We just got off the phone with Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Dana Vander Houwen, who confirmed that arson was the cause of two big fires in Pinehurst over the weekend.

The first fire was set in a garage behind a vacant home the 12300 block of 16th Ave NE at about 3:45 p.m. on Saturday. Vander Houwen says the house was scheduled for demolition.

Yesterday, at about 2:30 p.m., someone set another...

Again from the Blotter:

On February 8th at about 12:50 AM, two men were reportedly drinking at a tavern in the 2300 Block of Eastlake Avenue East.  The two got into a verbal argument.  The suspect had promised to walk one of the employees home, and got up to do so.  The victim reportedly grabbed at her and followed the two of them outside and across the street.  At that point, the suspect removed his belt and began swinging it above his head.  The suspect struck the victim twice with...

From the Blotter:

On February 8th, at approximately 12:30 AM, officers from the North Precinct responded to a call of several people shooting what they believed was a rifle from the roof of a business in the 8900 Block of Aurora Avenue North.  Officers arrived and observed what appeared to be four individuals on the roof of the business with a pellet rifle shooting it toward Aurora.   The building was contained, and three of the suspects were taken into custody without incident.  The fourth...

The city's Public Safety Civil Service Commission has ruled that the department's firing of former Officer Eric Werner for dishonesty was too harsh.

Instead of walking papers, the Seattle Times says Werner will get:

a 30-day suspension, which will mean a deduction from his back pay.

...

Kids are Former students are jerks.

From the PI.com :

A 22-year-old Seattle man is facing felony charges following allegations from his ex girlfriend -- and former middle school teacher -- that he attempted to extort money from her.

According to charging documents, the 47-year-old woman told Seattle police her former student, Jonathan Wendale Williams, had become increasingly erratic in recent weeks and threatened to make false claims of molestation to the Seattle Public Schools superintendent.

Big house fire earlier today in the 2200 block of Ne 125th St. We've heard that arson investigators were on scene and that police may be looking for a suspect.

Someone in the comments at Pinehurstseattle says:

Police have been searching the neighborhood for a man in his 50’s wearing a black hoodie, blue jacket and black pants.

We'll update when we hear more.

Police are investigating a shooting at Rainier and 52nd. Sounds like one person was injured. More info on the way.

UPDATE: Victim is on the way to Harborview. The shot went through the victim's arm and grazed his chest. Medics have called for a blood run, which means the patient's probably lost a lot of blood.

Update 2: Medics may actually be transporting the suspect. There was also mention of an...

We Tweeted about a "help the officer" car in South Seattle last night. Now SPD's released some details about the incident:

Out favorite tipster, Silver, tells us that a man was robbed while sitting inside of a Lake City port-o-potty a few minutes ago.

The man was sitting in the portable toilet at 125th and Lake City when another man opened the door, took his bag, and ran off.

The suspect is an Indian male wearing glasses and an orange shirt.

Police are investigating yet another robbery near Westcrest Park in West Seattle after a group of masked men tried to rob two women at gunpoint last weekend.

Just before 1:00 a.m. on January 31st, the two victims were walking on 8th Ave SW and SW Henderson street when they heard a car pull up down the street near the park and saw three Hispanic men—all wearing black bandannas over their faces—get out and walk towards them. Two of the men were armed with handguns, and one of the men in the group pointed...

From the PI.Com:

Just before 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Seattle police were called to the 5600 block of Martin Luther King, Jr., Way South following a report that a half-naked man running into the street.

Arriving at the scene, officers found said man, his pants removed and his underwear riding low on his thighs, according to charging documents. The man, later identified as Marcus Phillips Robinson,...

Four Ingraham High School students are likely facing some hefty time in detention after they were busted breaking in to a car near their school last week.

At about 10:00...

A memorial service for a homeless woman who was found dead at a marina in Ballard last month turned ugly after one attendee punched out a woman at the service.

