… On June 3, at about 11:30 a.m., patrol officers responded to reports of gunfire near the 4100 block of 25th Avenue Southwest. Police located multiple shell casings in the area.
While investigating, officers reviewed video of a suspect running from the area. Officers believe the 23-year-old suspect hid in a nearby apartment. He was found and arrested for investigation of Assault.
Officers also located a black Audi sedan believed to be involved in the shooting.
Police obtained a warrant to search the Audi, where they recovered a handgun with ballistic-tipped ammunition.
Another suspect, associated with the Audi and believed to be connected with the drive-by shooting, was not located.
This continues to be an ongoing investigation by the Gun Violence Reduction Unit. Anyone with information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000. Anonymous tips are accepted.
The incident # is 25-151391. We just checked, and confirmed the 23-year-old man who was arrested remains in King County Jail, in lieu of $50,000 bail.
MAIL THEFT: Emailed this morning by an Alki resident:
This morning about 10:10 am two males were stealing postal mail from our mailboxes located (in the 2700 block of) 60th Avenue SW.
I tried to stop them and grab their attention but they split up and walked away and one running away and the other jumping into a vehicle – white and black, old I think RAV-4.
I think neighbors need to know this. The police have been notified and I’m going to share the photos of them and the car.
DUMPED-LIKELY-STOLEN BICYCLE: Sent by Malia:
I found a bluish gray adult bike in my front yard this morning. I’m assuming it was stolen and dumped. I live off of 44th and Holgate.
(Added Wednesday night: Full unedited video of meeting)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
On a day bookended by two gunfire incidents in West Seattle, leaders from the Seattle Police Gun Violence Reduction Unit happened to be among the guests at the quarterly Southwest Precinct Advisory Council meeting.
Lt. Sean Moore and Sgt. Jeffrey Page acknowledged it probably isn’t much comfort for those directly affected by gunfire incidents to hear that citywide, “shots fired” calls are down.
But they said the 15 detectives and two sergeants in the unit “are out there every day trying to find the people responsible for this violence.” They briefly mentioned high-profile West Seattle incidents such as the person reported to have pointed a gun at a Madison Middle School staffer last week. “We will arrest them and hold them accountable,” the GRVU team insisted.
They can’t do it without community information, however, they said – “we need your help, we need your eyes and ears, we need your private video.” And they urged people to use the SPD violent-crime tipline, 206-233-5000, anonymously if necessary.
GVRU is one of the followup units with which the Southwest Precinct is collaborating, precinct commander Capt. Krista Bair told the ~50 people gathered at Neighborhood House High Point. The others include the Narcotics and Robbery Units, she added, while reiterating that community collaboration is just as important.
Some categories of crime are down significantly, precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite – who organized the meeting along with the SWPAC’s community lead Ella McRae – said. Year to year, auto theft in the precinct area (West Seattle and South Park)is down 37 percent, while burglary is down 40 percent.
After stats, the meeting moved on to what was originally to be a panel discussion – City Attorney Ann Davison canceled at the last minute and City Council President Sara Nelson arrived 25 minutes into the meeting (explaining that she had been napping and overslept), so Natalie Walton-Anderson – who is public-safety chief for Mayor Bruce Harrell – was alone to field initial questions.
The questions began with some submitted in advance. Police staffing was the first, and Walton-Anderson noted the recent recruiting success: “I always like to give hope and optimism – our hiring numbers continue to break records; we’re averaging 12 applicants every day.” But that won’t be reflected in numbers of officers on the street before fall, since the hiring and training process is time-consuming. “I know people are tired of waiting.”
What can city and county prosecutors do about gun violence? Walton-Anderson noted she has worked for both those departments. “Gun laws need to be addressed at the state and federal level … an influx of guns continues to come into our community.” But she said it’s also about working with youth, from mentors to “violence interrupters.” Regarding what seems like a “revolving door” of people through the criminal-justice system, she said, “Those are questions I’ve been asking for 28 years … in terms of repeat offenders, we should hold people accountable but if we don’t get to the underlying reasons,” things won’t change. Asked what specific laws need to change, she declined to make suggestions.
