
Lane walked home and reported the robbery to the Seattle Police Department from her roommate's phone.

Police have not yet arrested a suspect.

After a string of strong-armed thefts and muggings in the area surrounding Seattle U, Public Safety and SPD have both increased plainclothes officer patrols at all hours of the day around campus since freshman move-in day, Sept. 19.

For the month of October criminal trespasses have nearly doubled on campus with 13 occurrences, compared to eight criminal trespasses in October of 2008. Narcotics offenses are down 43 percent for the month but auto prowls on campus are up 57 percent in comparison to last year.

In July, Seattle Police reported crime was up 29 percent from last year in police beat E2—which runs from James Street to E Pike Street and 14th Avenue to Broadway. A 17 percent increase was reported for Capitol Hill overall.

Mike Sletten, director of Public Safety, described taking a "salt and pepper" approach, dotting the neighborhood with patrols.

Instances of muggings, however, have not been limited to poorly lit areas late at night.
On Oct. 4 around 9 p.m. Peter McDonnell, sophomore chemistry major, and sophomore Grant Saito were making their way back to campus from QFC when two men at Broadway and East Union Street approached them.

The men demanded both students hand over their wallets. One of the suspects grabbed Saito's arm and attempted to take his wallet out of his pants pocket.

Nick Shea, sophomore English major, ran across the street to intervene but was assaulted and robbed by the suspects. Shea was the only victim who had any items stolen.
A fourth student arrived and called police and Public Safety on her cell phone.

The two suspects who assaulted the students were picked up by two friends in a getaway vehicle. All four suspects were later arrested by police.

McDonnell—who was assaulted but had nothing stolen—said he usually felt safe walking the streets bordering Seattle U in the evening.

"It was still almost light out when we were walking back," McDonnell said. "I have never felt unsafe on Broadway."

According to Sletten, in police beat E2 an average of six or seven residential robberies have been reported every month since the beginning of the summer.

Car break-ins also continue to be a problem in the neighborhood, Sletten said, and have been increasing on campus.

"It's the GPS units that are killing us," Sletten said. "Take the Broadway garage for example. Someone walking on the street level looking down into the garage can see GPS units sitting out in the cars. It just draws people in."
Five GPS units have been stolen from cars parked on university lots since the beginning of the school year.

Sletten said he has been encouraging people to be aware of their surroundings.

For students coming home late at night, Sletten recommends taking well-lit pathways, and avoiding alleyways.

"At all times we must be very conscious," Sletten said, "We want to be safe."

Sletten said despite the increase in neighborhood crime from 2008, "the sky is not falling."