Pappy's Gun
Central District
Mon April 26, 12:30 pm: Two kids from Meany Middle School were talking about the shooting in Colorado when one stated: "They think they are hard at Garfield High School. I [could] go get Pappy's gun and blast all of them motherfuckers." Though the other kid thought his buddy was kidding, he filed a police report just in case.

Worker Angst
South Seattle
Tues April 28, 6:43 pm: An obnoxious machine operator at a local factory scared one his co-workers when he said about his boss: "Did you hear about that stuff that happened in Denver? I'm going to get a gun, come back here and shoot that bald-headed motherfucker!" The co-worker informed management, who called the police. Management is keeping a close eye on this worker, just in case.

Stop, or I'll Scan!
Downtown
Wed April 28, 10:18 pm: A group of people were standing in front of the downtown Nordstrom, waiting to cross the street, when a man approached and began hurling all manner of abuse at them. When one member of the group asked the man to stop bothering them, he pulled out a price scanning gun, pointed it at the courageous bystander's head, and threatened to shoot (or, apparently, scan). Seeing that his target was not impressed with the weapon, the "shooter" hit the bystander on the arm with the scan gun and fled into the alley. The police were unable to find the man with the scan gun, and most likely will never bring him to justice.

Mad, Mad World
Mount Baker
Wed April 28, 2:15 pm: The principal of Franklin High School reported to police a rumor that there would be a shooting at the school on the approaching Friday. After a quick investigation, the source of the rumor was tracked down. Earlier in the day, a student had warned his friends to stay home on Friday because he was going to shoot some people. The boy admitted issuing the warning, but said it was a joke made after a classmate said she was mad at the world and was going to do something about it. The girl also claimed her comment was a joke. The boy was warned by police and suspended from school.

Hair-Trigger
Central District
Thurs April 29, 4:45 pm: A hairdresser was cutting a head of hair when a man entered her shop, and said he had an appointment and had left a $20 deposit. When the hairdresser checked the appointment book, she found no record of the man's alleged appointment, or his deposit. When the man heard this, he became agitated and said, "I better get my hair cut, or I don't know what I will do." The man then stepped outside to wait his turn. The hairdresser called the police, but by the time they arrived, he was gone.

Crazy Vietnam Vet
International District
Fri April 30, 12:00 noon: A part-time street cleaner who is obsessed with weapons and "lives in his Vietnam War past," was arrested for weapons violations today. For months the man had been intimidating his co-workers with threats that one day he would "snap" and carry out a violent attack. He had recently come to work with a hand grenade, and pulled the pin but then quickly replaced it. On another occasion, he showed his co-workers a photograph of himself with an assault rifle, which he explained was "fully automatic" and "illegal to own." This week, he told another worker that he was practicing hard for a shooting competition the following weekend in San Francisco--he said he would be very depressed if he didn't win, and might "snap." When police learned of these threats, they went to his apartment and found it jam-packed with grenades, guns, ammunition, martial arts weapons, and knives. The Vietnam vet was arrested. When asked about the threats he made, he said he was only joking, and never intended to "shoot up the neighborhood."

It's the Cold Medicine
Capitol Hill
Sun May 2, 9:46 pm: A man in a black trench coat approached a homeless outreach van and asked the woman serving food where she was from. The woman told him Seattle. After taking a closer look at the man, she noticed that he had a runny nose, and asked him to step back from the van so he wouldn't drop any germs into the exposed food. The man in the trench coat pointed his finger at her as if it were a gun and said, "Maybe I [should] put a cap in you--it would not be hard to do." He then reached into his jacket pocket as if pulling out a weapon, but, after noticing a crowd of spectators, changed his mind. He walked away. Police tracked down the man with the runny nose, but didn't find a weapon.

Oatmeal Bomb
Capitol Hill
Mon May 3, 7:20 pm: Police were dispatched in response to a call about a "suspicious circumstance." Upon arrival, they talked with a woman who said there appeared to be a bomb in the lobby of her apartment building. When police inspected the object, they found that it was not a bomb, but a Radio Shack "160 in 1" electronic project kit. It had apparently been placed on the spot to cover a pile of maple-flavored instant oatmeal. After photographing the bizarre contraption, police took it apart and disposed of it properly. No other "bombs" were found in the building.