On January 31st at approximately 3:44 a.m. officers responded to a report of a cab driver in a fare dispute who was subsequently threatened with a firearm in the 13700 block of Midvale Avenue North. Preliminary investigation indicates that a 22-year-old female suspect was taking a taxicab from Shoreline to an apartment in the 13700 block of Midvale Avenue North. Upon arriving at the apartment the female told the cab driver she didn’t have the money to pay for the fare and needed to get the money from her apartment. She left her jacket in the cab as collateral while she went to get the money.
At that point a 26-year-old male suspect (the female suspect’s boyfriend) emerged from the apartment and confronted the taxicab driver. The male suspect pointed a handgun at the taxicab driver’s head, retrieved the female suspect’s jacket and went back inside the apartment without paying the cab fare. The victim (the adult male taxicab driver) called 911.
It is now believed that as patrol officers responded to the area and began setting up containment on the suspects’ apartment complex, the male suspect fled the apartment complex in an unknown direction. At the time of the police response, indications were that both suspects were inside the residence.
Patrol officers set up containment on the apartment complex and the SWAT team and negotiators subsequently responded to the scene. Officers had established cell phone contact with the suspect during the early stages of the incident but the suspect stopped answering his phone shortly thereafter. Multiple attempts were made to get the suspects to surrender peacefully. Eventually the female suspect came outside and surrendered to officers without further incident. She was placed under arrest and subsequently booked into the King County Jail for misdemeanor theft.
After numerous additional attempts to get the suspect to surrender were unsuccessful, the SWAT team made entry into the suspects’ apartment and determined that nobody else was inside. The 26-year-old male suspect, who is known to officers from past dealings, remains at large.
Homicide/Assault detectives continue to actively investigate.
Anyone with information about the suspect’s whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Seattle Police immediately and refer to this incident. Anonymous tips are welcome.