SWAT Team Called to the University District
Updates throughout
SWAT teams have surrounded a home in the 5200 block of 12th ave NE in University District looking for a bank robbery suspect.
SWAT has called for the armored Bearcat and units from other precincts are assisting at the scene.
More as this develops.
Update 1: According to the scanner, a King5 helicopter is hovering overhead and making operations "difficult." Why does that sound familiar?
Update 2: Police have coaxed one man out of the building. No word yet on whether he's the robbery suspect.
Update 3: Police say this SWAT call out is related to a bank robbery in the 400 block of Westlake Ave N. According to SPD spokeswoman Renee Witt, earlier today a man walked into the bank, pulled a gun on a teller, and fled. Officers were somehow able to track the man to the home the aforementioned U District home.
Update 4: Police have been trying to call in the North Precinct's mobile precinct, but haven't been able to get it out to the scene. Now we know why:
Officer 1: "The MP is at Haller Lake with unknown problems."
Officer 2: "Ohhh of course it is"
Update 5: There appears to be one more man in the home who police are still trying to get to come out.
Update 6: Police just received a report of a man running through back yards a few blocks away.
Update 7 @ 5:45: Not much new to report. SWAT has searched the building and found a lot of locked/unoccupied apartments. Brooklyn is still closed between 50th and 55th.
Update 8: SPD says they've got their man.
On February 9th at approximately 2:31 p.m. officers responded to a bank robbery in the 400 block of Westlake Avenue North. Preliminary investigation indicates that a 29-year-old male suspect entered the bank, displayed a handgun and demanded money. The suspect fled the scene with an undetermined amount of money prior to the arrival of responding officers. Nobody was injured inside the bank during the robbery.
Patrol officers and Robbery detectives searching for the suspect developed information that led them to an apartment complex in the 5200 block of 12th Avenue Northeast. Patrol officers, detectives, and SWAT team members surrounded the building and began calling people outside. An adult male exited the building and was detained by officers. Upon further investigation it was determined that this subject was the suspect in the bank robbery. He was placed under arrest and interviewed by Robbery detectives. The suspect will be booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery. This remains an active and on-going robbery investigation.
Also, we've got one more video, courtesy of Tai Daniels:
Update 9: Police recovered the money taken in the robbery and a realistic looking airsoft gun from the apartment. There are no outstanding suspects.
Thanks, again, to Silver for the tip. Photo by Brandon Rust via Facebook, courtesy of Seattlecrime reader Joe. Video by Tai Daniels. Thanks to everybody who has sent in photos/video.
