We just received a newsletter warning of increases street robberies around the south precinct.
We have noted an increase in strong armed robberies in the South Precinct area in the past several weeks. These robberies have been in the form of necklaces being grabbed from around the victims’ neck, purse snatches, and cell phones being snatched out of victims’ hands.
In most incidents, the crime victims describe a lone male suspect, however we have incidents involving two or more male suspects and another involving one male and one female as the robbers. Based on the witness and victim descriptions, there may be several different suspects committing these robberies. The robberies have occurred most often in the afternoon-evening hours. In most cases, the robbery victim was alone or had appeared to be alone.
The victims of these crimes have noted that the suspects had either been following them or had been observing them for a short time before committing the robbery. One victim noted a suspect following her in and out of several stores. She got nervous and left one store, which is when the robber struck. Other witnesses have noted that the suspects appeared to be waiting and watching for potential victims.
You can read the Seattle Police Department community newsletter here, which includes safety tips.