She did talk about the 911 and non-emergency-number system, which she’d been asked about in a previous forum. She mentioned some recent changes – for example, in mid-May, the CARE Department – which includes 911 – “went live with a new phone tree to try to direct calls such as parking enforcement.” And as of the start of this month, CARE is staffing a dedicated non-emergency calltaker during “peak hours, 7 days a week, 11 am to 7 pm.” That doesn’t mean the non-emergency number won’t be answered at other times, she said, but it increases the chances you’ll reach someone during those “peak hours.”
However, she warned, 911 still has 14 vacancies “and that’s a lot.” It’ll be reduced soon with a new class of seven people emerging, however. She added that any calls that haven’t been dispatched for an extended period of time are being “re-broadcast” (we’ve heard this while monitoring police radio).
(Council President Sara Nelson, Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite, SW Precinct Capt. Krista Bair)
That’s when council president Nelson arrived. The citywide councilmember (who’s running for re-election this fall) insisted the council is “laser-focused on public safety” while acknowledging “that’s not enough.” She said a major role of the council is oversight, and the recent report on gun-violence trends was an example. Meantime, “We’re trying to do our job by passing laws but progress is too slow – apologizing to the community is inappropriate right now, so we just have to acknowledge we have a long way to go.”
When the floor was opened to “live” Q&A shortly after that, she was asked if the council will try again to fund the gunshot-detector technology that the mayor decided not to pursue. Nelson said she was “100 percent for it.” Walton-Anderson declared that “we need all the technological help we can get” and said that technology already in use has “resulted in so many incredible outcomes.” That includes the newly implemented Real-Time Crime Center and closed-circuit cameras installed in three areas of the city (none in the SW Precinct yet, and the panelists said this area hadn’t yet been “identified” as a priority). The camera usage had helped solve an auto theft, for example, she added, and Nelson noted that while some might not consider auto theft mega-important, “the problem is that the stolen cars are being used for much-greater crimes,” like crash-and-grab burglaries.
Next question was about the North Delridge gunfire incident earlier in the day; Capt. Bair said she didn’t have up-to-date details but last she had heard, SPD was “working on a warrant” for a related search. (Our story had followup information earlier in the evening that the one person initially reported as “detained” was indeed eventually arrested and booked into jail.)
Will the police-hiring success mean more officers for the Southwest Precinct? Capt. Bair couldn’t say for sure but did note yet another departmental change – when new recruits leave the academy, they are usually “sprinkled around” the department, but next time “we’re going to take all five and put them in one precinct – it’ll be more impactful.” She didn’t know which precinct that would be, however.
An attendee who said her children were impacted by two recent incidents that led to schools sheltering in place asked, “How are we going to prioritize West Seattle?” Walton-Anderson, noting that she had a child affected by one of those recent incidents too, countered, “How are we going to prioritize ALL our kids?” She exhorted support for youth mental health and more city partnership with schools on safety programs. “More police, yes, but also, (programs like) Community Passageways” are needed.
Walton-Anderson had to depart at 7:30, with a half-hour left, so Nelson became the lone panelist (along with SPD personnel, including the GVRU leaders, Capt. Bair, and the precinct’s second-in-command Operations Lt. Nate Shopay).
Another attendee had more of a comment than a question, saying that three gunfire incidents have happened in her High Point neighborhood and she’s worried about youth who know who’s to blame but aren’t talking. She’s also worried that there’s no safe place for kids to play. McRae, who works as a community builder in HP, said there actually are a lot of options for play.
Regarding patrols to prevent crime, Lt. Shopay said that by mid-summer, some bicycle patroling would be back, focused on “directed patrol” emphasis areas such as Alki Beach and Westwood Village. (Officers won’t be riding to those spots from the precinct, though – they have to be able to “get back in their cars” quickly if other events dictate.) And he said “directed patrols” do include side streets, not just arterials.
A South Park representative reminded Lt. Shopay that SP would like bike patrols, too.
Are police monitoring social media to find out what’s planned for street-racing type events? one attendee then asked.
