An officer was dispatched on Tuesday, Jan. 10, to a reported assault taking place at a store at 12th St. and O Ave. Staff at Island Health advised that they had a patient there who had been stabbed twice and assaulted with brass knuckles earlier in the night. The man said he had made a purchase at a store and then left for his girlfriend’s home on foot and that while walking, he had encountered another man and had a verbal altercation with him that eventually turned physical. The victim said the man had brass knuckles with blades on them on each of his hands and that he did strike the assailant’s face during the altercation, which lasted about 30 seconds. He said the man took his cell phone and wallet. The victim said he went to his girlfriend’s house and did not realize the extent of his injuries until he arrived there. His girlfriend convinced him to seek medical attention. The investigation continues.
Anacortes Police also investigated these other cases.
Friday, January 6, 2023
An officer received an email that was sent to APD by a 44-year-old Anacortes man who had possibly been a victim of fraud. The officer spoke to the man, who said that someone had attempted to open bank accounts at multiple banks using his information. All but one of the accounts had been refused by the bank and marked as fraud. He was not out any money and the fraud had not affected his credit. The banks the man reached out to were all conducting their own internal investigations.
An officer was dispatched to a report of a blown-up outhouse at the lower Mount Erie parking lot. The officer arrived and located the obliterated outhouse and surrounding structure, deducing that the reported mischief had occurred sometime overnight. The explosion was powerful enough to send pieces of the outhouse onto the hillside next to it. The investigation continues.
Saturday, January 7, 2023
A 70-year-old Anacortes man reported a theft in the 3700 block of Commercial Avenue. The man was looking through a set of buildings he is demolishing and found a turnstile missing. The man said he would check the area for surveillance cameras, and that he did not want to pursue charges at this time.
Dispatch advised that a woman had reported that a man walked up to an Anacortes drive-through window and a male in a black car hit him and pulled a taser on him. The officer arrived and contacted the manager, who said that the man didn’t want to pursue charges. Surveillance video showed the vehicle driving forward and appearing to hit the man’s right leg. The man then turns to face the driver, who pulls out a black object described by the manager as a taser. The man on foot then walks away. An officer was able to contact the driver, who stated that he had been waiting for an extended period of time in the drive-through when the on-foot man walked in front of others in line. The man said he held the taser out the window and sparked it out of frustration and to get the man’s attention. He denied any physical contact.
A 62-year-old Anacortes man reported a vehicle prowl in the Mount Erie parking lot, stating that his front driver’s side window had been shattered. An officer responded and learned that the man had been walking his dog for about 30 minutes and returned to find the window broken and about $110 worth of items taken. The responding officer instructed the man to call back if he discovered any items missing; the reporting party did not want to pursue charges.
Sunday, January 8, 2023
The reporting party reported that a manhole cover had been removed at the entrance to Ace of Hearts dog park. The responding officer put the grate back in its place.
Monday, January 9, 2023
An officer was dispatched to a restaurant in the 2800 block of Commercial Avenue, where a woman reported that her unoccupied parked car had been hit in the parking lot sometime that day. The officer arrived and found that the rear quarter panel of the car was dented. The officer photographed the damage. Video was later obtained showing a sedan striking the parked vehicle before leaving.
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
An officer was requested on the scene of homeless outreach being conducted at T Avenue and 6th Street. A 49-year-old La Conner man informed the officer that on Dec. 31 at about midnight, he heard a loud bang that shook his RV and knocked items off the shelves of his RV. He initially thought it was a firework, but upon later inspection he found that someone had blown up his portable septic tank. The man was unsure if it was a prank or if he was targeted maliciously. An officer documented the damage and found remnants of a commercial firework.
Thursday, January 12, 2023
APD officers responded to a gunshot complaint in the 1900 block of Island View Place. A man told dispatch that he had shot his boyfriend. Officers contacted the residents at the given address and determined the call to be a hoax, commonly known as “swatting.” Officers checked the residence with the occupants’ permission, cleared the building and confirmed that the report was false. Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office deputies joined APD officers in responding to the call, as they were in town for a planned containment training. While the swatting incident occurred about two hours after the training was scheduled to begin, the training and incident were completely unrelated. The case is under active investigation by APD detectives.
An officer was dispatched to a theft that had just occurred at an Anacortes grocery store. The reporting party advised that an unknown person wearing a towel had just walked out of the store with unknown items. The reporting party stated he wanted the woman trespassed.