A string of robberies and home break-ins in Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood led to a shootout between a homeowner and would-be home invaders, with police looking into if the string of incidents is related and trying to bring the suspects to justice.
The first incident occurred on December 18th. Then, a man walking home from a local casino was stopped near the intersection of the city’s Beacon Avenue and South Graham Street. The men who stopped him were brandishing firearms and they forced him to open the door of his home to them, then they proceeded to ransack it and flee the scene with stolen cash.
Then, just two days later, officers from Seattle’s South Precinct responded to an attempted home invasion call from near the avenue of the city’s Beacon Avenue South and South Ferdinand Street. The call came at about 5:30 in the morning, and the homeowner, whose home security fortunately kept out the would-be robbers, told police that there were three men who tried to break down his door but were unsuccessful.
But they came back. The next morning, a total of four would-be robbers returned to the same home and attempted again to break down the front door, this time using a sledgehammer to batter away at it and try to gain entry.
However, the homeowner was ready for them and prepared to fight back. Awoken by the noise from the robbery attempt, the homeowner leaped out of bed and into action. Once awake, he grabbed a rifle and opened fire on the would-be home invaders. That started a gun battle, as the would-be home invaders fired back at the homeowner and retreated from the doorway into their vehicles, then fled the scene.
The homeowner was left uninjured by the gunbattle. However, it was not clear if the homeowner’s gunfire had injured any of the suspects, all of whom had been able to flee in the cars. Police are yet to arrest the would-be home invaders.
The string of robberies required police intervention and escalation, so the police put out a statement on the matter. Describing the first robbery, they said, “On December 18th, 2023, officers responded to a report of a home invasion robbery near the intersection of Beacon Avenue South and South Graham Street. Officers arrived and contacted a male victim who stated he had just returned from a casino and while walking home was approached by several males with guns. The suspects forced him to open his front door and then ransacked the home looking for valuables. The suspects stole cash and fled the scene.”
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Continuing, they described the second incident, saying, “The second incident involved two separate attempts at the same house. Wednesday morning, shortly after 5:30 a.m., South Precinct officers responded to a report of an attempted home invasion robbery near the intersection of Beacon Avenue South and South Ferdinand Street. Police contacted the homeowner who stated three men tried to break down his door but were unsuccessful. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle.”
Then they described the third incident, the gun battle, saying, “The second attempt occurred shortly after 12:25 a.m. on Thursday. This time four male suspects returned to the house and tried to break down the front door with a sledgehammer. The victim said he was at home asleep when he heard banging at the door. The victim armed himself with a rifle and when the suspects tried to enter the home, he shot at them. The suspects fired back as they retreated. The suspects then sped off in a vehicle.”
The Seattle police added that detectives have processed the evidence from the crime scenes and are looking into the cases, then noted that “Though many of the suspects in these pattern robberies have been arrested and remain in jail, detectives are concerned regarding the recent uptick in similar cases.”