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U-District roofer with pry bar mistaken for man with rifle

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SEATTLE — Police investigating a report of a possible armed person on a rooftop near a busy Seattle intersection instead found a roofer and his tools Thursday.

University of Washington police said that they received a report of two people wearing green Army fatigues, one of whom was carrying a rifle.  The report said they were on a rooftop near the intersection of Northeast 45th Street and University Way Northeast in Seattle's University District.

Campus police issued a warning to students via the school's alert system at 10:51 a.m. and said people should avoid the area while officers investigated.

Responding officers said they searched the area and found "a roofer with a long pry bar and other equipment that was mistaken for a rifle," near the reported location.

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