Capt. Bair said yes, the department is “scouring” social media and “often” knows when there’s going to be a gathering.
Overall, she insisted, “we’re doing everything we can.” There’s regional intel-sharing too, since often these gatherings move from city to city, not just neighborhood to neighborhood.
The precinct’s public-safety liaison from the City Attorney’s Office, Rachel Wang,, said some new racing-related regulations are on the books and could result in tickets – “participation” and “attendance at races.”
Then the question emerged again: What can be done about gun violence? Nelson promised to introduce “some policies” by year’s end, without getting specific.
Various other frustrations were expressed before the meeting ended. An attendee expressed frustration at trying to contact police with video of a reckless driver, saying the 911 calltaker told him they couldn’t do anything because no one got hurt. Capt. Bair apologized, saying that’s not the kind of reception she would have hoped for – the situation “sounds like a 911 call to me.” Others asked whether police were enforcing the lack of plates, or plates with tinted covers, or windows tinted too darkly. Capt. Bair said police are “doing what we can” – but she had to be honest, higher-priority violations take precedence.
Another attendee asked for clarification regarding the 206-233-5000 tipline. “Violent crimes,” said the GVRU commmander Lt. Moore. A legislative assistant accompanying Council President Nelson said that for non-urgent, low-level situations, Find It Fix It might be appropriate.
The meeting ran a bit overtime, and many participants stayed on for one-on-one conversations. Watch for the next quarterly meeting to be announced when the date, time, and location are set; you’ll also see Satterwhite and other SPD reps at many major summer events, including Night Out on August 5.
11:28 PM: The second West Seattle gunfire investigation in 12 hours is happening right now. 911 callers have reported a bullet through a residential window near 34th/Raymond and shell casings found near 35th/Findlay. Police are in the area. No injuries reported, so far.
11:32 PM: There’s also a report of another residence with bullet damage near 34th/Graham.
11:35 PM: Police are closing at least one southbound lane of 35th at Findlay while they investigate. (Side note, the commander and a sergeant from SPD’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit were guests at tonight’s Southwest Precinct Advisory Council meeting, held in High Point – our story, with video, will be out tomorrow.)
12:45 AM: As noted in comments, more casings turned up along 35th further north. There also was a later report of possible gunfire in Upper Fauntleroy/Fauntlee Hills – one caller heard something from 39th/Henderson – but we haven’t heard of evidence/confirmation in that one.
5:20 PM: Police are in The Junction to look for a suspect in a reported armed robbery. It reportedly happened in one of the parking lots west of the 4500 block of California. The robber is described as an Asian man, late teens/early 20s, 5’10”, thin, short hair, in a “tan or gold sedan.” Officers were having a tough time finding the victim but are reported to have finally connected.
5:34 PM: Circumstances of the robbery haven’t been discussed over the air except that the victim is female and the robber is reported to have gotten away with debit or credit cards that they’re trying to use. This is the second Junction street robbery reported in less than a week, after the holdup at the Wells Fargo ATM last Wednesday evening.
11:35 AM: Police are converging on 25th/Dakota [vicinity map] for a gunfire investigation. Dispatch says two people were reported to be shooting at each other, one on foot, one in a vehicle. No injuries reported so far.
11:37 AM: The vehicle is described as a gray Kia Sorento; the shooter on foot is described only as Black, male, black shirt, red pants, seen running south on Dakota.
11:40 AM: Police report that they’ve detained one possible suspect. They’re also closing off Dakota at Delridge.
11:53 AM: If you see/hear a helicopter, Guardian One was just getting its day started and was going to head this way to help with the search. Police meantime are checking out leads that other possible suspects might be linked to residence(s) nearby. Still no report of any injuries.
1:01 PM: Police are still on the scene, between Delridge and 25th. They slso have a report of bullet damage at a nearby apartment building.
5:31 PM: We obtained a little more information from police at day’s end. The person they detained was arrested and was to be booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault; they believe he was the person involved in the shootout who was “on foot” while the other got away in a car.
