Shortly after 10 a.m. on July 30th, South Precinct patrol officers responded to a report of a burglary in progress call in the 7200 block of South Ryan Street. Upon arrival, the suspect had already fled the area on foot. Officers made contact with an elderly female victim and two of her neighbors.
The victim told officers that she heard a knock on the door. She answered it and was immediately attacked by the unknown suspect. The suspect used his hands and fists to strike the woman and knock her to the ground. Her cries drew the attention of two of her neighbors, a man and a woman, who rushed to her aid. The three of them together fought back the suspect. They also succeeded in removing his jacket, which will be a valuable piece of evidence to our forensic investigators. The suspect was last seen running away from the crime.
A perimeter was immediately set up and a K9 track was commenced. After tracking the suspect for some distance, the track faded to an extent that the K9 could no longer proceed. Crime Scene Investigators (CSI), Sexual Assault Unit (SAU) and South Precinct Burglary/Theft detectives responded to the scene to process it for evidence and to canvass the neighborhood. At this point in time there is no evidence that this attack was sexually motivated. Since the motivations of the burglar remain unknown, SAU’s response to the scene was out of an abundance of caution. The female victim was treated at the scene by Seattle Fire Department Medics and transported to Harborview Medical Center for further emergency care. Her injuries are not life-threatening.
Police are hoping that anyone who saw the suspect in or near the area of the crime before or after 10 a.m.will call the Seattle Police non-emergency number at 625-5011 with information. The suspect is described as a black male, late teens/early twenties, 5’10”-6′, thin build, light brown complexion, suspect was possibly wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap with dark shoulder length hair. A shirt color is unavailable at this time. He was however wearing blue jeans. He was clean shaven. Although he exhibited physically violent behavior, he did not display any weapons.
Anyone with information about this suspect or crime is asked to call the Seattle Police Special Assault Unit at 206-684-5575.