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"This is the Seattle police! Is anyone in there?"
That's how I woke up this morning. I knew it was morning because when I went to sleep it was technically the morning, and it was still dark. While I have been known to sleep entirely through the daylight, I was fairly confidant that this hadn't happened on this particular occasion. My door was cracked open, and I saw the glow from a flashlight play around the hallway outside. I called out that I was in my room, and I was coming out.
"Put your hands out first. Move slowly and keep your hands up."
I stuck both hands into the hallway and, wearing nothing but my Woodie Woodpecker PJ bottoms (my parents bought them for me; "it has a cartoon character on it" they said), I slowly walked out to look into the business end of what I presume was a 12-gauge shotgun. In my living room were six fairly large men, all very armed.
"Is anyone else in the apartment?"
My roommate (you may recognize her as Squish, she posts from time to time) was in the entryway trying to explain that our roommate (He's posted here before as Infrared, though infrequently) might be upstairs. He usually leaves for work at 5:30am, and she didn't know what time it was. Squish clearly had a better handle on the situation than I did, because I just said, "our roommate's upstairs." Two men tromped upstairs to wake him up, and I followed to try and offer some reassurance. Turns out, he was in bed and asleep.
"The apartment accross the hall was robbed, and it looks like they tried to kick your door in. We had to make sure they weren't hiding."
Sure enough, half the frame was hanging off, and there seemed to be a piece of wood in the hallway, but whether it came from our door, I couldn't say.
"Be sure to lock your door."
They tromped out. It was, in fact, 5:30am. Infrared had happened to sleep in. Peeking out through the window, we spotted officers patrolling around the building. They had it surrounded.
I went out to the balcony for a cigarette. I could hear a couple officers in the parking lot below me talking.
"Tell them we have the building surrounded."
Great.
Before too long the bullhorn was out, and the negotiations had commenced. Messages of futility filled the air as dawn broke.
"You up on the roof. Just come on down through the hatch the way you went up and let us arrest you. You'd rather have us arrest you than the people who are coming to do it."
I think the SWAT is on it's way.
Infrared just spotted the first TV camera. It's 6:50.
EDIT - The cops don't seem to be in our parking lot anymore. According to the news, they have the entire block surrounded now. I'm not sure if I like this better or not.
posted
yeah, you're actually taking part in a siege! A shame that you're on the wrong side...
At times like these I'm just glad that I do not live in America. Hope you'll be able to get some rest after the onslaught has finished.
Posts: 993 | Registered: Jul 2006
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posted
I've been waiting patiently for Jux to finish this post. It was crazy since I was the first one out of the rooms and I was half asleep. Now we're just waiting... SWAT is here and they're still yelling at the guys on our rooftop. So much for being on time for work. It doesn't look like it's going anywhere.
Posts: 168 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
I forgot to say it in my first post but... wow, that's so weird. I hope they get them down safely, quickly, and without incident. And take them awayyy. So scary, about your door.
Posts: 3636 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Yeah, it's not reassuring when you can't really lock your door while there's a robber about. Even if there are a dozen cops with weapons. I saw the piece of wood in the hallway and I'm fairly certain its from our door. And to top it off, the deadbolt doesn't lock all the way. I love living within 10 blocks from the north Seattle ghetto area.
EDIT: We just watched our story on the local 7:30 news. Some tenant called 911 this morning and told them it sounded like 5-6 guys were next door, ducktaping someone. A couple of them were spotted on our rooftop but apparently they aren't there anymore.
Posts: 168 | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
I think the cops did break it by pushing the door. Five huge cops probably had no problem just shoving the door til it opened. I'm sure the landlord will go around fixing things after all of this. At least I would hope so. Especially with it being on the local news and all.
Posts: 168 | Registered: Feb 2006
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Scott R: I'm not anti-America. But it sometimes seems to me that the police over there likes to overreact. However, having read some of the further info on the situation, I feel that my first statement might have been too strong. Sorry.
Posts: 993 | Registered: Jul 2006
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quote:Originally posted by Shigosei: Maybe the cops broke the lock when they barged in?
Ah, okay, in rereading the first post it looks like it was either that or an earlier breakin attempt. ::feels like a bit of an idiot::
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Don't forget the flapping. Once the wings get taped down that ceases to be an issue, but prior to that it's surprisingly loud.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I don't know... am I the only one that feels that maybe it wasn't quite right that the cops entered the apartment without knocking? (Unless they did knock and the roommate let them in?)
It can be dangerous--for the occupants and the police. The police because the occupants might be sleeping and think that their home is being broken into and end up hurting one or more of the officers, and the occupants because the police might think the occupant is dangerous because he is attempting to protect his home from seeming bad-guys, or because he's holding a hair dryer that looks like a gun. And holding a weapon in your own home is not illegal, anyway, especially if you're trying to protect it and your family.
And perhaps it's not even necessary. They could knock and wait for answer, while guarding the back doors and windows to make sure that if anyone was in the apartment, they wouldn't get away.
I just shudder to think about what could have happened if this had occurred at my home this morning. It would not have been pretty, and it's likely that at least one person would have lost their life. You don't break into my home and expect us to ask questions first. If we are reasonably sure that it IS the police, then that's fine--but bad guys can yell all the same things the police do.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
I think it would be dangerous if the robbers barged into their apartment and the police DIDN'T follow in kind, that scares me more Sounds like a potential hostage situation, or worse...
Posts: 3636 | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
It depends on the state of the door prior to their enterance. If they were just doing an apartment by apartment search, then no, I don't think they were justified in entering on their own. If the door was already broken to the degree that it was hanging slightly open and couldn't be locked then I don't think that the cops entering the unit on their own was unjustified; it would be entirely possible in that situation that the place's occupants were being held hostage. Entering like that in the stipulated situation might not be the wisest course--lots of room for potentially lethal misunderstanding on both ends of the situation--but I don't think that it is an act that you can really say is wrong, per se. I hope the cops were aware that they were taking a calculated risk in doing so.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
I think the point was that the cops were suspicious* that the suspects were actually IN our apartment. Under the circumstances, I'm okay - even happy - with the steps the police took.
*because of the state of the door.
Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
Was there any physical evidence that the robbers had barged into the apartment? A broken door? Evidence of the lock being messed with? Or even a witness saying that the robbers went in there?
If there was, then I agree. You've gotta check it out.
However, if, as the original post seemed to indicate, that the police kicked down the door, then there was no reason to think that the robbers had entered the apartment. Did they think someone let them in?
To me, this is the same thing as being willing to give up personal freedoms for the sake of personal safety. Freedom will always be more important to me than safety, so maybe that's why I'm not okay with losing my rights in order to gain more protection.
Posts: 2880 | Registered: Jun 2004
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posted
So Infrared left for work a little while ago. He asked a cop in the hall who said that they got the guys down from the roof.
Our apartment manager stopped by. He said the lady next door had been selling crack, which was why these guys tried to rob her.
Posts: 2907 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
Dang it! I was in the other thread the whole time and I missed all the fun! I could have watched on the news and waved at you and said "HIIII HATRACK FRIENDS!!"
Seriously, though, I'm glad you guys are all right. That'd be enough to make me poop my pants.
Posts: 1006 | Registered: Jun 2006
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posted
Wow, it is so strange to hear a first-hand account of it, then watch it on the news. It must be a million times weirder for you guys!
Posts: 3636 | Registered: Oct 2001
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Sounds like a potential hostage situation, or worse...
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