Picture from resident's security camera
of robber carrying alleged assault rifle
The Laurelhurst Community Club recently held a special neighborhood meeting at the Community Center regarding the escalating crimes and neighbor concerns about police response time and actions.
On Halloween evening, five homes were broken into on the 5100 block of 46th Avenue NE and nearby NE 54th Street. One home that was broken into captured the burglar carrying some sort of an assault rifle.
Several Seattle Police Department representatives, as well as Security officers from nearby Children's Hospital were on-hand at the neighborhood meeting to answer questions.
Neighbors brought up some issues such as police providing very general, less-detailed information about burglaries perhaps to "just to calm neighbors as they don’t want us to be afraid," one neighbor said.
Another neighbor wondered about the weapon that was used on Halloween saying "we’ve heard that whatever the weapon was, was it capable of firing any kind of pellets or bullets?"
On Halloween evening, five homes were broken into on the 5100 block of 46th Avenue NE and nearby NE 54th Street. One home that was broken into captured the burglar carrying some sort of an assault rifle.
Several Seattle Police Department representatives, as well as Security officers from nearby Children's Hospital were on-hand at the neighborhood meeting to answer questions.
Neighbors brought up some issues such as police providing very general, less-detailed information about burglaries perhaps to "just to calm neighbors as they don’t want us to be afraid," one neighbor said.
Another neighbor wondered about the weapon that was used on Halloween saying "we’ve heard that whatever the weapon was, was it capable of firing any kind of pellets or bullets?"
Eric Solorio, a Security Officer at Children's Hospital, said about the rifle:
In response to this camera footage, the way in determining the “assault rifle” is a fake is by examining the two tone colors. Look at the butt stock of the weapon, just below that is the hand guard or trigger mount, it also is a different color then the body of the weapon itself. Look at the magazine cartridge also a different color then the body. I want to say this is a nice air soft rifle.
These rifles although air soft look like the real thing. The width of the barrel is not conducive to the likes of a real assault rifle as well judging on how his hand wraps around the entire rifle. It is light weight which is why it tilts forward at an angle, a loaded assault rifle would be too heavy and awkward to hold it in this position. I know this because I am a trained weapons handler and a military man as well, just offering my knowledge.
The only thing I can imagine is that the burglar would attempt a strong armed robbery with the weapon, and yes if it is in fact an air soft rifle as I believe it to be then it is capable of shooting pellets. These pellets can break the skin and should be considered dangerous. During this time of year people get more desperate I would advise an additional level of vigilance being aware of your surroundings when entering and exiting your home. I hope this little information helped if you ever need another voice of reason when it comes to these type of incidents please don’t hesitate to inquire.
And Jim Saywer, Children's Director of Security and Transportation added:
MOST burglars will hit a home during the day when the home is unoccupied. And most live within a reasonable distance to the area they hit-are comfortable with. By some statistics a large number of this unpleasant fraternity lives usually within 2 miles of an area they target.
However that is not always the case. There is a lot people can do from a CPTED perspective to hard target their homes-posting alarm advisories-such as ADT-or just buying them-Bulger’s Safe and Locks sells these and they are a good investment. Block watch signs are also valuable. And authentic alarm systems are strong deterrents-and as important is calling 911 if you observe perimeter or chronic area loitering-listening to intuition is key-if someone makes you feel uncomfortable act on that and make a call.
Burglars will look for opportunity-steps taken to mitigate that opportunity will normally drive them away from an area and also impact their ability to operate in a chosen locale with any success. Eric will defer to you re the type of weapon this fellow had.
The Laurelhurst Blog Staff is waiting for a summary of the meeting from the Laurelhurst Community Club to share with readers.
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