9:40 AM: Thanks to the reader who sent the photo and report of 4 am gunfire at 56th/Alki:
Woken up at 4 am on the dot by multiple small-caliber gunshots. Police arrived in 25 minutes, after multiple 911 calls placed. 3 squad cars were seen placing evidence markers directly in front of the octopus-mural painted public restroom in front of Blue Moon Burgers.
Archived incident audio confirms casings indeed were found; no injuries reported. A possibly involved vehicle was described as a “white VW Jetta.” If you have any information, the incident # is 25-148909.
9:50 PM: Just got the police summary. It says the first officer was dispatched at 4:04 am; subsequently, “Officers located five fired cartridge casings grouped together on the north sidewalk at the intersection of Alki Av SW and 57 Av SW. They found one person who said they were out for a walk when they heard gunshots, “looked down the beach and observed multiple subjects getting down on the ground and running away from the area. (The witness) then looked up towards the sidewalk (where the spent casings were found) and observed multiple subjects getting into a (redacted). The car sped off eastbound on Alki Av SW. (The witness) could not give a further description of the vehicle or the subjects involved.”
We recently had our work van stolen from the Diamond parking lot on California and Brandon. It’s a white 2006 Ford Econoline with a Thule rack on top. Plate BQJ2678. Police report # 25-148375.
For the second consecutive day, a West Seattle 7-Eleven has been hit by armed robbers. This time, it was the 7-Eleven on Erskine Way at the south end of The Junction. A short summary released by SPD say officers were dispatched there after a holdup-alarm notification at 5:16 am and confirmed with store staff that they’d just been robbed. According to the summary, the two robbers “entered the store, propping the door open with an object … walked about, making sure no other people were inside … then went behind the counter and one pointed a firearm at the clerk … (they) then took several items from behind the counter, mostly tobacco and vape products (and) fled on foot westbound.” Police found “some discarded items in the alley to the west” and suspect a getaway vehicle had been waiting there.” The summary does not include descriptions but archived audio from the response has officers describing the robbers as Black, male, wearing black face masks and black pants, one in a black hoodie, the other in a gray or white sweatshirt with flower print. The summary, meantime, adds that police believe the same robbers “most likely committed another robbery in Queen sector.” It doesn’t say if they’re suspected in the Friday morning Admiral 7-Eleven holdup; meantime, we’ve obtained the narrative for that one and updated the original Friday morning report.
12:18 AM: Police are converging on the Admiral Way 7-Eleven after two men are reported to have robbed the store a short time ago. So far they are described as both Black, in their mid-20s, about 5’6″, one in a red mask and black T-shirt, armed with a black handgun, the other in dark clothing and unarmed. They are reported to have gotten away in a car only described as a “silver sedan.”
12:42 AM: Officers have just given dispatch an updated description of the getaway car: Now it’s described as a newer 4-door blue Hyundai.
ADDED SATURDAY: We’ve obtained the police-report narrative, which adds that the till taken by the robbers was discovered by officers heading back toward the precinct, dumped on the side of the Admiral Way hill (3000 block). As for the holdup, the clerk told police that “he was near the back of the store when he was surprised by the two (robbers …one who) was wearing a red scarf covering his head and face pulled out a gun … then proceeded to tell (the clerk) to open the register while pointing the gun to his right side … (the clerk) opened the cash register and the suspect grabbed approximately 500$ from the till … (the other was) holding the door halfway open … (the robber with the gun) grabbed the register till and ran toward … a parked vehicle in front of the 7-11.” The description of the car is redacted, so we don’t know if there’s anything beyond what’s in our original update.
DELRIDGE RESPONSE: Thanks for the tip about police blocking off Delridge near the playfield late tonight. It started with a parking-enforcement officer discovering a man passed out inside an illegally parked car. They handed the discovery over to patrol officers, who learned the car was a Volvo SUV stolen on Mercer Island. Officers were reported to be having a difficult time rousing him to get him out of the car but eventually arrested him.
