RAINIER BEACH – Police are searching for a teenager they say assaulted and robbed a woman Monday morning in the 9200 block of Rainier Avenue South.
It was about 10:15 am when a witness watched three teenagers follow the 58-year old woman through the Safeway parking lot. One of the teens knocked her down and took her purse while the other two watched.
“During the attack, the victim struck her head on the pavement and sustained injuries to the left side of her face and cheek area,” wrote SPD spokesperson Renee Witt.
She added that the victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
The suspect – described as a black male teen, wearing a short black coat and blue jeans – fled the scene.
According to police, the subjects seen walking with the suspect remained at the scene. They were subsequently detained and transported to the South Precinct for further investigation, where they were ultimately released pending further investigation.
South Precinct officers and detectives are investigating an increase in street robberies in the area.
Anyone with information about this incident or who may know the identity or whereabouts of the suspect is asked to call 911.
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
{ 18 comments }
I’ve always hated shopping at that Safeway because of the panhandlers, but this caps it. I will never shop there again—not even sure I’d get gas there at this point no matter how much cheaper it might be.
This latest incident in our string of crime is so bold. I’d never go there after dark, but now I wouldn’t risk it during daylight. This is so sad because that parking lot covers a lot of businesses—especially the veterinarian.
I shop at that Safeway practically daily, and I’ve never felt threatened. I even took my Brownie troop there for a tour for their “food” badge. Crap! I’m so sick of hearing about these brazen crimes. While I will not stop going to Safeway, I guess I need to have my guard up a little more.
@Susan,
I agree with you, I go there all the time, day and night. I actually find it less creepy than the Saars/Rite Aid parking lot which seems to be a 24/7 drug hand-off point.
Which reminds me, when did Saars stop blasting classical music in the parking lot? I kind of enjoyed that the home boys were getting their musical education broadened
@Carol: ha! I’ll never forget the first time I took my little boy (4 or 5 years old) to the store at night. He got out of the car and gasped, looked at the sky and quietly said, “that’s beautiful!”
I didn’t realize they had stopped the music.
Are their cameras in that parking lot? with the liquor store there, won’t everyone benefit? Agreed, I used to go only in the day… to stay local, but I am out as well. Rather travel and be safe…..
Has anyone talked to Safeway about the neighborhood concerns and potential loss of business?
Have to agree about the Saars/Rite Aid lot. It is even creepier. I tend to get approached because I usually park relatively far away from the store. It has mostly been panhandlers, but now it sounds more troublesome. Personally, I plan to tell Safeway why I am no longer shopping there; perhaps they’ll increase their security presence.
Judging by the attitude that Safeway Corporate had about the problems with their Othello store, I seriously doubt complaints about the RB store will phase them at all. Unfortunate, but true.
Safeway, like QFC before them, may decide the cost of doing business down here is too high and leave.
I am not their apologist; however, consider the following:
1. They already hire security most evening, usually a cop.
2. Sources tied to Safeway and not tied to Safeway, tell me that their theft loss is astronomical compared to similar volume stores at other locations, that don’t have the security.
3. They have security cameras covering the pumps and the inside of the store. Yet the b-tards still rob them blind. They, particularly the juvenilles don’t care if they are filmed and being caught is a slap on the wrist (even as an adult).
4. Assuming some are detered by the cameras, they will just hang on the street, outside of camera range.
5. Grocery stores are one of the lowest margin businesses around. Net profit of 1% is common. If you get it to 3% per year, you win National Grocer of the Year and get paid fabulous sums of money to go on the rubber chicken circuit and tell other Grocers how you do it.
Won’t take much to get Safeway to say “screw it” and walk. Then we get another version of SAARS or worse (is that possible?).
I don’t actually mind Saar’s. . . but it would suck if Safeway closed. I plan on continuing to patronize it, and continue looking haggard and strung out enough that no one ever bothers me.
@Graham
LOL!
More seriously, what makes you think that will protect you? Rainier Beach’s long-time, “decent” homeless guy, who I’ll call “C”, used to get the crap beat out of him by DS (now serving 5 for slitting someone else’s throat). DS would do this just to get the change C had managed to scrounge up in his travels about RB. I also watched DS do this to someone else. Just ’cause DS got sent up, doesn’t mean other “higher function” criminals don’t prey on the more disfunctional ones.
And a guy gets stabbed repeatedly in the head in the middle of the day in Seward Park? McSchwinn…
http://publicola.com/2012/01/24/stabbing-in-seward-park-fireworks-or-gunshots/
safeway and seward park?? two of the places i use a lot….no wonder i hate leaving the house….
Uh, I think some in the media don’t know the difference between Seward Park and the Seward Park neighborhood. I don’t think this actually took place IN the park. To me that’s a distinction worth making.
The stabbing took place near the PCC in the Seward Park neighborhood. You’re right Kathy, poor writing on the media’s part creates confusion.
@george
I also walk quick, stay alert and avoid lingering glances at folks that strike me as suspicious.
There’s no “sure” way to protect oneself from attack, but, while I wouldn’t consider myself “intimidating,” I don’t think I scream out “target,” either.
My real point was that if RB residents want accessible businesses like Safeway around, a mass flight probably isn’t the way to go. While I’d love to see more groovy independent sorts of businesses thrive in the RB (I know there are some, don’t lambast) right now there seems to be a certain amount of panic surrounding the area in general.
Which I think is an overreaction. Caution, yes. Questions– what can we do about this?– totally valid. But the sort of “that’s it, I’m taking my business elsewhere” isn’t going to make anything safer in the long run.
I always bring my gun when I shop here. hope to meet this kid real soon.
Graham,
I agree with your #15 post. I was also hinting at that in my post #8. Yes, we as consumers, should let Safeway know how we feel and ask them to do all that is reasonable (i.e. that they can do and still continue their reason for being here, which is make a reasonable profit). But Safeway is as much a victim here as the whole community. They, and merchants like them, are vital to a good neighborhood. Boycotting them, because we as a community, our elected officials, and other businesses down here have not figured out how to address problems of crime, is scapegoating them and cutting off our own noses to spite our face. We are much better off expressing our concerns to them, understanding that they are victims too, and collaborating on getting the policing, creative sentencing, and social services so that we all win. A boycott is not the answer. Safeway wants to succeed here, or why would they have invested in the new store, the gas pumps, extra security personell (usually off-duty cops), increased security cameras, a commitment to hire local youth whenever possible, etc., etc., etc.? Yet grocery operators, under the best of circumstances, are very thin margin business. If they begin to lose money being here, wouldn’t the rational thing for them to do be to divert limited operating capital to neighborhoods where shoplifting and increased security costs don’t take what little operating margin they have? We are better as partners with them than as adversaries. If we don’t have a win, win, we will have a lose, lose. There is no win, lose or lose, win scenario between Rainier Beach households and Safeway.
It’s all them ‘saggin’ that hang out at the Jack-In-The-Box and the bus stop.
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