West Seattle, Washington
20 Friday
Chuck reports, “Our Jeep Grand Cherokee was stolen last night, 47th SW and Walker, North Admiral.” It’s white, plates ABR2954, SPD incident # 18-465428. Call 911 if you see it.
West Seattle Crime Watch miscellany this midday:
FALSE ALARMS FYI: SPD has been busy this past hour. Two possible in-progress burglaries that drew full-code (lights and sirens) responses were subsequently to be false alarms, and we’re mentioning them in case you wondered: 9000 block 14th SW and 3900 block SW Ida.
Two reminders that package theft ramps up this time of year:
PACKAGE TAKEN, REPORT #1: The montage is from Lawrence:
Lawrence says, “This a-hole has been stealing packages in West Seattle. It would make my day to see him arrested and prosecuted. Case number 18-463462.” He didn’t include a location but the report number crosschecks to the 3700 block of SW Rose.
PACKAGE TAKEN, REPORT #2: Also in Gatewood, reported last weekend by Jessie:
My wife and I had a package stolen off our porch last night at 4:00 AM. We live in Gatewood, 3 blocks from Thriftway just off California. Our neighbors found the empty box in their yard this morning. Our Ring captured the video attached.
It seems like this would be someone local to the area since our house is off the main road… Want to make other neighbors aware of this person in the area, especially during this time of year.
ORIGINAL REPORT, WEDNESDAY NIGHT: The bail hearing for the 51-year-old man arrested after Tuesday’s Juneau Street Market robbery/attack has been postponed until tomorrow, but a judge has found probable cause to keep him in custody. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said that bail consideration was delayed because the suspect “was inappropriate for court,” without elaborating or replying to a followup. The KCPAO did provide the probable-cause documents, which are in the name of John Doe, with the police narrative noting that the man’s name was not immediately known, and he wouldn’t answer questions. Here’s what the report says happened once the suspect was in custody:
… Officers escorted three (3) witnesses to the stop location, where they positively identified this subject as the suspect they observed beating the female victim inside the market and also attempting to access the store’s cash register. It did not appear that the suspect was able to open the register. It is unknown at this time if any items were stolen from the store in this incident. This suspect, at this time referred to as John DOE, was arrested based on probable cause. Officers recovered a pair of handcuffs and a knife with a broken blade in possession of this suspect at the time of arrest; search incident to arrest. DOE was holding the handcuffs at the time and the broken knife was in his pants pocket. DOE was transported to the South Precinct, then Robbery Office, then booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Robbery and Assault.
The document says the 71-year-old victim talked with a Robbery Unit detective at the hospital, telling him the attacker had come into the store and started beating her, with handcuffs held in his fist, without saying anything. She tried to escape and the attacker dragged her back inside and kept hitting her. Police say the attacker is shown on video trying to get into the register before leaving.
At some point before he was booked into jail last night, police matched a name to the suspect (the report notes there was no fingerprint match but doesn’t say what eventually led them to a name). Court records matched to that name show only one prior local arrest, for assault, 32 years ago. The suspect is due back in court tomorrow.
ADDED THURSDAY AFTERNOON: The suspect was again “inappropriate for court,” as the KCPAO put it, explaining to us today that the phrase often indicates a mental-health issue. Bail and charging are now scheduled to be addressed tomorrow (Friday).
That’s Brenden‘s bike. His wife Jill hopes you’ll be on the lookout for it:
My husband’s Rad power bike was stolen from our double-locked shed in our alley on the night of either 12/10 or 12/11 (44th between Genesee & Dakota). Please let me know if you have seen anything, or might have security cameras near the area. We’re incredibly bummed as it is used for transportation/ commute nearly every day.
It’s been reported to police.
12:28 PM: Seattle Police and Fire have a “scenes of violence” response right now at California/Juneau. More shortly.
12:33 PM: Per scanner, a suspect is in custody.
12:38 PM: Police say this started as a robbery. We’re told at the scene that a woman has a head injury but is alert and conscious.