JUNCTION ATM ROBBERY: Missed this one last night while covering an event, but police released a brief summary. Around 7:30 pm Wednesday, a woman was held up at gunpoint after withdrawing money from the Wells Fargo ATM on SW Alaska in The Junction. The robbers were two men who got away in a car parked nearby. In archived audio, the robbers were described only as an Asian man and Black man, both around 25
We checked court records today to see if Admiral stabbing/robbery suspect Jiminson A. Calix-Bodden had been arraigned yet. Instead, we found he had appeared in court two days ago for a hearing in which his lawyer’s motion for a competency evaluation was granted. Calix-Bodden is the 25-year-old arrested after a man walking near California/Stevens was stabbed in a random attack on May 12th; Calix-Bodden was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, as well as with robbery for allegedly accosting a woman nearby to steal her phone. In court this week, Calix-Bodden’s lawyer contended he was not mentally competent to stand trial; Superior Court Judge Brian McDonald granted her motion for a review to determine if that’s true. He also ruled that Calix-Bodden, listed in court documents as a Tukwila resident, should stay in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail, and would be held on electronic home monitoring if he managed to get out on bond. His next hearing is set for June 12th.
STOLEN SILVER ELANTRA: Megan’s 2012 silver Hyundai Elantra was stolen in North Admiral between Saturday and Wednesday. License plate BKY4563; distinctive feature, “the taillights are melted from a fire in 2020.” If you find it, call 911 and refer to police report 25-144801.
LITTLE FREE LIBRARY EMPTYINGS: Betty wonders if this has happened to anyone else with a Little Free Library:
For the second time in a week, i awoke to find that every book, except one Dickens novel, was taken from my little free library in Gatewood overnight. I am puzzled and annoyed. Even used books are costly to replace. I am curious if this has been happening to other little-library stewards.
DUMPED PACKAGE BAG: Charlene saw this at 13th/Holly:
If you’re a package-theft victim in the area, you might go take a look, though another photo (with no hint of names or addresses) suggested everything in the bag had been opened.
We’ve received two reader reports about similar incidents. First one was sent today by Nancy:
Last Thursday a senior friend of mine and her husband were walking up Alaska from Avalon to Whole Foods at 10:30 am.
At 37th and Alaska a passing van asked for directions and then started a conversation meant to engage them on a personal level including a hug from the car window during which they then cut or somehow removed a gold chain and gold bracelet from the senior gentleman.
A police report was filed. Redmond Police posted an alert about this last year. Essentially people in rental SUV’s are approaching older individuals and asking for directions and/or offering to sell or trade jewelry, and robbing the individual after contact is made.
The other one was reported in mid-May in White Center – Jennifer said her parents, 73-year-old mom and 81-year-old dad, were approached while getting into their car outside McLendon Hardware:
… Male/female offered gifts, jewelry and were making physical contact (holding dad’s hand & kissing it) but I believe they were trying to distract both of my parents in an attempt to rob them. The female was standing outside of the driver’s side window where my dad was and the male was standing outside my mom’s window telling her to roll it down. Each person intentionally dropped a piece of jewelry inside of the car in hopes mom/dad would retrieve it and open their doors to hand it back, but luckily mom sensed that something was wrong. She started shouting that she was going to call 911 and the male/female then left in a hurry. … Male and female were driving a small Chevy sedan similar to (this picture).
We asked for descriptions:
Male:
About 5’ 10” tall
Slim build
Short black wavy hair
Dark brown complexion
Was wearing a cream short sleeve floral shirt.
Female
About 5’ 5”
Slender figure
Couldn’t make out hair color because it was wrapped up in a bandana/scarf
Light brown complexion
Wearing a long skirt
We don’t have police-report numbers in either case (the first would be SPD, the second would be KCSO), but the primary goal of both readers was to suggest warning vulnerable relatives/friends.
