
Dominic Holden reports at 7:39 pm by phone:
Dozens of police officers have shut down Leary Way between Ballard and Fremont and have surrounded a business that two witnesses say may be a "chop shop" where stolen cars are converted or modified so they are not identifiable. There are police on almost every intersection. It's impossible to tell where people are allowed to go and not allowed to go. It's just a tremendous amount of police. Someone on the scene says that they heard someone else say they heard shots fired 45 minutes ago.Police have surrounded one of the buildings and are making announcements over the loudspeaker, saying, 'We know you are in there. Come out.'
One man appears to have already been arrested. There was just a loud bang—sounded like a gunshot.
This is just breaking and facts may change. Nothing on Seattle Times, Seattle PI, KOMO 4 News, King 5 News, or Seattlecrime.com yet. We'll continue to update.
UPDATE 7:43 PM: MyBallard.com has a photo of the scene. Their report:
We’re hearing of police activity around 8th & Leary and Leary is closed down west of 8th Ave. Witness say it is quite a display of police and SWAT in the area. Seattle Police Detective Jeff Kappel tells us that this is an ongoing investigation and police are serving a warrant. Given that this is an active investigation he says that he doesn’t have any other information.Silver sent in this photo and says two people have been handcuffed and placed in the back of an unmarked vehicle. She says that officers are still yelling into a building for at least one more person to come out. She has also heard quite a bit of breaking glass and several “flash bangs.”
UPDATE 7:52 PM: Again from Dominic:
There is someone in the back of a cop car on the corner of Ninth NW and NW 45th, and officers keep coming up to talk to him, presumably to ask him questions. Over on 45th and Leary, that is the location of the person they are looking for. Police have said over the bullhorns, according to witness Kris Nyrop, "John Campbell, we know you are in there, come out with your hands up."Police told Nyrop and a witness named Jordan (he wouldn't provide his last name) that John Campbell was suspected of running a "chop shop." Earlier they shot dowels in and "flash bangs," an officer confirmed, which was probably the sound we heard earlier.
Jordan, who is a nurse, said he gets home late and he has "seen them welding in there at 3:00 in the morning." He lives four blocks away from the site.
Nyrop said the place is "sketchy as hell" and he too has seen people welding in there at 3:00 in the morning.
Just a minute ago, it appears that a police van either drove in or drove up closer to the one-story building. The garage door had just been lifted up, suggesting that the officers and the SWAT team may have entered the building.
UPDATE 8:14 PM: Dominic Holden reports:
Seattle Police Captain Ron Wilson said that SWAT is out here serving a search warrant. "The case is under investigation and we cannot talk about it," he said. Wilson could not confirm any arrests, the nature of the suspected crime, or any tactics involved with the police operation. He did seem to imply that the police operation is not complete: "We have a warrant to serve and we are trying to do that," Wilson said. So it seems that whatever they've come to do they have not completed it yet.
Nothing yet at Seattle Times, Seattle PI, KOMO 4 News, King 5 News, KIRO TV, or Seattlecrime.com. Will add information as it becomes available.
UPDATE 9:41: MyBallard reports that police have arrested the suspect.
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