Police were called to a funeral home at 20th Ave NW and NW 57th Street at about 1:30 p.m. last Friday after, a police report says, a man grabbed a woman at the service by the hair and punched her in the head, knocking her unconscious. The man also reportedly told several witnesses "She'll be dead by tonight."...

From the Blotter:

On February 4th at approximately 10:00 PM, West Precinct Anti-Crime Team officers were conducting surveillance underneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct in response to community concerns about carprowls.  At around that time, officers observed a female and a male looking into parked cars.  The officers then saw the pair inside a Subaru Outback.  The license plate of that car came back as a stolen.  Officers contacted the two inside the car.  The female was seated in the front...

A homeless man was almost stabbed and robbed last Friday by several residents of the Jungle.

At about 6:45 p.m. on January 29th, police received a call about a disturbance between two men, one of whom was armed with a knife, at Airport Way S and S. Holgate St.

According to a police report, the victim—who recently moved from Florida to Seattle looking for work —told police he has been...

Lots of cops—especially those that frequently deal with thefts and burglaries—will tell you that Craigslist is the bane of their existence. This is why:

Jan-27-2010

I spoke with on the phone [with the victim], he said told me that sometime last week after Jan 14 his bike was stolen from his work. He later found his bike for sale on Craigslist. He was in contact with the person who...

Two men say they were the victims of a gaybashing on Capitol Hill last weekend.

According to a police report, two men were walking on 11th Avenue and East Pine Street at about 2:15 on Saturday morning when they passed two other men, both carrying skateboards, on the street.

As they walked by the skateboarders, one of the men said "hey cutie" because, the report says, "they thought the two suspects...

Two men were injured at a Roosevelt apartment complex last week in a violent assault sparked by a two-decade-old drug debt.

According to a police report, at about 10:45 on January 26th, a man walked into a restaurant at NE 65th St and 15th Ave NE bleeding from his head and told the restaurant's manager that he'd been assaulted outside of his home by a man with a hammer. The man had a jagged cut on his forehead and his clothes were covered with blood.

From the Blotter:

On February 3rd, at approximately 9:42 pm, West Precinct officers responded to a call of an intruder in a residence in the 2900 Block of West McGraw Street.  The suspect was described as a white male, mid-thirties, wearing a blue baseball cap and jeans.  By the time the first officer arrived there was another call from a neighbor stating that a person matching that description may have attempted that residence as well.  Officers located the suspect in the backyard and took him into...

Police say a South Seattle middle school student was attacked and threatened with a knife in a gang-related incident last Friday.

The boy was walking through the Safeway parking lot at Martin Luther King Jr Way and Othello at about 9:30 a.m. when a group of three teens confronted him and asked what gang he was in. The boy tried to walk away from the group who, the report says, demanded he "stop disrespecting them." 

Police are investigating a bizarre burglary at a Leschi home last month after a woman reported that a number of items had disappeared from her home over several weeks.

On January 28th, police were called to a home in the 3800 block of E Superior Street to take a report. The homeowner told officers the house had been vacant while it was under construction, but when she'd been in the house over the last few weeks she had found that some of her things had gone missing or had been rearranged in the home....

A woman reported that she was attacked by a man in his Interbay apartment last month after she refused to have sex with him. A police report says the woman—who was recently arrested for prostitution and is homeless—accompanied the man to a party at his apartment in the 3800 block of 14 AV W on January 27th. After the party, the woman slept on the man's couch. The report says she was awoken in the middle of the night by the man—described in the report as a white male with an eye patch—who, the woman told police, put "his thing in [her] face" and kicked and punched her when she "wouldn't put out." After taking...

Two teens were beaten and robbed near Gameworks late last month in what police believe was a gang-related robbery.

Just after midnight on January 29th, the teens were leaving Gameworks when they were confronted by a group of 8-10 men at 6th and Pine, who demanded their money.

As the teens reached into their pockets, several members of the group attacked them, striking both boys in the head. The...

Seattle police search warrant documents say a double murder at a Northgate townhome last month was drug-related, and that police have received information that a man who survived the robbery-tuned-double-homicide may have planned the crime.

