On March 16, two "medium" and "dark" complexioned men allegedly chased down and robbed a foreign exchange student in Columbia City, according to a police report. During the robbery, the men said they had a gun. The report notes a similar robbery taking place in the vicinity of 39 Avenue S and Rainier Avenue S, involving a man who matches Suspect 1’s description, who also claimed to have a gun, signifying that there is a possible pattern emerging.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. on March 16, a foreign exchange student at Seattle Central Community College was walking eastbound on the 3900 block of South Edmunds Street when he crossed paths with the Suspect 1, who was walking westbound. After passing the student, S1 turned and began chasing him. The victim ran.
The report states that S1 caught the victim and held him captive by the front of his shirt. Suspect 2 ran over from across the street and told the victim not to draw attention to himself. “S2 put his right hand into his waistband area while doing this and said ‘I have a gun.’”
The victim never saw the gun.
S2 searched the victim’s front pockets, taking his wallet and cell phone. S2 searched the wallet, found no money, and returned it to the victim. He kept the cell phone, according to the report.
The suspects then allegedly harassed the victim for not having any money. The victim removed his Ipod from his coat and gave it to them, to prevent being assaulted. The suspects then fled on foot towards Rainier Avenue. The victim walked home “in a state of shock.”
The victim’s host family called the stolen cell phone and spoke with the man who answered. The police report fails to mention what the two parties might have talked about.
Suspect 1 is described in the report as a dark-complexioned man (6’0”, 235 lbs) in his early twenties wearing a black baseball cap, black zip-up winter coat, and jeans.
Suspect 2 is described as a medium-complexioned man (5’8”, 185 lbs) in his early twenties wearing a black baseball cap, black cotton zip-up coat, and a black shirt.
