Three reported Fort Lewis soldiers were injured in an early morning crash in Seattle, police said today.

The Seattle Police said the three were driving at a high rate of speed, lost control and struck a light pole at about 3:30 a.m. near the 1200 block of Western Avenue. The vehicle rolled, and medics were able to remove the men. The drive was transported to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, and the passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.

The driver was cited for second-degree negligent driving.

Seattle Police and Fort Lewis officers arrested another soldier in connection with January robberies in Seattle.

Two Fort Lewis soldiers were arrested yesterday. Officers took the third suspect, a 21-year-old from Rhode Island, into custody at about 5 p.m. today.

The third suspect allegedly participated in a Jan. 10 robbery, and was reportedly present at another on Jan. 17.

Seattle police are searching for suspects in the beating death of a street musician, who was a well-known member of the Seattle sports scene.

Here's the AP story:

Seattle street musician beaten to death

SEATTLE (AP) - A street musician known to Seattle sports fans for playing the tuba and wearing funny hats outside stadiums has been robbed and beaten to death.

Police say 53-year-old Edward McMichael was attacked Saturday after midnight. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports he was treated for head wounds and died Sunday or Monday at home.

Police have two juvenile suspects in custody. Gang and homicide detectives are looking for three more.

P-I columnist Robert Jamieson writes that "Tuba Man' played "Happy Days are Here Again" outside the Kingdome in 1995 when the Mariners made their postseason run, and matched other songs to the fate of the Sonics or Seahawks. He also played outside McCaw Hall on opera nights.

Here's the morning press release from the Seattle Police Department:

On October 25th, West Precinct Anti-Crime (ACT) officers took a report from citizens who had just been assaulted and robbed in the area of 5th and Mercer. As the ACT officers conducted an area check for the suspects, they interrupted another assault and robbery in progress. A group of about 5 juvenile suspects were standing over a 53-year-old victim, physically assaulting him as he lay on the ground. When the officers made contact with the suspects, they fled on foot. Two were caught and arrested. The others escaped.

The 53-year-old victim, a Seattle resident, was transported to Harborview Medical Center where he received emergency care. He was released. The two suspects, both 15, were booked into Youth Service Center for Investigation of Robbery.

Sometime either late November 2nd or early November 3rd, the 53-year-old victim died. Seattle Police Homicide received notification from the King County Medical Examiner’s Office that the cause of death was directly related to injuries sustained in the October 25th assault. The two suspects, still in custody, were rearrested for Investigation of Murder.

Homicide detectives are appealing for public assistance. Unfortunately, the only description that we have is that the suspects were black males in their mid-teens. Detectives are hoping that other citizens in the area of Seattle Center the evening of October 25th may have had an interaction with these youth that may not have resulted in a report to police. Any additional information will be greatly useful as the detectives continue their investigation. Anyone with information is urged to contact Seattle Police Homicide at 206 684-5550.

The Seattle Police Department has released a composite sketch of a man suspected of breaking into a Wallingford home and sexually assaulting a young woman as her young children slept.

The sketch was released today. The attacker was described as a tall, thin white man, between 25 and 30 years old.

Here's some background on the Monday incident from the Seattle Police Department:

SPD Sexual Assault Unit (SAU) detectives are investigating a burglary and sexual assault that occurred during the evening hours of October 20th in the Wallingford neighborhood of North Seattle. The female victim was home with her young children, who were sleeping. Her husband had just left the house on a brief errand. The suspect entered the home and confronted the victim. He threatened her and sexually assaulted her. He stole some items from the residence before fleeing.

The victim immediately called 911 and North Precinct patrol officers responded. A K9 officer responded to the scene as well, but was unable to establish a successful track. SAU and CSI detectives responded to the scene to investigate and to process the crime scene for evidence.

Next to murders, these are the most terrible crimes that we investigate. According to SAU detectives, this incident does appear to be isolated. We would like to remind everyone to always keep their doors and windows locked, even while at home. We ask that citizens be mindful not only of their own personal and property interests, but also that of their neighbors.

At this time, we are not releasing a suspect description. Instead, we ask that anyone who saw anything suspicious or out of the ordinary between 9 and 9:50 PM in the 1600 block of N 52nd Street call our SAU detectives at 684-5575. We will provide a sketch to the public when and if one becomes available.

The Seattle Police Department's PIOs are joining the ever-expanding blogosphere.

They publicly launched the SPD Blotter on Monday. The blotter will be news and notes from the Seattle Police Department's Media Office, according to a press release.

"Typical entries might include details about major crimes investigations, wanted suspect bulletins, announcements regarding high profile arrests and the latest police/community partnerships," the press release stated. "The hope is that by providing information in this new format, the Seattle Police Department will have an opportunity to engage many more citizens who rely on getting their news via the Internet or their hand-held electronic devices."

The site already has several posts up. Each has a good amount of information and photos when appropriate. There's also an option to subscribe to the blog if you're interested.

The FBI is asking for the public's help catching the bank robber picture above. The photo was taken a 9:15 a.m. today at Washington Federal Savings in Seattle. He's also suspected in other robberies, including in Tacoma and Puyallup.

The above suspect is now believed to be responsible for at least four bank robberies and one pharmacy robbery in the Puget Sound region. His demand notes state that he is armed with an explosive device. He is described as a white male, 20 to 30 years of age, 5’10”, and 180 lbs. He wears prescription glasses and has short brown hair.

The robberies are:
Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m., Sound Community bank, 2001 5th Ave, Seattle
Sept. 18, 5:30 p.m., US Bank, South Meridian Ave., Puyallup
Sept. 24, 12:25 p.m., Heritage Bank, 1119 Pacific Ave, Tacoma
Sept. 28, unknown time, Bartell's Pharmacy, downtown Seattle
Sept. 30, 9:15 a.m., Washington Federal bank, 725 3rd Ave, Seattle

24-Hour contact info: FBI (206)622-0460

Are identity thieves getting more complex?

Here's a story in the Seattle P-I about how one thief tapped into the victim's phone line to intercept a call from the victim's credit union to verify an wire transfer for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Seattle PD needs your help in finding a man suspected in a series of sexual assaults in the South Seattle area in the past several months.

The most recent incident was Wednesday.

Here's more from a Seattle PD press release:

The assaults occurred along Beacon Ave S (from Columbia to S. Cloverdale) and in the vicinity of 45 Ave S. and South Cloverdale St. All of the attacks have occurred within a very short distance of Metro bus stops, Routes 32 and 36 in particular. Most of the assaults have occurred between 5:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m., and some have occurred in the morning between 8:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

The suspect targets Asian females, approaching them from behind and grabbing them sexually before fleeing. He has attempted to isolate some of the victims, we believe in an attempt to further his sexual assault.

Suspect Information:

Black male
Late teens to early 30’s
Medium to dark complexion
Wearing, grey hooded sweatshirt/hooded coat and blue jeans

Please forward any information about possible suspects or any information at all about these attacks to the Seattle Police Department’s Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, 206-684-5575 or to Detective Keith Savas at 206-684-5361 or email, keith.savas@seattle.gov

This isn't a surprise.

Here's the story on KIRO's web site.