On January 11th, police were called to the townhome in the 1400 block of Northgate Way, and found two victims, Franklin Wood and Andis Petersons, who had both been shot. Police records say Wood was in the home's kitchen and had sustained a gunshot wound to the thigh. Petersons was...

After several months of investigation, Seattle police have busted a NFL jersey counterfeiting ring in North Seattle.

In October, Vice Unit detectives received a complaint about counterfeit jerseys being sold on Craigslist and around Seattle stadiums. Police—working with NFL representatives to figure out whether the jerseys were in fact bogus—went undercover and purchased a jersey from their suspect.

We've finally been able to track down a bit of information about a series of narcotics stings in the East Precinct last Thursday night.

We're told that police arrested five men and women during undercover buy/bust operations—purchasing narcotics from dealers and then arresting them, just like it sounds—at 23rd and Union, 12th and Jefferson, and Broadway and E John Street. Police also recovered 7.3 grams of crack cocaine.

King County prosecutors have charged a Magnolia man with malicious harassment, Washington's hate crime statute, for allegedly threatening passengers on a Metro bus in Ballard.

From the PI.Com:

According to police statements regarding the Jan. 27 incident, David A. Moore approached the passengers and repeatedly asked them to move. As the trip continued, Moore allegedly threatened each of them....

We Tweeted a bit about a big search for several robbers in South Seattle last night, and lo and behold we wake up to find that SPD's caught 'em. (Seriously, are you following @Seacrime on Twitter? Get on that!)

From the Blotter:

On February 2nd at approximately 11:00 pm, South Precinct officers responded to a 911 call from the clerk of a mini-mart in the 7900 Block of Renton Avenue South. ...

This morning's report is fairly old. We swear it wasn't released very long ago, though).

Police were called to SW Holden St and Highland Park WY SW at about 10:00 a.m. on January 22nd after neighbors reported that one man had chased another man down an alley, wielding a pair of nunchuks. When two witnesses—who were in a vehicle—tried to intervene, the nunchuk-wielding man smashed...

An SPD SWAT team shut down traffic in the 3000 block of NW 63rd in Ballard this afternoon as police served a warrant at a nearby home.

Police were looking for a man suspected in at least 10 pharmacy robberies.

A tipster at the scene emailed Seattlecrime.com earlier to day and said police "had one man cuffed and against the side of the car. I heard one say that there was only one person in the house...

King County Prosecutors have charged Abdi Ali Abukar for allegedly assaulting a King County Superior Court judge with a shoe during a hearing last month.

According to court records, on January 13th Abukar was in court when he became agitated, made "a loud statement in a foreign language"—saying he "needed to get out of jail"—and hurled a jail-issued orange sandal at Judge Palmer Robinson.

A female cyclist was injured in a collision with a patrol car at 12th and Jackson at about 8:45 a.m. this morning.

We're still working to get details on the incident, but it appears the cyclist sustained a broken leg in the crash.

SPD traffic investigators are on-scene.

UPDATE: SPD says the female cyclist is 59 years old and sustained "possible neck and back injuries." The officer involved in the collision was not injured.

A woman was attacked during an attempted robbery outside of a downtown gym, a police report says.

The woman was walking out of the 24 Hour Fitness on Yale and Stewart on January 25th when a man—described in the report as a black male, 50-55 years old, 5'06", 180 lbs, with a full beard, wearing a blue baseball cap and a lightweight black jacket—approached her. The report says the man "was mumbling something unintelligible" as he approached the woman. He then pushed her into a brick wall and punched her...

Never get too attached to your stuff. Case in point: after running around Greenlake last week, two women returned to their car and found that someone had pried open their passenger door, gas tank, and trunk, and stole their purses. The women reported seeing a suspicious man who pulled up next to them as they were getting out of their car, but didn't give police much of a description. The thief apparently tried to use one woman's bank card shortly thereafter. It's possible the thief was captured on video surveillance.

