Saturday, June 19, 2010

Teen girl arrested for armed robbery KOMO-TV STAFF

KOMO-TV STAFF

A teenage girl was arrested Friday afternoon after she and two others robbed a boy of $20 at gunpoint, but the other suspects are still at large.

Seattle police were called to an apartment complex at Rainier and Fontanelle a little before 4 p.m. on a report of an armed robbery. The victim told officers that he was walking through the complex when three people, a male and two females, approached him. He said the male grabbed him and demanded, "give me something", while one of the females displayed a handgun.

The victim gave the male $20, after which he was let go. He then ran home and called 911 to report the incident.

Soon after, officers spotted a teen girl at Rainier and Myrtle who matched the description given by the victim. She was contacted and arrested without incident. The handgun, which was discovered to be an airsoft pellet gun, was also recovered in the arrest. She was taken to the Youth Service Center.

A search of the area failed to turn up the other two suspects.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Felon charged in fatal shooting of 12-year-old boy in Skyway

A felon who police say fatally shot a 12-year-old boy in Skyway after mistaking him for someone else was charged with first-degree murder Thursday.

By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times staff reporter

A felon who police say fatally shot a 12-year-old boy in Skyway after mistaking him for someone else was charged Thursday with first-degree murder.

Curtis Walker, 35, was arrested last month after King County sheriff's investigators told the state Department of Corrections that the man might have a firearm in his possession. Walker, who was on probation and forbidden from having firearms, was arrested at his Des Moines home on May 14, according to Chad Lewis, spokesman for the Department of Corrections (DOC).

The Prosecutor's Office held a news conference Thursday morning to announce the murder charge.

Alajawan Brown had just gotten off a Metro bus on April 29 and was walking in the parking lot of the Cedar Village Apartments, 6230 S. 129th St., when he was struck by gunfire. The boy ran to a nearby 7-Eleven, where he died.

Authorities said Walker mistakenly believed Alajawan was someone he had a dispute with when he opened fire in the parking lot. Authorities say that a total of 20 gunshots were fired, striking Alajawan and an unidentified man.

That man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and survived.

It's unclear who shot that man.

According to court records, Walker was convicted in June 2006 of fourth-degree assault, harassment, drug possession and illegal possession of a firearm. According to a Seattle police report, he told his girlfriend that he was "a contract killer" and then threatened to kill her because she knew too much.

Police had found a semi-automatic handgun and cocaine rocks in his sweatpants pocket, prosecutors said. Officers also found marijuana in a pocket of his vest, charging papers said.

Walker pleaded guilty and was given a Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA), in which a portion of his prison sentence was suspended so he could attend treatment. He was also ordered to serve probation.

Walker also has four prior convictions for assault, as well as convictions for drug possession, malicious mischief, reckless endangerment, harassment, obstruction, trespassing and violation of a protection order, according to charging documents filed in King County Superior Court.

Walker was arrested by the DOC last month for violating the terms of his probation, Lewis said. Probation officers confronted the man at his home after King County sheriff's deputies notified corrections officials that they had seen him on some sort of video with a gun, Lewis said.

Since May, Walker has been held at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton and was sentenced by the DOC to remain behind bars until Sept. 4.

During a prayer vigil on May 5, Louketa Brown, one of Alajawan's six siblings, and other family members described the victim as a boy who loved family, drumming and playing football with his Renton Area Athletic Association football team, the Renton Rangers. He was returning home after buying football cleats when he was killed.

Information from Seattle Times archives is included in this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com

Bellevue Police nab axe-wielding man who smashed collection agency

By BELLEVUE REPORTER

Bellevue police last night arrested the man who allegedly smashed the front door of a local collection agency with an axe Tuesday morning.

Police responded to multiple 911 calls about the incident around 9:30 a.m. and began searching for the suspect with help from a K9 team and a King County Sheriff's helicopter.

A receptionist at the collection agency, located in an office park on the 1400 block of 114th Ave. SE, saw the man hitting the door and side glass panes. Shards of glass flew across the room and hit her.

The suspect returned to his workplace in Kent and told coworkers what he had done, police said. Employees at the aerospace-related company heard reports of the incident and called authorities.

Detectives arrested the man without incident. He confessed to the crime and showed officers the axe, which was in the bushes by his office, according to police.

The suspect also admitted to spray painting the word "shyster" on the street in front of the home of one of the collection agency's employees, police said.

Records indicate the man was upset about his wages being garnished, according to police. He is in King County Jail and will be charged later this week.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Suspected squatter of $3.2 million Kirkland home arrested for criminal trespass

By CARRIE WOOD
KIRKLAND REPORTER

Kirkland Police have arrested a 30-year-old woman suspected of squatting in a $3.2 million waterfront home in Kirkland.

The woman was arrested at the home, located at 435 Eighth Ave. West, and booked in the City of Kirkland jail Tuesday.

The house located in the Market neighborhood, was at the center of a dispute between the woman, a Bellevue real estate agent and the bank.

The woman, who moved into the home more than a week ago, told police and neighbors that she owned the home. The women showed police false documents when they came to the house to investigate on June 6, said Kirkland Detective Allan O’Neill.

A thorough investigation of tax logs, utility bills and asset records revealed that First Citizens Bank is the lawful owner of the home. The bank served the woman an eviction notice last week and on Tuesday, Kirkland Police arrived at the residence with bank officials to assist in returning the home back over to the bank.

When police arrived, the woman was not in the house, but she arrived shortly after and was arrested for criminal trespass and booked into jail.

The Reporter will update this story as more details become available.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Homicide probe after dead man found in burning home

KOMO-TV STAFF

A man was found dead inside a Spanaway duplex early Sunday after crews responded to a fire there, and the Sheriff's Office is investigating the death as a homicide.

Crews from Central Pierce Fire & Rescue responded to the scene, in the 300 block of Field Road East in Spanaway, at about 1 a.m.

The fire was a minor one and was quickly extinguished - but crews found the body of a 21-year-old man inside the home who had suffered a violent death, said Pierce County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ed Troyer.

The man was already dead before the fire started, and Troyer said it appears he was killed and then the fire was started by the killer in an attempt to cover it up.

According to family members at the scene, the victim's throat was slit, but officials would not confirm the cause of death, other than to say it was violent - but not a gunshot wound.

Troyer said one or two possible suspects have been identified, and no arrests have been made. He said the motive is under investigation.

But family members told KOMO News that the victim may have been killed in a dispute over a woman.

The woman who owns the duplex was not there because she is currently at Western State Hospital, according to family members.

Family members also said that the 21-year-old victim had attended a barbecue at a friend's house on Saturday night, but the host asked him to leave after he became drunk and obnoxious.

The man left the barbecue without incident, and an hour or two later he was found dead inside the Spanaway duplex.
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