In that photo is a Hyundai stolen overnight downtown, found by police early this morning in Sunrise Heights. The texter who sent the photo, a resident near Walt Hundley Playfield, also explained what preceded it:
Woke right at 6 am to sounds of cars racing and maybe crashing. Go out to see a blue Hyundai sedan with 3 teens and a white Hyundai or Kia (small) SUV with maybe 4 teens in it, flying by, chasing each other, losing or tossing items from the vehicles. They raced up and down the blocks, sorta chasing each other like they were playing tag. As they went by, one kid yelled to me from the SUV something about a shotgun and something about a day off (weird). I called 911. At one point one of the cars came flying out of the alley next to my house, off gravel onto the paved street, at about 35-40 mph, nearly crashing into the park. Then both cars met up, sped off, and I thought I heard a crash in the distance. I got into my truck and drove a couple of streets over to see what happened and the blue car was pulled over by SPD. It’s the one that I thought crashed. Cops still have the car, punched ignition … they say likely it’s a yet-to-be-reported stolen vehicle. The white SUV was gone. It had Texas plates. Both cars had teens with hoods up and masks on, all of them. Some male, some female, is my guess based off the laughing I heard …
That was all from a text around 5:30 am. We subsequently asked police what their report said about how this all turned out.
According to the report’s narrative, they initially responded to a call about a hit-run crash near 31st/Myrtle, and as the texter told us, “The call was updated to show that a blue Hyundai sedan and a white Hyundai SUV with a Texas license plate were chasing each other. As I was driving to the last known location of the vehicles along 32nd Ave SW, I saw a blue Hyundai Sonata with the running lights on and a wheel on the curb. … The vehicle appeared unoccupied but I did a PA callout, then the other officer and I cleared the vehicle. No one was inside. Dispatch ran the license plate number. This vehicle had not yet been reported stolen, but based on the steering column and ignition damage, I suspected the vehicle was stolen.
They called the vehicle’s owner, who told them “he usually leaves the vehicle parked in a garage at work but he went to Oregon and came back late last night, so he parked it in front of his apartment building at 1XX Taylor Ave N. [near Seattle Center]. He last saw it about (10 pm Monday night).”
The owner came to West Seattle to try to reclaim his car. Inside it, besides various items – including a plastic cup and a charger – that didn’t belong to him, police also found a print on the rearview mirror, which the owner confirmed someone had moved, so it was dusted and the print was lifted for evidence.
The owner tried to drive the car away but its front suspension had damage preventing that, police wrote, “so he parked the vehicle and called his insurance company … (to order) his own tow.” Before that, though, according to the police report, they gave him a free steering-wheel lock.
Four crashes in two weeks has led to one resolute neighborhood.
More than 30 people gathered tonight in Ercolini Park on just hours’ notice for an emergency community meeting to talk about the stolen-car crashes at the bottom of the SW Alaska hill west of The Junction, most recently late last night.
The crashes were not accidental, it had finally become clear – when neighbors who’d caught part of the activity on their cameras connected, they realized the cars were unoccupied when they traveled downhill and crashed into trees, a car, a utility pole, and that the “getaway cars” carried one or more people videoing the stunt. As of meeting time, nobody had yet found exactly where on social media this was being shown off, but they were looking.
Standing around a picnic table, where the organizer had brought flyers with a QR code to set up a neighborhood mailing list, residents exchanged information and ideas.
The four crashes had happened on Sunday and Tuesday nights, neighbors noted – might that mean another is being planned for tomorrow night? they wondered. And/or might that be a clue to the culprit(s)?
One attendee said someone she knew was certain they are teenagers. If so, said another attendee identifying himself as a retired police officer, the juvenile-justice system would do nothing to stop them.
That just intensified the discussion of what the neighborhood could do. Someone said that speeding on SW Alaska had long been a concern, but these crashes had increased the “danger level.”
Traffic-calming measures were of interest to many, though they knew city involvement would take years, so some wondered if they could do anything themselves -guerrilla barriers in the street? String crime-scene-type tape across the road? Create a makeshift roundabout with sawhorses? Somehow making the stunt difficult could at least get them to move elsewhere, it was suggested.
Putting pressure on everyone from city officials to police was advocated by more than one. Referring to the saying about “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” the retired officer suggested, “We can become the squeak.” Creating an email template for contacting Mayor Harrell and City Councilmembers was suggested.
