Masked suspects in Seattle are reportedly prowling the streets targeting high school students for their phones and other personal belongings, police reported.
"They all grabbed me and threw me on the ground and just kind of started beating me up and hitting me in the back of the head. I was down in the fetal position kind of covering my face," a Ballard High School sophomore told KIRO 7 of one incident earlier this month as he walked home from school.
Seattle Police said in a news release Monday that investigators have linked four reported incidents where students near Ballard High School and Whitman Middle School were mugged. The schools are located about 1.5 miles from each other.
"The suspects in these incidents were described as a group of 4-6 subjects. Most of the cases involve 3-6 Black males wearing ski masks or hoodies, but it was also reported an Asian male and Black female may have been involved in one of the incidents," police said Monday.
There may be more incidents connected to the string of robberies, as KIRO 7 spoke to parents and students who say there have been six different incidents.
"This is the worst I’ve ever seen it. It’s happening in broad daylight," a high school senior whose friend was mugged on Oct. 19 told KING 5. "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."
Police said some of the victims reported seeing a firearm when they were demanded to hand over their phones or other belongings. The suspects also appear to be teenagers, according to police, though that has not yet been confirmed.
Ballard High School Principal Abby Hunt said in a recent letter to parents that she is "working closely with regional school leaders and the district’s safety and security team on best practices in keeping our campuses safe," according to KING 5.
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One mom who spoke to KIRO 7 on the condition of anonymity said her child was attacked last Thursday by suspects armed with a gun.
"Our kids shouldn’t normalize being robbed at gunpoint walking home from school," the parent said.
When the child called police, according to the mom, no one answered. The family has since filled out a police report and are waiting for a follow-up call from a detective.
"When you call 911 when you’re a victim and nobody shows up that’s extremely concerning, especially as a parent," she told KIRO 7.
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Seattle Public Schools cut ties with the Seattle Police Department in 2020, when protests and riots spread across the nation demanding police departments be defunded following the death of George Floyd during an interaction with Minneapolis police.
Following instances of violent crimes in the last two years, including a fatal shooting at a high school, the district’s school board passed the SPS Safety Initiative to review the safety of campuses and create "community action teams," which include district leaders and police.
The Seattle Police Department has lost at least 600 officers to retirements or resignations since 2020’s anti-police rhetoric, the police union told local media this summer. A briefing memo from the mayor’s office this month reported that the department has dropped to the lowest level of staffing since 1991, with just 937 police officers, despite efforts to recruit and retain officers.
Police said in the press release they will deploy more patrols near the schools "when staffing allows."
"These crimes against our youth in our communities are a high priority for the department. We do ask that you keep your safety a number one priority and be vigilant in identifying a potentially dangerous situation," the department added.
