Carjacking, armed robberies on Capitol Hill: 'It’s horrible ... I don’t want to be scared' here

SEATTLE -- A rash of armed robberies on Capitol Hill has neighbors on edge.

At least four people were robbed at gunpoint since midnight Wednesday – and one person was carjacked.

“There’s so much going on up here and you hear about things happening all the time,” said student Kaelan Finley.

One after another, 911 calls poured into Seattle police after several people claimed they were robbed at gunpoint early Thursday morning.

A carjacking was reported on East Seneca around 12:30 a.m.  An hour later, a person was robbed at Boylston and Pine. And an hour after that, someone walking near Cal Anderson Park said they were held up at gunpoint.

“It’s horrible,” said resident Alexandria Brockwell. “I love this city and I don’t want to be scared in it.”



Brockwell has lived on the hill for two years – but after someone burglarized her apartment, she says it’s time to move.

“I have no sense of security in my own home so I’m leaving,” she said.

The Capitol Hill robberies happened just one day after a fatal shooting in Pioneer Square.

Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole appeared at a downtown safety forum Wednesday night where worried residents shared their concerns about crime.

“We’re trying to map our high crime areas or the areas where we’re getting our most demand for services,” said O’Toole. “Statistics are one thing but we need to hear from our community.”

Even after SPD boosted the number of officers working the streets of Capitol Hill, some neighbors worry it’s not enough to curb the violence.

But Seattle’s top cop believes overall crime isn’t as bad as neighbors think.

“We can’t lose sight of the fact that this is still one of the safest cities in the country but we have issues to address – no question about that,” O’Toole said.

The East Precinct Advisory Council was to hold a community forum Thursday night talking about crime issues in the area and O’Toole was scheduled to attend.