Condo manager reports poor family with ‘large amount of toys’ in unit

When asked why the manager believed the residents had stolen these items, he said it was because of the family’s socioeconomic status.

Jan. 1

Ringing in the new year: At approximately 12:07 a.m. on New Year’s Day in the 1900 block of SW 347th Place, a female reported to police that her sliding glass door was shattered. She was upstairs in her room when she heard a loud sound downstairs. When she went downstairs to check, she saw that her back door was shattered and there was a small gold-colored bullet on the ground. The female was not injured and told officers she did not know of anyone who would want to harm her. Since the new year just began, there were several fireworks and gunshots heard around the same time, so it may have been an accident. No suspects were located and no injuries were reported. Leads are exhausted at this point, and police took an informational report pending further information. The bullet was booked into evidence.

Belligerent male: At approximately 7:07 p.m. near the 100 block of SW Campus Drive, officers responded to an apartment complex to reports of a belligerent male. The male was contacted in the parking lot and appeared to be on some type of drug and was incoherent. He was highly aggressive and was being held down by a bystander. South King Fire and Rescue arrived to check the male and clear the scene. The male had damaged tow vehicles nearby. He was involuntarily committed and charges for malicious mischief were forwarded on to the Federal Way prosecutor.

Jan. 2

Spray paint damage: At approximately 9:41 a.m. near the 1000 block of S. 320th St., the reporting party called 911 to report someone spray-painted three exterior walls of the business. He had paint to cover the spray-paint damage. He also advised officers that a homeless male approximately 20 years old had been hanging around the area for the last three days, but there was no surveillance footage. He said he will try to get digital photos to police.

Dog stolen on New Year’s Eve: At approximately 8:13 p.m. near the 1400 block of S. 320th St., officers took a phone report of a stolen dog. The reporting party told officers that the dog had gotten out of the hotel room on New Year’s Eve. After contacting another resident of the hotel, the reporting party said they had given the dog to someone and contact information to reach them. She said she reached out to that person but was told they had turned her dog in to security at The Commons mall. She also contacted the Tacoma Humane Society but has been unable to locate her dog. Officers called the suspect and left a voicemail instructing them to return the dog.

Attempted vehicular assault: At approximately 9:38 p.m. near the 100 block of S. 348th St., a suspect found a victim on the side of the road outside of his vehicle and attempted to run him over, hitting his car in the process. The suspect then fled the scene. The suspect was not located and there were no reported injuries.

Jan. 3

Garage theft assault: At approximately 2:08 p.m. near the 2500 block of 286th Place, a victim called 911 to report that he had been assaulted. The victim told officers he had been assaulted by a male who he believed was trying to steal items from his neighbor’s garage. During the assault he was struck in the stomach and sprayed in the face with pepper spray. No suspect information exists at this time.

Being poor is not a crime: At approximately 4:52 p.m. near the 1800 block of S. 320th St., an officer responded to an in-station report of theft. A man who is the manager of the condo complex wanted to send a report to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development because the residents had Section 8 subsidized rent. The manager listed his evidence as a large amount of toys and items being stored in their unit. When asked why the manager believed the residents had stolen these items, he said it was because of the family’s socioeconomic status. The officer told the manager the police could not open an investigation with that reasoning, but said he would take down the manager’s concerns.