The bank robbery suspect shot by police on Tuesday at Greenwood Avenue and Holman Road is also a suspect in the attempted bank robbery of the Bank of America Greenwood branch at 404 N. 85th St. on Monday. He is also a suspect in the robbery at a Ballard bank and an espresso stand in Broadview.

This is an update from the Seattle Police Department Blotter:

The 36-year-old male suspect remains under guard at Harborview Medical Center. Upon his release, he will be transported to King County Jail and booked for Investigation of Robbery and Assault.

The adult male and two children ages 5 and 11 who were in the car that was rammed by the suspect were treated and released yesterday for minor injuries.

The officer that suffered minor injuries when the suspect rammed his patrol car is a 22-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department.

The detective that shot the suspect is a 10-year veteran of the Seattle Police Department. This detective was involved in one other shooting incident which occurred in Seattle on May 14, 2004.

In addition to the Shoreline robbery, Seattle Police detectives believe that this suspect had been involved in three other robberies this week:

June 28 – robbery of an espresso stand in the 14300 block of Greenwood Avenue N.
June 29 – attempted robbery of a bank in the 400 block of N 85th Street.
June 30 – robbery of a bank in the 5500 block of 22nd Avenue NW.

Last night, KING5 reported the man has an extensive criminal record dating back 18 years, including prison time for a Whatcom County bank robbery. He got out of prison less than two months ago.

The Phinney Farmers Market at the Phinney Center at 67th & Phinney Avenue runs from 3-7 p.m. every Friday. Dozens of vendors sell fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, chocolates, honey, spreadable toppings, jam, cider, cheese, pastries, seafood, meat, and food to order, such as pizza and Pan-African dishes.

New to the market this week are blueberries, apricots, raspberries, cherries and sweet bell peppers. For a list of what’s available at the market this week, check out the Ripe ‘n Ready Report.

Kids have access to the hillside slides to blow off a little steam. This Friday’s entertainment is Chet Corpt, who will play the African Kora (a 21-string harp-lute) from 4-6 p.m. Next Friday, July 10, KING FM will bring a number of classical instruments for its Instrument Petting Zoo; and on Friday, July 17, mandolin player Dara will perform.

The Phinney Farmers Market runs through Oct. 2. (The Phinney Farmers Market is a PhinneyWood advertiser.)

Seattle Police Department’s Blotter has an extensive press release this morning on yesterday’s officer-involved shooting of a wanted bank robbery suspect, which closed down part of Greenwood Avenue and Holman Road for hours:

On July 1st at approximately 5:31 p.m. officers spotted a wanted bank robbery suspect driving a stolen Dodge Ram pickup truck near 3rd Avenue NW and Holman Road NW. The 36-year-old male suspect was believed to have robbed a bank in Shoreline within the last 90 minutes and was also believed to be responsible for at least two other area robberies (an attempted bank robbery in the 400 block of North 85th Street and an espresso stand robbery in the 14300 block of Greenwood Avenue North).

A police bulletin was recently issued alerting officers that the suspect was wanted for robbery. The bulletin instructed officers to arrest the suspect on a current DOC Felony Warrant in addition to probable cause for the earlier robberies. The suspect was described as armed and dangerous.

Puget Sound Violent Crimes Task Force Detectives (PSVCTF) were patrolling the area due to the bank robbery that had occurred a short time earlier in Shoreline. Patrol officers attempted to stop the suspect at which time he got caught in traffic near Greenwood Avenue North and Holman Road North.

Patrol officers and PSVCTF Detectives surrounded the suspect’s vehicle and attempted to take him into custody. The suspect failed to comply with officers’ commands to show his hands. The suspect then rammed a marked police car on the driver’s side, inflicting minor injuries to the veteran male officer. The suspect refused officers’ commands to surrender. A Seattle Police Detective fired at the suspect several times, striking him at least once in the arm.

The suspect sped away and drove across Greenwood Avenue North, where he collided into two civilian vehicles, a silver Honda sedan and a red Honda SUV. The driver of the silver Honda sedan was not injured. The red Honda SUV was occupied by an adult male driver and two children, ages five and 11. All three of those occupants were transported to an area hospital with minor injuries that were sustained in the collision with the suspect’s truck.

The suspect was taken into custody following the collision with the red Honda SUV. He was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

The detective who fired his service weapon has been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure in an officer-involved shooting.

Seattle Police Homicide, Robbery and CSI Detectives, as well as FBI agents, responded to the scene.

