The following was compiled from Renton Police Department case reports.
The 20-year-old Renton woman stuck a syringe filled with a dark-brown liquid into her left forearm and pushed the plunger downward but pulled it out when she noticed the Renton Police officer standing behind her.
The officer was following leads Feb. 1 in a recent purse snatch at a fast-food restaurant on the Benson Road, based on years of responding to criminal activity in the parking lot and in stores at the shopping center.
The woman must have heard his police radio or saw his reflection while she was sitting in the car; she immediately put the syringe in the glove box.
A friend who works at a nearby store owns the Honda compact car. In fact, he was working that day. He told the officer that he knows his friend was using heroin inside his car but that’s OK because he cares for her.
He was even willing to lose his job and car, he cares so much. He told the officer he just didn’t understand.
But the officer told the 32-year-old Renton man he does understand. He responds to crime constantly in that parking lot and even some of the shoppers where the man works are the victims.
The woman was trespassed from the store and should expect to receive a citation in the mail for possession of drug paraphernalia. The store told the officer it would address the issue of its employee.
AIRSOFT PISTOL: The Renton Police officer was familiar with the Kent man walking on a secluded part of North Riverside Drive from contacts for thefts, robberies, fights and assaults.
The 900 block of Riverside is known for narcotic sales and vehicle prowls. Someone walking in the area at 3 a.m. on Jan. 27 needed to be contacted, especially since he seemed to hide something.
The Kent man was cooperative but he smelled of alcohol. The officer searched the area from which the man emerged and found a black handgun under some leaves. The officer left it there for now.
As the officer tried to handcuff him, the man tensed up and pulled away, possibly in attempt to reach a weapon. The officer was able to get him to the ground in a sitting position.
The weapon hidden under the leaves was an airsoft pistol, although it looked and felt like a real handgun. The Kent man was released.