Other types of immediate action were of the most interest. Hire a security guard? Rent trailer-mounted lights that could ruin the video recording? There didn’t seem to be much hope of increased police presence, as some of the attendees said the SPD officers they’d talked to in the crashes’ aftermath appeared uninterested, claiming this happens all over the city.
But when the meeting ended after about 45 minutes, it was clear one thing already had been achieved – neighbors had met and planned to coalesce, which likely will yield benefits even if the string of hill stunts stops at four.
10:52 PM: For the fourth time in less than two weeks, someone has crashed a suspected stolen car on SW Alaska west of The Junction and fled the scene. This time, the driver hit a utility pole and then got into what’s described as a white Hyundai Elantra to leave the scene. The crashed car is reported to be a Hyundai Sonata with Oregon plates and ignition damage. Officers are telling dispatch that the pole is in danger of falling so the car can’t be removed until City Light can come deal with it. At least one sign was reportedly taken out by the impact too.
11:15 PM: Thanks to the two readers who sent photos, added above. One texted that they talked to police – “there are four of them out here, none of them had any idea this has been happening.” The most recent one was last Wednesday morning.
12:19 AM: One of the area residents says the car’s been towed and its removal shows the pole damage:
ADDED 3:47 PM: A commenter says community members are gathering at Ercolini Park at 6 pm to talk about all this. Meantime, dozens of homes in the area were without power for several hours today as a result of the pole damage done by the crash:
Around 8:05 tonight, I discovered my bike was no longer locked to the street sign where I left it. No evidence left behind, no damaged parts, and no damage to the immediate area. I left my bike locked to a speed-limit sign on the sidewalk near 3404 SW Roxbury St, just east of The Missing Piece game café. That was around 1:55 pm, the last time I saw the bike.
The bike is a Rad Power Bikes RadMission 1, blue with orange trim . The serial is MI1F21V0323. This picture is not my bike, but it’s about the same in appearance.
My bike has several reflective stickers placed all over the frame and battery. Also on the side of the battery case, there is a distinctive sticker, shown here. There is also a roadside repair kit wrapped around the top bar. The handlebars have sideview mirrors on each side, and there is a cupholder on the left side of the handlebar stem.
I do not have a police report at time of writing (still working on it), but I will share it once I do.
I moved to West Seattle from Nashville. I arrived the evening of May 19th. I moved in with my girlfriend at the Forge Apartments (4435 35th Ave SW). My car was stolen sometime in the early morning of the 20th. The car is a White 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee (Overland trim – chrome handles & mirrors). Earlier today, around 10:45 am, my girlfriend and I were walking and stumbled upon my car parked on the crib at the intersection of 38th & SW Dawson st. As I was calling 911 the car was turned on and driven away. The tint is dark so I did not initially notice anyone in the car. The thieves replaced the TN plate with a Washington plate with a plate number that I believe to be 153018. I’m not 100% on the last two digits as he was speeding away.
We’ll add the police report # whe we get it. (Update: 25-140275. Refer to that if you find this vehicle and call 911.)
2:03 AM: For those wondering about the police converging on The Junction – according to emergency-radio traffic, this started with a report of a burglary at the Antique Mall in the 4500 block of California, and as officers were arriving to search, one suffered a leg injury in a reported assault. The suspect was last seen running northbound on California, described by dispatch as an “unknown-race male, 30s-40s, face mask, gray hoodie, bleeding from his left hand.” SFD is being called to treat the officer; other police are looking for the suspect. If you have any information, call 911. (Added: This is case 25-138791.)
2:39 AM: They’re still searching and have expanded the area after the suspect reportedly at one point jumped a fence on the northeast edge of The Junction, leaving a bloody hand/fingerprint. Officers have also just told dispatch that they have probable cause for burglary, NOT assault on an officer, so we’ll have to wait to find out later what that was all about. Meantime, a K-9 is joining the search.
2:43 AM: They have a suspect in custody, in the 4100 block of 40th SW. They’re calling in SFD because he’s “bleeding everywhere” (the wound was described earlier as likely related to broken glass at the burglary scene).
