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SeattleCrime.com is reporting that a man was beaten into near-fatal condition outside an Aurora motel last night:

Police say a man was so severely beaten following an argument over drugs outside an Aurora motel that his injuries "could result in permanent brain injury or possibly death." 

Just before 9:00pm last night, police were called to a bloody scene outside of a motel on 44th and Greenlake Way N.

Officers found a man on the ground with a "golf-ball sized bump" on his head and a "significant amount of blood coming from his mouth," laying next to a silver-multi tool and a pair of shoes, a police report says.

"I heard the sound of him gargling his own blood," Officer Adam Beatty wrote in his report. "I feared he might suffocate and gently rolled him onto his side."

A woman at the scene told police the victim had been in a fight with another man, who had run across Aurora, jumped over the median, and fled southbound

Police reviewed security tapes from the motel and identified a suspect, who...

The Seattle Times reported yesterday that three of the four individuals arrested in a string of recent stun-gun attacks were also involved in a crime on Aurora Avenue in May.  According to the article, two women and one girl have been connected to an automobile theft outside of the LA Fitness health club 13244 Aurora Avenue North:

Seattle police have also linked the three females with the theft of a car from outside an LA Fitness health club on Aurora Avenue North on May 13, according to court paperwork.

SeattleCrime.com has a story today about a wild ride on the 358, reported by one passenger:

I love the northbound 358. The third-busiest Metro bus route, it's fast, it comes often and something exciting nearly always happens during the ride. On one trip just last week I saw three people get arrested in two completely unrelated incidents (two were too drunk, one tried to get off without paying and transit cops chased him down). But one passenger's trip during the afternoon on May 3 got a little too exciting when a roudy woman, part of a group witnesses said were loud and intoxicated, punched him in the face.

For the complete story, click here.

Our partner site, the Seattle Times, has more details about yesterday's murder-suicide at the Way West Motel:

The woman was 34, and her husband was approximately 10 years older, said Pierce. The woman has family in the area while the man was from somewhere in the Midwest, though he told Pierce he'd lived all over the country.

"He told me he didn't like it here because of the rain," Pierce said.

The couple wasn't behind on their $750-a-month rent and had lived there for three months, said Pierce, who lives two doors down from the couple at the motel. The woman would sometimes come by to borrow kitchen utensils from Pierce, or bring him ribs or other food she'd made, he said.

"They didn't cause any problems," Pierce said of the couple.

Seattle Police, including homicide detectives, are on the scene at the Way West Motel on the 8600 block of Aurora Avenue North.  The motel manager broke down the door and found the two bodies shortly after noon today.

Neighbors in the adjacent motel room called the manager after beginning to notice a stench as well as noticing the deceased residents' cars had not moved in over a week.  When the manager opened the door, the neighbors reported seeing two bodies slumped over and suspected homicide based on the blood that was "splattered all over the wall".

The police have not yet commented on whether or not it is a homicide.

UPDATE: SPD is now saying this is a murder-suicide.  They recovered a handgun in the room.

From SeattleCrime.com:

Seattle police were called to a North Seattle middle school last week after several students reported that they were robbed at gunpoint and later threatened by two other boys in an off-campus drug deal after school.

When officers arrived at the Wilson Pacific Middle School building on April 27th, staff told police they had received information that several students had been robbed in nearby Licton Springs park a day earlier, and had later been threatened by the robbers, who are also students at the school.

For the full story, click here.

An update on last night's incident the Marco Polo Motel on Aurora from the SPD Blotter:

On April 22nd, 2010 at 2:15 p.m., an armed suspect, described as a white male, 40’s, unshaven with gray hair, robbed a bank in the 1200 block of NE 45^th Street. He demanded cash and traveler’s checks from the teller. 

On April 27^th, a Robbery Detective received a tip that the suspect was at a north Seattle location  and was driving a white  Mercedes .  The Puget Sound Violent Crimes Task Force and SPD Robbery Detectives responded to the location and was informed that the suspect had already left.

Officers set up containment and located the suspect’s vehicle parked and unoccupied at a motel in the 4100 block of Aurora Av N. 

The suspect suddenly exited the room and attempted to leave the area in his vehicle. He was taken into custody without further incident. 

The suspect was transported to the Robbery Office for processing. ...

From SeattleCrime.com:

Seattle police have surrounded the Marco Polo Motel on 41st and Aurora, looking for the Grim Reaper Bandit.

More as this develops.

9:31PM - Police tell us they've taken one suspect into custody.