12:40 PM: Per radio communication, the victim was stabbed. This is reported to have happened at the Juneau Street Market, which as reported here was hit by a burglar less than a week ago. Avoid the area for a while, as California is blocked southbound by the emergency response (photo added above).
12:52 PM: The suspect was arrested about a block south, on the other side of California, after what police describe as a “brief foot pursuit.”
12:55 PM: Police on the scene confirm the robbery and attack did happen inside the market, with the aftermath visible from the front door:
Again, avoid California/Juneau for a while. Metro has sent an alert that buses are rerouted.
1:39 PM: The street is open again. Police are still at the market.
4:21 PM: SPD has released a little more info via SPD Blotter. The victim is 71. The suspect is 51. From their writeup:
At approximately 12:20 pm, officers responded to an assault call in progress in the 5900 block of California Avenue SW. The call indicated that a male was assaulting a female inside the store and that the woman was screaming for assistance. A delivery driver and another customer happened to walk into the store while the assault was occurring and pulled the victim to safety. The suspect then retreated to the back of the store and ran out the back door just as officers were arriving.
Officers gave chase and took the 51-year-old suspect into custody several blocks away after deploying a Taser.
The victim’s family has posted comments below and says she “is doing well.”
8:18 PM: We stopped by the market earlier this evening to ask if there’s any community help needed. Not at this point; the owner planned to close early to go visit the victim in the hospital.
We received a few questions about an early Saturday morning full-code police response in Admiral. We matched it to an incident number that accompanied a Tweets by Beat listing described as “assaults, firearm involved,” but there was no related medical call. So we requested the report today. Below is the police narrative. The victims’ names were redacted, so we refer to them as A and B:
(A) and (B) are boyfriend/girlfriend and currently homeless; they live inside their 1995 Honda Accord, which is registered to someone else. (West Seattle patrol officers have contacted the couple in the vehicle in previous occasions.)
On 12-08-18, at approx 0210 hrs., (A) was operating the Honda, with (B) in the front seat. He had been traveling northbound on California Ave SW and made a left turn onto westbound SW Seattle St. He pulled over curbside in a posted no-parking-anytime zone. (He) was going to retrieve some items from the trunk and then park there to sleep for the night. Before he had a chance to exit the Honda, the unknown suspect approached and arrived at the Honda from the east, opened up the driver’s side door and stuck a silver-tone handgun in (A’s) face. The startled (A) pushed the suspect’s arm away, but the suspect stuck the handgun in (his) face a second time. At the same time, while the suspect was mumbling incoherently,
(redacted) and (redacted) were yelling. The suspect stepped back, slammed the driver’s door shut and then walked off with a large creme-color dog, in an eastbound direction across the intersection. On the NE corner of that intersection is the Villa Andora Apartments … The suspect was last seen walking into the alley behind the apartment building.(A) drove away from the scene and called 911. He stopped at (a business parking lot a few blocks south) to wait for officers. … Upon my arrival, I spoke with the couple and obtained the above account. (A) surmised that the unknown suspect possibly did not want to see homeless people in the neighborhood. (He) described the encounter as the suspect pointing the handgun within inches of his face. I confirmed with both (that) they were not injured. It is unknown if they would be able to identify the suspect if seen again. A search of the area was made; the suspect was not located.
If you have any information, the incident # is 18-457416.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:
STOLEN TRAILER: Alan e-mailed today to report:
My gray single-axle utility trailer was stolen on Wednesday, December 5th. It disappeared from my driveway in Pigeon Point. License 2978-XK
ALLEY PROWLING: K shares this video from multiple cameras catching Friday afternoon alley prowlers entering yards near 16th/Henderson, with, K reports, at least one package stolen as a result:
The police-report # is 2018-911675.
