Seattle Press on Line

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By Sara Longley

Jul 12, 2000 -- A Northgate dentist's storage area is burglarized sometime between June 30 and July 5 at 8 a.m. The unknown thieves use a cutting tool to gain entrance and make off with two full tanks of nitrous oxide and a tank regulator. No other damage is apparent and no other property is missing...

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A Lake City man calls police at 10 p.m. on July 3 to report that his mailbox has just been blown up. He says he was inside his house when he heard the explosion, and went outside to see the remains of his mailbox in the middle of the street. There was no mail in the box at the time. He tells officers he saw nobody around but heard cars speeding in the area and possibly another explosion. Police are unable to locate any suspects...

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A fireworks explosion in Wedgwood at 3:30 a.m. on July 4 destroys a pay phone...

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A young woman is the victim of indecent liberties as she waits in line at a food booth during the Gasworks Park July 4 celebration. A man comes up behind her, reaches over her shoulder and gropes her, then walks away. She tells officers that the man also molested another woman, grabbing her glasses off her face and breaking them, then pinching her chest. The second woman left the scene before officers arrived. Police find the man, who is identified by the woman and by witnesses as the perpetrator. He turns out to be a foreign national, in Seattle with a fishing boat. He is mirandized in his own language. Officers notify his consulate and the U.S. State Department that the man is being booked into King County Jail...

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A young man attends the July 4 festivities at Gasworks Park, where is involved in a fistfight with another man who is not an acquaintance. Later as he leaves the gathering, he thinks he sees the other man and shouts, "Do you like to fight?" at the person. When the man turns around, however, it is not the same person but a stranger, who says he has been in a few fights. The first man tries to defuse the situation, saying he isn't looking to get in a fight. But the stranger pulls a butterfly-style knife out of his pocket and demands money. The victim says he doesn't have any money. The man with the knife repeats his demand and the victim pulls $4 out of his wallet and hands it over. The knife-wielder and his companion run away across the Fremont Bridge. An area search for the pair is fruitless because of heavy foot traffic leaving the area...

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A would-be customer assaults a Ballard bartender as she prepares to close up after July 4. The man enters the establishment after "last call," so drunk that the bartender tells police later that she would not have served him in any case. The bartender tells him that the bar is closing and he should leave, but he lingers near the door. When the bartender moves to close the blinds on the front window he suddenly strikes her in the face with his open hand, knocking her backward. Then he kicks her in the crotch. Other patrons intervene and the bartender calls police. The man leaves, however, and the bartender cancels her 911 call. She finishes closing up the bar and locks the front door. A short time later the man returns and begins to kick at the locked door. Again the bartender calls 911 and an officer responds. He finds the man a short distance up the street, but when the policeman tries to communicate with him the man suddenly throws a punch at the officer. The officer ducks the blow and tackles the suspect, who then kicks the officer three times in the face. The bartender witnesses this and comes to the aid of the policeman. Another officer arrives and the drunken man is brought under control, though he continues to be hostile and repeatedly tries to kick the officers. He is booked into King County Jail on "suspicion of assault..."

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Several people are ticketed for violations in and around Gasworks Park on July 4. The tallies from the North Precinct reports are: eight drug arrests for marijuana possession, nine alcohol violations of which six involved minors, and three illegal fireworks charges...

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Unknown suspects blow up a blue mail drop box on a Wallingford street corner sometime between 10 and 11:40 p.m. on July 4.

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A mailbox on Northwest 88th Street in Ballard is destroyed by fireworks at 2:15 a.m. on July 5.

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A Ballard barista and her customers are the victims of a firecracker attack at 6:13 a.m. on the morning of July 5. A man in black clothing and a baseball cap opens the door of the espresso bar, throws a string of firecrackers inside and runs away as they start to explode. The police officer responding to the complaint conducts a neighborhood search but finds no trace of the man.

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A Sand Point minimart is robbed on a Wednesday at 9 a.m. The thief enters the store, walks directly to the beer cooler and gets a twelve-pack of Schmidt beer. He then walks back out of the store. The clerk tells him, "Don't leave, you haven't paid yet," but the man ignores here and leaves. He gets into his car, which is otherwise occupied only by a large brown dog, and drives away. The clerk and a witness both write down the vehicle license number and provide the information to police officers who arrive a short time later. The officers determine the name and address of the vehicle owner and pay a visit. The car is parked outside the house. There is no answer to knocks at the door, though a dog can be heard barking somewhere in the house. The officers leave a business card and incident report number on the windshield of the car and depart...

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