On April 12th, at approximately 11:47 PM, West Precinct officers responded to a call of a possible burglary in progress in the 1200 Block of Mercer Street. A resident of a 7th floor apartment in the 500 Block of Pontius Avenue North heard glass breaking and saw a male climbing into a second floor window of that building. The witness called 911.
Officers arrived and quickly contained the building. An open door was discovered, which officers believed had been propped open by the suspect inside. A K9 responded to the scene and along with officers searched the building. The police dog located the suspect hiding inside underneath a large pile of fiberglass insulation and pulled him out. The suspect, a 22 year old male, was then taken into custody.
As the suspect was being arrested, an officer noticed the suspect’s cell phone sitting on the floor. When the officer examined the phone, he discovered several recent text messages from someone who had been providing the suspect with information about the police presence, advising him to stay put, and letting him know she was there to pick him up.
The officer broadcast this information to other officers and another officer located three possible suspects sitting in a car about a block and a half away. The two men and a woman were interviewed. The cell phone number belonging the woman matched the number to that which the texts were coming. The 20 year old woman was taken into custody as an accomplice.
During the subsequent interview of the suspects, officers learned that the female had driven the 22 year old man to the construction site with the intent of stealing copper from inside. She left the area once the police arrived and went to get some assistance to pick him up, once the police had left.
Both the male and female were booked into the King County Jail on Investigation of Burglary.