That video is from the security camera at Juneau Street Market (5901 California SW). On Thursday, we published a West Seattle Crime Watch report about its early-morning burglary. Today, the market sent us the video recorded during the burglary. The video shows that only 40 seconds elapsed between the burglar throwing something through the door and his escape back through the broken glass, carrying stolen cigarettes and the register. You can even see the flash as he yanks the register out by its wires. (The break-in starts :40 into our clip, where the camera’s time stamp shows 3:22:50 am.) Here’s the clearest frame grab we could get:
(Added – a better frame grab, courtesy of Todd, originally posted in comments below:)
If you have any information that would help the investigation, the police incident # is 18-454606.
10:29 PM: This damaged car was the last one left at the scene of a crash tonight outside the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse by the time we were able to get there. Our first tipster reported by text:
Hit and run outside of Fauntleroy Hall. Two cars pushed up on curb. Suspect fled with car. Didn’t get far. Ditched it in the Y parking lot and fled on foot. Called the cops.
Another tipster via Twitter reported seeing an arrest in progress when he went by. When we got there, in addition to the car, we found one officer who told us he was on scene awaiting the last tow truck, but he was able to confirm that three vehicles were involved and that one person had been arrested. No SFD callout logged, so apparently no injuries of note.
2:28 AM FRIDAY: Cross-referencing jail and Municipal Court records, we’ve discovered that the driver who was arrested is a 28-year-old woman booked into King County Jail, under investigation for DUI, driving without an ignition interlock, and driving with a suspended license. Records show a prior DUI, from 2014, also in West Seattle.
(WSB photos)
7:08 PM: First police received reports of possible gunfire heard in South Delridge – now there’s a “scenes of violence” call at Delridge/Barton. We’re on the way to find out more.
7:17 PM: SFD tells us they’re transporting a man in his 20s with a gunshot wound. Police have a K9 out searching in the area. That’s all we have so far. Northbound Delridge is blocked to traffic at Henderson.
7:23 PM: Police confirm they’re looking for a suspect. If you’re hearing sirens, that’s because of the K9 search. The victim has been taken to Harborview by Medic 32.
7:48 PM: Guardian One has joined the search.
8:15 PM: We’ve gone back to the scene to check on the situation. No word of anyone in custody yet. But Delridge has reopened both ways.
9:09 PM: No new info from SPD yet; the victim is now described by SFD as “approximately 30 years old” and in serious condition at the time of transport.
9:58 AM FRIDAY: Here’s the update from police via SPD Blotter:
… The victim, a 26-year-old man, was shot in the shoulder and is being treated at the hospital. The injury is not considered to be life-threatening.
Just before 7:00 pm Thursday, a resident in the 8800 block of Delridge Way SW reported a burglary in progress when he observed a man attempting to break into his home. Officers responded and located the possible burglar. The man had been shot in the shoulder. Officers immediately provided first aid and called for Seattle Fire to respond. The victim reported to police that someone had broken into his home nearby and fought with him. During the struggle the suspect shot him and then fled. The victim ran to the location on Delridge seeking assistance.
The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center for further treatment. A K-9 team responded and attempted a track. The Sheriff’s Office helicopter, Guardian One, also provided assistance, but officers were unable to locate the suspect.
Officers learned later from the victim that he may know the suspect, and detectives will follow up on that information.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
JUNEAU MARKET BURGLARIZED: The photo is from early this morning, when Juneau Street Market (5901 California SW) discovered burglar(s) had smashed their front door and stolen their cash register and cigarettes. It’s impeded their ability to make transactions since credit-card processing was hooked up through the register. If you saw anything/anyone suspicious, the SPD incident number for reference is 18-454606.
CAR PROWL: Devan reports a driveway-parked car near 38th/Raymond was broken into overnight late Tuesday/early Wednesday: “Unfortunately it is my time to report a car prowl. I had packages stolen out of the back of my car (I was going to return them after work) as well as my gym bag full of gym clothes, shoes, headphones, and other misc things in my car. They ransacked my car, throwing around things that had no value (papers from a meeting I had).”
(WSB photos. Above, shooting scene on southwest side of 15th/Roxbury)
9:42 PM: Thanks for the tips. Guardian One is helping with a search over South Delridge and White Center. Radio traffic indicates the primary responders were King County Sheriff’s Deputies, so it started on the county side of the line. We’re on the way to find out more.
