SEATTLE — Police said on Wednesday there have been over 14 instances of teens in north Seattle targeted in muggings in the last month.
Todd Kibbee, Seattle Police Department (SPD) assistant chief of operations, said the common trend in the recent spate of muggings is that kids are coming home from school between 2-5 p.m. Kibbee said suspects driving stolen vehicles will jump out of a car to mug the teens or surprise them from behind. The suspects have flashed a gun and been violent on some occasions, Kibbee said.
Most of the victims have been young boys.
"All of these robberies of students coming home from schools is impacting families," Kibbee said. "It's giving a lot of stress to families of our students and I want to assure the people that the Seattle Police Department is very aware of that and we are doing everything we can to mitigate that."
Police said there were three more muggings in the Roosevelt neighborhood and near Bishop Blanchet High School on Tuesday.
According to police, 14 muggings have occurred since Sept. 19. Kibbee warned, however, there could be more unreported robberies to add to the total.
Investigators said the suspects are looking for phones, AirPods and other personal property in the muggings.
"It's happening all over the north end (of Seattle)," Kibbee said.
Police suspect a group of as many as six people, believed to be teenagers wearing ski masks or hoodies, have robbed several people of electronics and personal belongings.
Seattle police said the suspects involved were possibly driving a red Kia, gray Hyundai or a sedan of similar color. Investigators have found two stolen cars believed to be involved in the muggings and are looking for more tips to locate the suspects.
A Ballard High School senior said his friend was mugged on Oct. 19, an incident confirmed by Seattle police.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen it," the senior said. "It’s happening in broad daylight. He looked down at his phone and by the time he looked up, he was surrounded by five guys, and eventually, these guys told him, ‘Sit on the ground.' They made him reset their phone, tell them their password and they took their AirPods, phones.”
Kibbee said SPD has helped Seattle Public Schools, but it's difficult to monitor over 20 schools in the north Seattle area.
Kibbee urged parents to have difficult conversations with their kids about situational awareness and putting their phones away and taking out headphones to be mindful of their surroundings. Walking in bigger groups is also recommended.
In a letter addressed to parents, Ballard High School Principal Abby Hunt said she is “working closely with regional school leaders and the district’s Safety and Security team on best practices in keeping our campuses safe.”
Meanwhile, parents are spreading the word among their own community. A post circulating on social media urges parents to contact the school board and city council to demand action from the Seattle Police Department. The department said it will be stepping up patrols “when staffing allows.”
In the meantime, the Ballard senior said his focus is now on making sure his sister makes it home safe every day.
“Yeah, [walking in] pairs, groups, just pretty much all we can do," he said. "We can’t carry anything to protect ourselves on campus."