On May 7th, just before 10:00 pm, East Precinct officers responded to a report of an armed robbery in the 1900 Block of East Yesler. The victim stated that he had been robbed at gunpoint by four people, who were still in the area. Officers arrived and met with the victim. He stated that he was waiting for a bus at 18th and Yesler and had left his backpack on the ground. Two men walked by and that is when the victim noticed that his backpack was missing. He followed the men to 19th and found four people standing around a car talking. He approached them and asked if they had taken his backpack. One of the men told the victim he needed to leave. The victim stated that one of the men had a gun in his hand, held down at his side. The victim stated that the suspect never pointed it at him, but did tell him to get out of the area several times. That is when the victim went around the corner and waited for police.
Officers approached the group to investigate. One of the males took off running as soon as he saw the officers. The rest of the group remained at the scene. A K9 team and additional officers responded to the scene for containment. The dog and handler team began a track and located a silver gun hidden in the bushes in the 100 Block of 19th Avenue. A records check later showed that it was a stolen handgun out of Port Orchard. The gun was recovered and submitted into evidence. The suspect who fled was not located, and the victim could not positively state that anyone from the group actually took his backpack. The individuals at the scene were all interviewed and released. The backpack was not recovered.