9:55 PM: Deputies tell us they’re looking for suspect(s) in a shooting in White Center – they say the victim was shot in the hand. The search is about to affect traffic on Roxbury, according to radio discussion – we don’t know for how long.
10:03 PM: Roxbury has reopened. Search continues. Deputies tell us the shooting happened near the gas station on the southwest corner of 15th/Roxbury, and the male victim has been taken to a hospital.
10:11 PM: The search/containment area is fairly wide – a K9 team is still tracking on the ground, with G-1 in the air.’
10:23 PM: KCSO says via Twitter that the victim is 26 years old and that they’re looking for one suspect, someone who “is believed to still be armed.”
10:30 PM: Photos added. The K9 search has been “called (off),” per KCSO, but deputies are still searching the area.
The latest West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
BUS INCIDENT: One man was arrested after an incident that moved from the street to this RapidRide bus at California/Findlay this afternoon:
Police and fire had left the scene before we got there but we followed up with SPD, SFD, and Metro, to add to what we had heard via police radio: It started with two men reported fighting in the area. One then tried to board a northbound RapidRide bus. The driver tried to keep him from doing that. Some sort of substance was sprayed. This left some passengers coughing. A 31-year-old man was treated by SFD medics but didn’t need to go to the hospital. Another man was arrested and taken to King County Jail. The bus was taken out of service to be cleaned.
(Thursday night update: 34-year-old Yonas T. Berhane spent one day in jail. He has pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge.)
STOLEN HONDAS: Two auto-theft reports – Nicole e-mailed to say, “My car was stolen from my home (5000 block California Ave SW), 2012 black Honda Accord. License AHB7813.” And Deedee reports that her son’s girlfriend, a Chief Sealth International High School student, was the victim of auto theft at her home in Burien and hoping for help in finding her car, a 2000 silver Honda Civic, plates AAV1769. She needs it for getting to school and to work. If you see either car, please call 911.
PACKAGE-THEFT ALERT: Joanie in Gatewood wants to warn you that package thieves have struck again:
We’ve had several packages stolen off our doorstep (37th at Elmgrove) including one this past Saturday. It was a box of children’s Christmas gifts from their grandparents. There is a special place in hell for anyone that would steal a kid’s gift.
Pending a permanent incident #, this one is under SPD #T18015276.
10:25 PM: If you know someone who has to head this way soon from points south, note that the ramp from northbound I-5 to the westbound West Seattle Bridge is blocked right now. The crash is described on the scanner as “near-head-on”; we don’t know for sure if it’s related but just a few moments earlier we had heard police dispatched to check out a report that someone was driving eastbound on the westbound side of the bridge.
ADDED: From the State Patrol via Twitter:
Wrong way driver from West Seattle Freeway to I-5. Driver in custody for DUI. Update on injuries to come. pic.twitter.com/LTygZlK5Vd
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) December 4, 2018
1:50 PM UPDATE: The 28-year-old woman who is reported to have been driving the wrong way is in King County Jail, after being treated at Harborview. WSP says two other vehicles were involved – a Prius that collided with the suspect’s Civic, injuring the 27-year-old Kent woman who was driving, and an Altima whose driver swerved into the barrier to avoid hitting the wrong-way driver. He wasn’t hurt, per the WSP, nor were passengers in his car and the Prius.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
BUSINESS VANDALISM: After tips about broken windows at Breathe Hot Yoga and Chaco Canyon Café in The Triangle at midday Sunday, we obtained the police report today. Police were called just before 11:30 am to say a man dressed in black had thrown “a large landscaping stone” through the window of Breathe Hot Yoga while a class was under way. The rock didn’t hit anyone but “two or three people” suffered minor injuries from broken glass. While on the scene, an officer noticed a broken window in an office area of an adjacent business (redacted in the report but people who have contacted us indicated it was Chaco Canyon). Employees there said they heard a “loud crash” and discovered the broken window but didn’t find a rock or anything else that might have caused it. No arrest reported so far.
