Seattle Police arrested two men as part of an ongoing investigation into a string of violent home invasions in the U-District. The two suspects were arrested Jan. 29 and 30, and were charged with robbery, burglary and assault.

Three men forced their way into two houses on 17th Avenue Northeast and another residence in the Roosevelt neighborhood Jan. 25. According to the police, the three suspects threatened the residents at gunpoint and stole money, jewelry, cell phones and drugs.

Two UW students were pistol-whipped by the suspects at the last home the suspects visited. One student, who asked his identity not be published in order to protect his privacy, said he was visiting his friend when the three suspects broke in.

Seattle Police Department (SPD) North Precinct Captain Mike Washburn told The Seattle Times that home invasions of this nature are very rare in the North Precinct, and that the violence of these particular incidents is troubling.

“When you start pistol-whipping somebody, it very easily could have become a homicide,” Washburn said.

One of the victims said the suspects told him and the other five occupants to get on the floor. The suspects then proceeded to pistol-whip the student and his friend. The student was later taken to the hospital, where he received stitches.

Only two of the three suspects have been arrested; the other is still at-large.

The string of home invasions began at about 4:15 p.m. at a home in the 1900 block of Northeast 75th Street. The three suspects entered the house through an unlocked front door, yelled at the residents, demanded marijuana and then ransacked the house.

The suspects then moved on to two other homes, one of which was unoccupied. A tenant from a neighboring apartment was threatened at gunpoint, and the suspects again demanded drugs and ransacked the homes.

Seattle Police Lieutenant Clay Monson told The Seattle Times that the houses were not chosen at random, but were targeted specifically by the suspects because they were searching for marijuana.

According to the UW police, there are only two suspect descriptions at this stage of the investigation.

“The only description we have of the suspects is that there was one black male and one white male, and the white male had red hair,” said UWPD Assistant Chief Ralph Robinson. “The suspects departed in a large, black Cadillac-type vehicle.”

The UW police, along with the SPD, are also keeping an eye out.

“We are very watchful of what’s happening out there,” Robinson said.

He added that another part of the UWPD’s responsibility is to make sure people in the area are aware of dangers to the community.

“We want people to know what happened and be informed of what’s going on, so we’re also involved in the case in a public education capacity.”

[Reach reporter Siv Prince at news@thedaily.washington.edu.]