Explosives arrest; Bicycle confrontation; School burglarized; Theft; Credit fraud; Thefts from unlocked cars

Explosives arrest

An officer driving early on the morning of Feb. 5 in the 3200 block of 84th Avenue S.E. noticed a small fire in the ditch. A short distance away, he saw taillights and found a 16-year-old Mercer Island boy in a car stuck in a yard. The boy told the officer he got stuck while trying to get away from the officer, and admitted he started the fire, according to a report. Police found gasoline, charcoal lighter fluid, empty bottles, a firework and matches in the suspect’s vehicle. When asked why he lit the fire, the teen said his friend had told him about making Molotov cocktails.

Bicycle confrontation

A 16-year-old Mercer Island girl told police that she was driving south in the 5800 block of West Mercer Way and passed two bicyclists, who apparently became upset about the way she passed them. When the girl stopped in front of her home, the bicyclists confronted her. One grabbed her steering wheel and told her she was “taught to drive poorly,” a police report said. One of the bicyclists also punched the girl’s car, leaving about $1,000 damage, according to the report.

School burglarized

Someone entered a classroom at Mercer Island High School, 9100 S.E. 42nd St., overnight and tried to get into the area above the ceiling, according to a police report from Feb. 1. Nothing appeared stolen, although there were many expensive items in the room. Damage was estimated at $500.

Theft

A woman told police Feb. 4 that two bicycles worth an estimated $700 were stolen from the front of her apartment building. The bicycles were described as a dark purple Ironhorse women’s mountain bike and a red, Specialized men’s mountain bike.

Credit fraud

A 54-year-old Mercer Island man reported that someone charged more than $4,000 in fraudulent purchases to his debit account, a report said.

Thefts from unlocked cars

A number of thefts from unlocked vehicles were reported to police this past week. They included:

• Feb. 1, El Dorado Beach Club Drive: A vehicle was entered overnight and ransacked. Someone stole a garage door remote and used it to access the garage, then stole two sets of golf clubs worth an estimated $3,750; two snowboards worth an estimated $300 and a bicycle worth about $400.
• Jan. 31, 5200 block of East Mercer Way: An estimated $100 worth of items were stolen from a red 2004 Jeep Wrangler overnight.
• Jan. 31, 5900 block of East Mercer Way: Cash and a satellite radio charger were taken from a vehicle overnight.
• Jan. 31, 4500 block of 80th Avenue S.E.: Someone entered a gold 2003 Toyota Forerunner and a white 1994 Lexus and stole a Palm Pilot navigation system, the victim told police.