According to Capitolhillseattle.com, police arrested two men early this morning following a standoff at the Joule apartments construction site.

The first call for officers to respond around 3:20 AM reported two suspicious men were somewhere inside the project. Two white males in light shirts, one wearing a knit hat, were spotted by video security at the site, according to police radio transmissions.

...

 A 24-year-old Woodinville man who received $10,000 from the city in 2008 to settle a police brutality claim was arrested again over the weekend after, police say, he threatened to kill someone near the Pike Place Market.

iPhone/iPod theft is all-too-common, and this latest incident on a Metro bus on Capitol Hill is a good reminder to be aware of what's going on around you if you've got your phone—or any other pricey electronic equipment—out in public.

Just before efore 8:00 p.m. on January 25th, a man reported that he was sitting near the back door of the Metro bus when it stopped at Broadway and Denny. Another man ran up to him, grabbed his iPhone out of his hand, and ran off the bus towards Cal Anderson Park.

The bus was not equipped with a camera and the man didn't get a good look at the robber, so police weren't able to get much information about the suspect.

Two from the SPD Blotter:

On January 31st, at approximately 9:13 pm, South Precinct officers responded to a burglary alarm at a car dealership located in the 2000 Block of Airport Way South.  As officers were arriving at the location, one officer observed a man attempting to elude her as she arrived.  The officer detained the man in the parking lot while she waited for backup officers to arrive and he was taken into custody.  The suspect had multiple tools with him that belonged to the dealership,...

Police arrested a man on Capitol Hill last week after he assaulted a woman involved in a bad drug deal, a police report says.

On January 26th, an officer on patrol near Bellevue Ave and E Olive Street spotted a fight and pulled over to find out what was going on. Witnesses told police a man had punched a woman in the face and run off.

According to the report, the man approached the woman, yelled...

SPD gang units were called to the scene of a shooting near a South Seattle grocery store this evening.

Early reports indicate one man was shot in the head near Saar's Market at Rainier and Henderson.

The victim was alert and conscious when police arrived. Witnesses told officers that a group of young men—described as three black males, one of whom was wearing a red sweatshirt—were responsible for the shooting.

We'll post more as we get it.

Police are investigating a possible stabbing this morning after man in his 50s or 60s was attacked in Pioneer Square.

Police received a call at about 11:40 that a man was down on street. Officers arrived and found the man, who had cuts on his face. Police initially believed he'd been assaulted with a knife.

Medics arrived and treated the man. We haven't heard whether he was taken to the hospital or released from the scene. No word on any suspects. We'll post more info when we get it.

Seattle police surrounded a 7-11 in the 900 block of Leary Way around 11:00 p.m. Saturday night after a man walked into the store with a gun. Patrol officers, SWAT units and negotiators quickly surrounded the store. The man was alone inside.

Officers saw the man exhibiting strange behavior throughout the evening. At one point, he light up a pipe, and shortly thereafter found a broom or mop and began cleaning a corner of the store.

We'll post more on this as it develops. You can also follow the story on our Twitter feed: @Seacrime

A police report released this week provides a bit of insight into what may have motivated a man to rob the Wedgwood Homestreet Bank on 82nd and 35th NE on Monday.

The report says the man entered the bank at about 10:00 a.m., walked up to the counter, and pulled a black handgun out of his waistband. The man demanded money from a teller, and told her, "I wouldn't do this if my kid weren't sick" and "I don't want to hurt anyone."

The teller handed over the money and the robber fled the bank.

The case is being investigated by SPD's robbery unit.

Seattle police are investigating a case of internet bullying at a Beacon Hill middle school after a student was brutally attacked by a classmate last week.

A police report...

Sometimes you just don't want to pay to park.

On January 25th, a driver pulled up to the booth near the garage exit on 2nd and Seneca and the attendant stepped out to collect payment. Instead of pulling out his wallet, a police report says the driver pulled forward, "crashing through the down barrier." The attendant chased after the driver, who slowed down, rolled down his window, and pulled out what the attendant believed was a gun.