 

From the SeattlePI:

A man was assaulted near Green Lake Wednesday night and taken to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

About 11:55 p.m., police and fire crews were called to a stabbing report at West Green Lake Way North and Aurora Avenue North. The victim was found several hundred yards away on North 63rd Street, under an Aurora Avenue North overpass.

It was not clear if the man, whom police said was homeless, was stabbed or where the possible assault took place. Police at the scene said the man had something thrown at him, but other details of the assault were not immediately clear.

Seattlecrime.com reported some significant police activity on Aurora south of 90th Street early Sunday afternoon.

Scanner traffic indicates an officer called for fast backup after, police tell us, the driver of a car officers had been following slammed on his brakes, and a man jumped out of the car and ran at officers. Officers detained at least two people in the car.

According to the unconfirmed report of one area resident who was on the scene, over 11 cop cars showed up and, "It was a drug bust."  

The Seattle Times reported a shooting near the Evergreen Washelli Cemetery near 115th street this morning:

Police are investigating a shooting early Monday morning in North Seattle that left one man with life-threatening injuries.

Just before 1 a.m., police responded to a 911 call reporting shots fired in the 1100 block of North 115th Street. A short time later officers received another call reporting a man had been shot. When they arrived at the location police found a man on the south side of the street suffering from what appeared to be two gunshot wounds to his torso.

The SPD Blotter also has details on the active investigation.

In case you missed them, here are a few stories from further up the avenue:

Orion Motel altercation from the SLOG.

Coffee cart robbery from SeattleCrime.com

SeattleCrime.com is reporting that the man who was arrested following a sexual assault at an Aurora motel last week never regained consciousness and died on Friday after being taken off of life support.  Though SeattleCrime.com reported that medics were called to remove Taser barbs from the suspect and that a Seattle Police Officers Guild was on the scene, the information released by the SPD has not yet commented on these reports, stating that indeed the man resisted arrest, but that he was subsequently transported to Harborview Medical Center due to a suspected drug overdose.

According to SeattleCrime.com,

According to SPD spokesman Sean Whitcomb, officers' use of force is being reviewed as per department policy.

The King County Medical Examiner's office has not determined the cause of Wright's death and may not have a final report for 8-10 weeks.

Meanwhile, a community organizer honors the motel manager that stepped in to stop the sexual assault.

Here's an update about a story we've been tracking from the SPD Blotter:

On March 2nd, the suspect wanted for the assault of a Seattle Police officer in North Seattle on February 10th, was taken into custody  in San Diego, Californina, as he was attempting to cross the border back into the United States from Mexico.  The Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force (PNWFAT) worked tirelessly in their pursuit of  Steve C. Hyatt.   The PNWFAT is a U.S. Marshals-sponsored partnership comprised of investigators from the King County Sheriff’s Office, Seattle Police Department, Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Washington State Department of Corrections, and the U.S. Marshals Service.   The Task Force was formed to concentrate apprehension efforts to remove federal, state and local fugitives from the streets.  The Task Force objective is to disrupt illegal gang, gun and drug activity in the Pacific Northwest...

At least thirteen police cars were parked outside the Everspring Inn at 82nd and Aurora just after 11 p.m. Sunday.  Officers were milling around and conversing in small groups.  They told Aurora|Seattle that "a disturbance occurred" and that is all they can share at this time. 

Meanwhile, the folks over at SeattleCrime.com are gathering details, saying that a man was seriously injured by a police taser.

Update: The Seattle Times has this report this morning.

From SeattleCrime.com:

A man and a woman were attacked on Aurora over the weekend by a group of men who were apparently out looking for a prostitute.

The man and woman were walking home on 107th and Aurora at 11:00 p.m. on February 12th when a a silver 4 door sedan circled the block and pulled up alongside them.

Three men—described in the report as three black males, possibly Ethiopian—got out of the car and asked the woman if she was a prostitute. The couple got into an argument with the group of men, which quickly escalated into a physical confrontation.

For the complete story, visit here.

As our partner site, the Seattle Times, reported earlier today, the Seattle Police have released the photo of man who was charged last Friday with assaulting an officer following a car chase turned foot chase that began near Aurora Avenue North and 90th Street.

Seattle police are asking for the public's help in locating Steve C. Hyatt, who was charged last week with assaulting a police officer and attempting to disarm her following a Feb. 10 pursuit in North Seattle.

Hyatt, 33, was charged Friday with assault, attempting to disarm the officer, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and hit-and-run driving.

