September Police Blotter

Another hazing incident, but it was pretty quite otherwise

It was at about this time last year that police were called to the area near Madison Park's "Beaver Lodge Sanctuary" (at 37th Avenue E. and E. McGilvra) to investigate a hazing incident involving Garfield students. Although there were post-event admonishments and disciplinary actions by the school's principal after that incident, it became apparent this fall that those earlier attempts to change behavior did not have long-lasting impact on many students at Garfield. This year's incident, which occurred on the evening of September 27 near and on Foster Island, was bigger and more extreme.  We'll let the the principal, Ted Howard, do the story telling:

"I spent the afternoon with [SPD] Officer Radford and many other officers walking through the Arboretum.  One hundred or more Garfield students were participating in hazing incidents, drinking hard alcohol and beer.  Students were being paddled, had on diapers, eggs were being thrown at students and shoe polish was all over their body.  As students ran and scattered from the scene they caused  at least one,  maybe more car accidents due to running in front of cars.  I was also called a “Nigger” by a student and many other derogatory names."

This is front the principal's email to Garfield parents asking, "Do you know where your son or daughter is?"  He continues,

"I ask that question because I want you to know that we all have a responsibility to keep our kids safe.  We all work hard to make sure they learn life lessons and make better decisions. Tonight some of our students didn’t make good decisions.  If students were there to watch,  cause harm to another student or behave inappropriately this impacts the entire GHS community and puts the GHS community in a negative light."

Howard did more than just ask parents to get involved.  He suspended eleven students for up to 20 days for their behavior.  Nine of these have appealed their suspensions and two others were exonerated and their suspensions lifted.  The school district, according to one report, is developing "new strategies" to eliminate hazing at Garfield.  The existing ones, quite clearly, haven't quite worked.

*****

Meanwhile, crime in Madison Park was in it typical post-summer lull, though the victims probably didn't appreciate that fact.  There was one house break-in, which occurred on the 1200 block of 39th Avenue E. on the afternoon of September 16.  In that incident the victims called police to report that one of them had been in the kitchen of their house when he heard a noise in the living room.  He went to investigate and discovered a black male suspect who had opened an outside door and was about to enter the residence.  The suspect claiming to be looking for a friend but promptly fled the scene though the victim's backyard and ran down the alley to his vehicle, a maroon-colored Chevy Impala, which was parked at E.Lee St. Although the police arrived on the scene quickly, they were unable to track the vehicle, which had fled westbound "at a high rate of speed."  Both victims, one of whom had engaged in a chase of the suspect, said they got a good look at him and would be able to identify him if they saw him again. Interestingly, one of the victims of this break-in had previously had her purse stolen in a car prowl and was advised by police (after the home break-in) that a suspect had been arrested who was in possession of her stolen credit cards.  The suspect in that case, however, had been booked and released before officers could question him about the break-in at the victim's house.  The SPD was, presumably, planning to follow up.

There were also three car prowls reported in the neighborhood during September: one on the 3300 block of E. Shore Drive in Broadmoor on September 7, one on the 3800 block of E. Highland Drive on September 28, and one of the 500 block of Hillside Drive E. on September 17.  Car thefts took place, surprisingly, on the 2300 block of Broadmoor Drive E. on September 1, and on the 2400 block of 38th Avenue E. on September 5. There were also several incidents of credit card fraud (the dollar-sign icons on the map above) and thefts from buildings (the dollar-bill icons).

It didn't happen here (a monthly feature):

"Bizarre-acting male" in "excited delirium" arrest

By Detective Rene Witt (from SPD Blog)

Two officers were transported to [Harborview Medical Center] for minor injuries, following an assault. On 9/6/13, just shortly after 11:00 p.m., officers were on routine patrol when an unidentified citizen flagged them down in the 1100 block of E. Union St.  He pointed out a white male and told the officers that the man was “acting crazy”. At that time the “crazy acting” man approached two people on the street and confronted them. The officers saw the suspect throw a punch at the people. The officers intervened and the suspect took a fighting stance. The officers attempted to arrest the man and he began to fight and throw punches at the officers.  The officers were able to arrest him.  All three went to HMC for treatment. One officer suffered a sore right knee and a cut on his right hand.  The second officer suffered a bruised right hand.

Here's what the incident report had to say about the 31-year-old suspect:

"Based on [the suspect's] behavior, i.e. bizarre, violent, paranoia/hallucination, profuse sweating, disturbance in breathing pattern, superhuman strength, shouting, screaming, keening (animal noises), officers believed he was possibly showing symptoms of excited delirium and having a medical emergency."  According to the Capitol Hill blog, the suspect, after a stint at Harborview, was arraigned, shown to have an extensive criminal record, was wanted on an escape warrant, and was held on $50,000 bail.