Seattle Police Homicide Detectives will conduct the officer-involved shooting aspect of the incident, which is standard practice. A Firearms Review Board will be convened in the coming weeks to determine whether or not the shooting was within Department policy. The robbery aspect of the incident remains an active and on-going Puget Sound Violent Crimes Task Force investigation conducted by the Seattle Police Department in conjunction with the FBI.

While this information is preliminary and subject to change, it is the best available at the present time.

Updated 9:25 p.m. Seattle Police say they’ve shot a man suspected in a series of bank robberies at Greenwood Ave. N and Holman Road shortly after 5:30 p.m. Police say the man driving a stolen pickup truck rammed an officer’s vehicle and another car carrying a man and two children.

The suspect was first spotted at Holman and 3rd Ave., police say. When he stopped in traffic at Greenwood and Holman, officers boxed him in. That’s when he rammed a car to escape, investigators say. Officers say they fired at least four shots, striking the suspect in the arm.

The man and two children sustained minor injuries, and they were transported to Harborview. The officer, his car shown above, is OK.

Police say the man was wanted in a bank robbery in Shoreline this afternoon, as well as several others. But they did not say if he was suspected in two recent robberies at the Greenwood Bank of America.

Greenwood Ave. just north of Holman Road remains closed Wednesday night, and officers say the investigation and cleanup will likely continue until 10 to 11 p.m. Crime Scene Investigators are taking photos, including a high-angle shot from a fire engine. Holman Road (below) is open.

One of the first reports of the shooting came from SPD’s Twitter feed:

Officer involved shooting in the area of Holman and Greenwood Avenue NW. PIO enroute.

(Thanks Heidi for the photos!) Stay tuned for more updates…

…unless those fireworks hurt someone or start something on fire. That’s the message from the Seattle Police and Fire Departments:

The possession, manufacture, storage, sale, handling and use of fireworks are prohibited. Fireworks offenses are gross misdemeanors punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a $5,000 fine.

Fireworks pose a fire hazard to property and present a safety risk to those who use them. Every year the Seattle Fire Department responds to fireworks-related fires and injuries. Each and every one of these incidents could have been prevented.

On the 4th of July, 911 centers become overloaded with non-emergency fireworks calls. DO NOT call 911 unless you have a life-threatening emergency and need immediate help from police, fire or medics. Unnecessary 911 calls block people with real emergencies from reaching 911 and getting help.

Any fireworks-related fires or injuries should be reported directly to 911. Other fireworks violations may be reported by calling the Seattle Police non-emergency number at (206) 625-5011.

The Seattle Police and Seattle Fire Department wish you a safe and enjoyable 4th of July celebration!

We know this won’t dissuade anyone from using incendiaries to display their patriotism, but do be safe out there.

For those planning on watching the fireworks on Lake Union, know any good places to watch that don’t involve fighting the crowds at Gas Works Park? 

If you’re a little troubled with the way townhomes are impacting the character of our neighborhood and want to see better development and design, you might want to attend the Seattle City Council’s Planning, Land Use & Neighborhoods Committee’s (PLUNC) special North-end meeting on July 14.

The 6 p.m. meeting is at the University Heights Community Center in the University District (5031 University Way NE, Room 209). Titled “Our Multifamily Code Update - Chapter 1, Fixing Design of Townhomes and Other Lowrise Housing,” its a working meeting of the committee, but the second half will be opened up to attendees.

Townhomes are just one issue among many that will be addressed in the multifamily code update, but it will be the bulk of what we’ll talk about at these two community meetings. These forums are prime opportunities to weigh in on the proposal at an early stage of the legislation’s review, and a great chance to talk proactively about housing choices, affordability and neighborhood-friendly design.

If you want more information about the multi-family code update, including links to previous meetings where the issue was discussed, click here.

Greenbean Coffee Shop at 210 N. 85th St. chooses a different non-profit organization to support each month, giving half the baristas’ tips to the cause. For July, the chosen non-profit is HomeStep, a program that provides stable housing and supportive services for homeless families and individuals.

The opening reception is Thursday from 6-8 p.m., and will feature a display, exhibit of children’s art and free food.

Please stop by and show your support. A number of these folks live in the Greenwood area. Thank you, Karen Schneider, Family Case Manager. For more info, contact me at 478-9306.

The HGTV show “Bang for Your Buck” is looking for Seattle-area remodeled master bathrooms to feature on its second season. Renovations must have happened within the last three years.

Each episode will tour three similar remodels at similar price points in the same city. We’ll bring in our design expert and real estate expert to determine how the renovation impacts each home’s value. We’ll also provide viewers with expert advice, answers on remodeling values, and inspiring ideas for design.

If you’re interested, send pictures and request an application from Brooke Schledewitz by email, or call (303) 712-3168.