He is described as a white, 5-feet-6, 180 pounds, with green eyes and short-cropped hair. A recent photograph of Hyatt, taken by police after a separate arrest for driving while under the influence, was released by police.

Anyone who sees Hyatt should call 911 immediately, and anyone with information should call Seattle police Detective Tim Wear at 206-684-893...

From the SPD Blotter:

On 2/10/10, at approximately 12:45 a.m., an officer attempted to contact the suspect on a traffic violation in the area of 90th and Aurora Av N. The suspect, described as a white male in his 20’s, refused to yield to the officers lights and sirens.

A very brief pursuit ensued and was quickly terminated.  Moments later, the suspect crashed into a house in the area. There were people inside the home but they were not injured. The suspect got out of his vehicle and attempted to run away from the scene on foot. The officer chased the suspect at which point the suspect assaulted the officer and attempted to disarm her.

The officer continued to give chase and at some point lost sight of the suspect. The officer was treated on scene by Seattle Fire and transported to an area hospital with unknown injuries. 

As of 2:30 a.m., the suspect was still outstanding.

The Seattle Times reported earlier today that police arrested a man just after midnight on Monday morning at the 8900 block of Aurora for firing a pellet rifle repeatedly from a rooftop towards signs across the street.

For the complete story, go here.

Today I was walking on Aurora.  While I was walking on the West side of Aurora, I looked up and saw what I thought was a pack of cigarettes jammed into the chain link fence.  Upon closer examination, I noticed that it wasn’t cigarettes protruding from the pack of Marlboro Reds, it was hypodermic needles!  I looked closer, and I also saw a metallic spoon jammed into the pack, along with the needles.  My guess is that this is the remains of a drug user’s supply.

I didn’t feel comfortable touching this item.  I snapped a picture of it , and moved on.  Does anybody know if there is a city run hotline to report something like this?  What type of etiquette is involved when encountering something like this?

One Aurora motel closed recently while another hosted a positive and creative community event.  Yet another - which had problems a few summers ago - was in the process of renovating some rooms this week.

Additionally, the city has developed and passed a new tool, the Chronic Nuisance Property Ordinance, that is "designed to stop frequent criminal activity at commercial and residential properties across the city."

And yet, unsurprisingly, the bizarre and dangerous criminal activity often associated with Aurora motels persists at various locations up and down the corridor.  According to a report today at SeattleCrime.com, "A woman staying in an Aurora motel got a rude awakening earlier this month after a creepy, creepy man broke into her room in the middle of the night and kept her there for nearly 20 minutes."

The woman was apparently able to force the man out of her room after about 20 minutes, though it is unclear whether or not she was harmed.  After an initial resistance of...

Two students at the Aurora area Wilson Pacific campus were charged early Tuesday with armed robbery, the Seattle Times reported today.

The boys, 12 and 14, held up a clerk at the Union 76 gas station on the southeast corner of 85th and Aurora at approximately 11 a.m. on Thursday, December 3.  The younger student pointed a BB gun at the clerk and demanded cash, while the other boy stood lookout at the door.  The boys fled the scene, one with heisted candy bars in hand, but were soon apprehended five blocks north at the Wilson Pacific campus, where both were students.

Jennifer Sullivan from the Seattle Times reported this afternoon that 2 of the 4 Green Lake area robbery suspects have been arrested.  Police are still looking for two other men who may have been involved.

Undercover police officers arrested two prostitutes on Aurora Avenue looking during a recent sting operation, reported the Slog .  Now this type of undercover operation certainly gets more attention than the other one Aurora|Seattle recently mentioned - but does it impact as many people?

According to the Slog, 

On May 30, undercover officers posing as johns drove up and down Aurora Avenue looking for women working the streets. Officers negotiated for sex with two different 42-year-old women—one in the 4200 block of Aurora, the other on 125th—arrested them and then released them from the scene.

One of Seattle's favorite breakfast spots, Aurora's own Beth's Cafe, was burglarized early Wednesday morning.  A masked man entered the restaurant around 4:30 a.m., pointed a gun at the the two employees, and asked them to empty the cash register.  

According to employees, the robbery took place between the "bar crowd" and the morning rush, when there was only one customer in the restaurant.  Fortunately, no one was injured.

Beth's, which is open 24 hours and home of the 12-egg omelette, was recently featured on the Travel Channel's Man V. Food.

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When you have a chance, make sure to stop by Beth's for a meal or to offer encouragement!  Beth's brings character to Aurora and is actively involved in community development work with neighbors and fellow businesses.  Sorry this happened!