Brutal armed robbers target north Seattle pedestrians: Know this suspect?
SEATTLE -- A group of armed robbers in north Seattle, in less than two hours, targeted four victims in three separate attacks. One victim was pistol-whipped and another was beaten in the face.
The robberies occurred just after midnight on May 23 in the 11200 block of 5th Avenue NE and continued outside two more homes on Linden Avenue North.
Nate, who Q13 FOX News is not identifying fully for his safety, was having a smoke outside his apartment and looking at his iPad when two skinny teens came up to him armed with a gun.
"Give me your iPad. Give me your f****** iPad," he said they told him.
“The kid with the gun cocked the chamber and he struck me on the side of the head. The kid without the gun says, 'Just f****** shoot him, just f****** shoot him.'"
He refused to give the device to them, a decision he regrets.
"Either because of their size, or because of their age, or combination of the two, I made a poor decision to size them up as not a threat,” he said.
One of the teens hit him in the temple with the gun. When the other stepped in front of his partner, Nate grabbed his throat and pushed them both back. He started screaming for the cops, and the two attackers took off running in opposite directions.
It’s a story similar to what happened to a couple sitting outside on North 39th Street.
“One of them approaches the victim and reaches in his waistband and pulls out a full semi-automatic, racks it, meaning he put a round in the chamber, takes it and he points it at the victim and he demands his property,” said retired Seattle police detective Myrle Carner with Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.
The victim gave him everything he had -- but it wasn’t enough.
“Then he hauls off, grabs his fist and smacks the guy right in the eye for no reason at all, no provocation at all, he just assaults him. If they`re going to do that, who knows what they`re going do with a loaded gun,” he said.
A few hours later, one of the suspects was seen on surveillance cameras at a McDonald’s on Rainier Avenue using the victim’s stolen credit card to buy beverages. He was also driving a stolen car. Detectives hope someone can identify him from the video.
The suspect is black and wearing glasses, a white T-shirt and dark jeans.
“If we don`t get these guys into custody, we may have somebody die as a result of a robbery,” said Carner.
Nate doesn’t believe in punishment, but he does want the armed robbers to get the help they need. Until then, he’s looking over his shoulder.
“It was such a traumatic event and now every time around (and) I hear footsteps, I'm quick to turn around and see who's coming.”
Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information on the identity of the driver. If you know his name, call 1-800-222-tips. You never have to give your name.