A reader wrote us this morning to let us know about an assault that occurred at 9:45pm last night (Saturday, March 14th) at Little Howe Park, aka East Queen Anne Playfield. A 19 year-old woman was assaulted in the northeast part of the park, near the basketball court.
The reader heard her screams, called 911, and assisted the victim. The SPD report has no narrative, only the basic facts (time, location, type of crime). We’ve contacted our West Precinct coordinator, and will update the post if we get any additional information.
Here’s the information from the Good Samaritan neighbor:
“At 9:45pm a 19 year old woman was assaulted by a fleeing black male screaming obscenities in Little Howe Park. Another white, young male showed up after the assault who was intending to be part of the meeting. After hearing screams, we called 911, QA Fire responded within about 5 minutes, SPD was there within 10 minutes. An ambulance responded as well. The woman was treated for her injuries. The park was completely unlit with overgrown hedges.
The police officer who came was from Pike and Pine, and reported that they are short-staffed tonight. This appeared to be a drug deal gone wrong.”
While scary, this incident is also a reminder that our safe neighborhood can still be dangerous at night. Last year, another woman was mugged near the park while walking her dog at 10:30pm. Always be aware of your surroundings and don’t walk alone at night – especially through city Parks, which close at dusk for safety reasons.