Hammer attack, robbery linked?

Police are investigating whether a man suspected of robbing a University of Washington student at gunpoint near the campus in December might have also attacked another student with a hammer in January.

Police serving an arrest warrant for the robbery suspect at his basement apartment six blocks from the campus last month saw in the apartment three hammers and a Nokia cellphone, as well as a blue jacket with white striping similar to the one the hammer-attack suspect was seen wearing on video surveillance tapes, according to a search-warrant request filed in King County Superior Court.

Detectives, realizing the physical description of the man also matched witness descriptions and video evidence in the hammer-attack case, then considered the man a person of interest in that case. It isn't clear whether the search warrant has been served.

The man, a 24-year-old, was arrested and booked into King County Jail on Jan. 30 on investigation of the robbery. He was released on bail Feb. 19, according to jail records.

The hammer attack occurred Jan. 10 in the 1800 block of Northeast 47th Street when a man in his mid-twenties bludgeoned a 22-year-old woman, fracturing her skull and eye socket. Police have said the attack was a robbery. The suspect took the student's Nokia cellphone before running away.

The armed robbery occurred Dec. 7, in the 4700 block of 15th Avenue Northeast when a man in his mid-20s pulled out a gun and demanded that a 19-year-old UW student give him all his money.

During the robbery, the attacker first asked the victim for money, saying that he'd pay it back. Apparently as an act of good faith, the attacker provided the victim with his cellphone number. By tracing that cellphone number, police were able to identify the 24-year-old suspect and find his apartment.

Haley Edwards: 206-464-2745

or hedwards@seattletimes.com