Tacoma residents see new lump of coal in Christmas stocking: A ‘porch pirate’ with a gun
‘Twas just days before Christmas, when all through T-town, there were packages outside and an armed porch pirate just waiting to pounce. The thief showed up at a house in a South Tacoma neighborhood in the middle of the afternoon Tuesday.
KIRO 7 saw the video and it is clear the suspect is carrying a gun. The owner didn’t want it shown on TV for fear he would come looking for her. But he was spotted all over this neighborhood.
“We heard a car, it was playing really loud music,” said Mark Blackwood. “It stopped over right in front of our house and then backed up into our neighbor’s driveway.”
He said a man wearing a black covering to hide his face got out of the car.
“And went over to my neighbor’s front door,” Blackwood said. “He had a package there. And our neighbor across the street, Rhonda, saw him. And he saw her, I think because she was in front of her storm door on the phone. And I think that’s what caused him to leave.”
But he wasn’t done. He drove just a few blocks away where he had better luck.
He managed to steal a package there, a gun in his left hand.
“We have a neighborhood watch here,” said Rick Parkos. “And it’s really surprising me.”
Parkos lives next door. He didn’t know until KIRO 7 told him there was an armed porch pirate in his neighborhood.
“Yes, it’s getting pretty brave,” Parkos said. “A gun is scary. I just can’t, I don’t know if I could handle that.”
You know what the crook got away with? Shampoo.
What to do if this happens to you?
Tacoma Police Officer Shelbie Boyd said to call 911 and to give the best description possible. She said that would help officers stop the crook and prevent him from robbing anybody else.
