Three armed robbery suspects arrested; at least six victims

SEATTLE — He said to call him "Bootleg Bill." "Yeah I grew up out here since the '80s," he said.

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He says he and others who frequent "The Ave." work together to make this a safer place.

"Yeah, we don't condone live action and gunplay and all that," he said.

Knives were the weapon of choice early Sunday morning when three armed men roamed University Way Northeast.  They are suspected of robbing at least a half dozen people at knifepoint beginning at about 3 a.m.

Not much is known at the moment about the thieves.

"People are going through really hard times so they're really willing to do anything they can for money," said Rapper Luke Cook.

Known as "Naushis," Cook says he was one of those people just a year and a half ago; on drugs and living on the streets.  He sold his music to make money. Others, he says, turn to stealing.

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"We need a 'street team' that will come into Seattle or other cities but in general, like come in," Cook suggests. "Meet these people and  say like 'Hey, we care. We know what you're going through.'"

Seattle police made quick work of tracking down the robbery suspects. They were arrested at 45th and University Way some 90 minutes after the first 911 call.

It brought a measure of relief to those accustomed to hearing about crime here.

"Those incident emails that we get," said Brooke Emrich, a U-District worker. "Like most of the time when they send the email they have not caught the person. So when I hear that they have caught them, I'm happy."

The three suspects should make their first court appearance after the Memorial Day holiday.

Cox Media Group