Police say string of robberies could be connected

Police say a string of robberies in North Seattle, Capitol Hill and Magnolia during the past week could be connected.

The two most recent robberies occurred overnight, according to Seattle police spokesman Jeff Kappel.

According to police, three armed men robbed several people at 11:24 p.m. Thursday near the intersection of North 65th Street and East Greenlake Way North before leaving on foot. It was the third robbery in the Green Lake area since Tuesday.

An hour after last night's robbery, a group of men robbed two men at gunpoint in the 1700 block of Boylston Avenue East.

The suspects in both overnight robberies were described as three black males who wore sunglasses, bandannas over their faces and dark clothing, said Kappel. A man who brandished the gun during the second incident had a red bandanna over his face and was described by witnesses as being at least 6 feet tall, he said.

Kappel said robbery detectives are investigating whether the crimes are connected to a series of similar robberies in North Seattle, Capitol Hill and Magnolia over the past week. In many cases, the descriptions of the robbers have been similar.

According to Kappel, there have been seven similar armed robberies since Saturday.

On Wednesday, four young men were robbed at gunpoint in Magnolia. In addition, two people were robbed in the Green Lake area early Tuesday morning.

"It is possibly being done by the same group of suspects," Kappel said. "In those [earlier robberies] we have similar suspect descriptions: two or more black male suspects."

A handgun was not used in all of the earlier robberies, Kappel said.

Early this morning, a vehicle south of the city was stopped, but the occupants were not connected to the robberies, police said.

At Green Lake this afternoon, many people said they were concerned with the recent rash of robberies. Some said the area is safe during the day, but at night they say they've seen an increase in crime.

John Morrill, 40, who grew up in the Green Lake area, said he is angered by the recent robberies.

"I don't want to not use this park or be scared of them," he said of the robbers. "I don't want them to win."

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com