2:51 AM: Police also have reported they’re involved in a collision at 42nd and Oregon.
NOON: We’ve just obtained the report narrative from SPD, and here’s what else we’ve learned from it:
-The aforementioned bloody prints resulted in a conclusion that the would-be burglar apparently didn’t manage to get into the store despite apparently breaking some glass on the upper floor of the back of the store.
It wasn’t the first burglary attempt, police were told. Meantime, the 31-year-old man eventually arrested is described as a relative of an acquaintance of the store owner and is reported to have tried to make a purchase recently but didn’t have the money for the item he wanted. The suspect was treated at a hospital and taken to jail after his hand injury was stitched up. (The report narrative provided to us does not have any information about the reported injury to an officer or the subsequently reported collision, so we’re asking again on followup)
We’ve received several questions this morning about a search in Admiral around 3 am. It was initially reported as a stabbing, a 33-year-old man who said he was attacked near the Admiral/Spokane stairway. A K-9 team was used in the initial search, and that’s why short siren bursts were heard. We just checked with police to see what more they learned and whether anyone was arrested. Here’s their summary:
At 2:50 a.m., officers were dispatched to a call of a stabbing in the 3000 block of Southwest Spokane Street. The victim stated that he was outside looking for his dog and he was stabbed in the neck by an unknown person. The victim stated that the suspect left the scene in an unknown direction. The victim was transported to HMC via AMR with non-life-threatening injuries. Containment was set up and (a King County Sheriff’s Office) K9 (officer) deployed his dog with negative results. It was later determined that the victim had a girlfriend roaming around the area and she was located. The girlfriend told a different story about what occurred to the victim. It is unknown who committed the assault.
That’s the entirety of what they’re releasing so far.
Thanks for the photos and tips. For the third time in a week, someone has crashed, then abandoned, a stolen car on SW Alaska west of The Junction, at/near 47th SW. And neighbors want to see police presence to increase the chance of catching someone next time. This time it happened just after 2 am today. A nearby resident – who says their partner owns the car hit two days ago – sent the top photo, and explains:
My partner’s Jeep was the hit and run on the 19th. This morning … another vehicle did it again. Didn’t swipe any of our vehicles this time, but lots of property damage on the hill on the way day, car ditched right by our house again. They did it also a week ago, destroying street signs and bushes down SW Alaska. This has suddenly become a joyride hill … We’re asking they station a cop at the bottom of the hill. This will happen again.
We listened back to the dispatch audio, which only included a mention that the occupant of the abandoned car got out and “left in another vehicle.” Another nearby resident sent us this video of that vehicle, described as a Mazda:
The crashed-and-abandoned vehicle was a Hyundai Elantra, finally towed at 5:30 am, according to some info we have since obtained from SPD – this is a reader photo of that:
The SPD info does not include confirmation it was a stolen car but does note it was likely an “unreported” one – meaning its owner wasn’t yet aware their car had been taken and so hadn’t reported it – as it had ignition-wiring damage.
For the second consecutive day, a West Seattle 7-Eleven has been hit by armed robbers. This time, it was the 7-Eleven on Erskine Way at the south end of The Junction. A short summary released by SPD say officers were dispatched there after a holdup-alarm notification at 5:16 am and confirmed with store staff that they’d just been robbed. According to the summary, the two robbers “entered the store, propping the door open with an object … walked about, making sure no other people were inside … then went behind the counter and one pointed a firearm at the clerk … (they) then took several items from behind the counter, mostly tobacco and vape products (and) fled on foot westbound.” Police found “some discarded items in the alley to the west” and suspect a getaway vehicle had been waiting there.” The summary does not include descriptions but archived audio from the response has officers describing the robbers as Black, male, wearing black face masks and black pants, one in a black hoodie, the other in a gray or white sweatshirt with flower print. The summary, meantime, adds that police believe the same robbers “most likely committed another robbery in Queen sector.” It doesn’t say if they’re suspected in the Friday morning Admiral 7-Eleven holdup; meantime, we’ve obtained the narrative for that one and 
| 0 COMMENTS