The Phinney Neighborhood Center officially celebrated its purchase of its long-time rental home at 67th & Phinney Avenue with a big community party on Sunday. These kids couldn’t wait to taste the cake in the shape of the PNA’s blue building.

Several groups of musicians played outside and inside.

Here’s the Phinney Community Chorus.

The Bubble Man is always a hit with the kids.

People voted on the top three choices for a new mural along the parking lot wall.

And drew their own pictures on the currently empty space.

Thanks to Cheryl for taking the pictures!

The public is invited to a community meeting to brainstorm ideas for new uses and activities at Greenwood Park from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, at the Salvation Army, 9501 Greenwood Ave.

A volunteer group called Vision Greenwood Park is working in partnership with the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department. The meeting will be facilitated by Site Workshop, a Seattle-based landscape architecture firm.

Greenwood Park is located between Fremont and Evanston Avenues and North 87th and 89th Streets. There are four lots on the Fremont Avenue side of Greenwood Park that may become part of the park in the future. Two of them are owned by Seattle Parks and Recreation and two are privately owned (and not currently for sale). A group of neighbors, called Vision Greenwood Park, have come together to lead a community planning process to create a vision for the future of these lots. This vision will follow these guiding principles:

· Plan comprehensively for the long-term use of all four lots

· Engage the community in a process to explore a variety of potential uses.

· Integrate the new lots with the rest of the park.

· Build on the child and young family features of the park and create uses for other groups including, but not limited to, teens and senior citizens.

This is the first of three community meetings that will guide development of a plan for the future of the Fremont Avenue lots. The project is funded by a Neighborhood Matching Fund grant from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. For more information, check out Vision Greenwood Park’s yahoo group.

Phinney resident Heather Tarr, the celebrated coach of the Husky women’s softball team that won the NCAA Softball Championship on June 2, was honored along with her team at Monday’s King County Council meeting. That’s Heather in the middle, holding the home plate plaque.

The Huskies defeated the top-seeded Florida Gators 3-2 in the second of a two-game sweep in Oklahoma City to finish the season with a stunning 51-12 record. Congratulations, Heather!

Update Wednesday, 9 p.m.: Commenting on this story has been turned off due to some people disregarding the rules against offensive language and threats.

George emailed to tell us of a terrible accident at Greenwood & 102nd just before 9 tonight:

The motorcycle was traveling north at “in excess of 90mph” (said passengers in cars who witnessed it). His passenger flew through the air all the way to 103rd. The man lost his leg in the hood of the car.

We live on the corner, heard the crunch, and saw the motorcycle passenger flying through the air. The motorcycle was traveling north on Greenwood. The car was driving south, turning left onto 102nd. The police are still here (at 10:20 p.m.) doing a full forensics on the scene. Both motorcycle passengers were alive but unconscious when they went into the ambulances.

Seattle Fire Department’s Real Time 911 log shows a massive aid response at 8:47 p.m.

There’s not a lot of information yet, but KOMO is reporting that both motorcycle riders sustained life threatening injuries. Thanks, George, for the tip and photo.

A man robbed the Bank of America on 85th St. at 1 p.m. this afternoon, Seattle Police say.  They’re  looking for the suspect, who’s described as a man in his 20s wearing jeans and a green-checkered dress shirt, with brown hair gelled and combed back. PhinneyWood reader Rebecca said her boyfriend was asked by police if he had seen the suspect.  “They asked him if he had seen a red van (Ford Econoline) and showed him a security photo of a man with short, dark hair and glasses,” she said.  “They thought maybe the van had come through the gravel parking lot of the Greenwood Medical Center.”

If you saw anything, you’re asked to call 911.

We weren’t able to make the Greenwood Car Show this weekend, so we’re still looking at all the photos people sent in. (Thanks to the Geeky Swedes at MyBallard for covering the event for us!)

We also asked our friend Mike Veitenhans to take photos for us, so here are just a few he sent. (Disclosure: Mike’s business, MV Home Inspections, is a PhinneyWood advertiser).

A couple of Mariners players stopped by the Greenwood Food Bank last week to help volunteers sort and give out food to clients. That’s infielder Russell Branyan on the left and pitcher Brandon Morrow on the right, boxing up groceries.

 Here they’re sorting fresh produce.

They joined student leaders from the Seattle Action Team for a day to Strike Out Hunger at the food bank at 9747 Greenwood Ave. N. The Greenwood Food Bank is one of two food banks run by Volunteers of America Western Washington, and together they serve more than 200 families a day. They also operate a fresh produce home delivery program to more than 160 home-bound seniors a month.