HIT-AND-RUN: From Brad:
At approximately 1:30 PM this afternoon a newer-model gray sedan was westbound on SW Genesee St. (near Genesee Hill Elementary School) at a high rate of speed and missed the left turn onto 49th Ave SW. The car went through a front yard on the west side of 49th, crossed the street, entered a front yard on the east side of 49th, went down the sidewalk and departed southbound on 49th. This driver only destroyed a planter box, but easily could have killed someone. They left a part of the right front fender and right front wheel well behind.
(SDOT image of 1st Avenue S. backup)
4:51 PM: Thanks for the tips. If you usually use 1st Avenue South to get to the West Seattle Bridge while heading home – avoid it for a while; it’s closed at S. Forest, both ways, because of police activity, and that’s led to a big backup. Listening to the scanner, we’re heading talk that it’s a robbery investigation, and someone is reported to be in custody, so this might ease soon.
4:53 PM: Just after we published that, SPD said via Twitter that it was an “attempted bank robbery” in the 2700 block of 1st Ave. S.: “Suspect remained in the bank and police responded and arrested him. Bank employees sheltered in place in a secure area of the bank.”
4:57 PM: Per scanner, 1st Avenue S. has reopened, but as you can imagine, the residual backup won’t resolve immediately at this time of day.
One good reason to report any and all thefts – police might recover your stuff and not be able to get it back to you if there’s no identifying marks and no report on record. That’s what happened in this incident we just got word of today: A detective in the SPD Found Property/Evidence Unit e-mailed to say police recovered a Nikon DX digital camera in West Seattle and are looking for its owner: “The camera contains family photos from the 2017 Holidays and the family trip to California. The owner can contact the Evidence Unit at 206-684-8720, ext. 8. Must have proof of ownership.”
(Photo by Robin Lindsey: SR3’s Casey McLean; SSMMSN First Responders David, Dave, Lynn, and Suzanne and Seattle Parks’ staff Lee and Donald in hi-viz jackets)
SUNDAY, 3:49 PM: An update today from Robin Lindsey of Seal Sitters Marine Stranding Network:
We are now up to 10 confirmed shot dead California sea lions in King and Kitsap counties for the period from September to end of November.
On Friday the 30th, Seal Sitters MMSN responded to a report by Seattle Parks employee Marco of a very decomposed California sea lion carcass washed up at Don Armeni boat launch. This was the same animal that was wedged under the Water Taxi dock the day before, which we marked with bio paint for identification and pushed out into the current. Through photo comparison, we were able to verify that this was the same animal reported along the downtown Seattle waterfront some time ago which has been inaccessible. Thanks to Parks and Seal Sitters’ first responders, the carcass was secured until necropsy options could be weighed.
Because of delays getting EPA permits required for towing/sinking, the Marine Mammal Stranding Network is unable to do necropsies until a permit is secured because of disposal issues. That is, unless we have options for burial/disposal on land. Read more about those challenges on my blubberblog post here.
Thanks to the efforts of Carol Baker and her many Seattle Parks/SW employees who lent a hand and provided removal services, we were able to do a limited necropsy onsite of this estimated 600 lb animal. X-rays of the head, done by a local veterinary lab, confirmed that the sea lion had indeed been shot.
There are 6 other reported dead sea lions in King/Kitsap who have not been necropsied, bringing the total of dead sea lions to 16. Additionally, there are several other dead animals in neighboring counties. Blubberblog.org provides the absolute latest updates regarding numbers and any new information.
MONDAY UPDATE: SS also wants you to know that “The Marine Mammal Stranding Network is gathering data from those counties and that information will be shared when possible.”
Thanks for the texts/tweets about a sizable emergency response by the bus stops on the SW side of California/Alaska. Here’s what we found out at the scene: Two men got into a fight at the bus stop (which is why KC Sheriff’s Transit Police are handling). One man is going to the hospital; the other was arrested.
In West Seattle Crime Watch this evening:
LURING SUSPECT CHARGED: 25-year-old Tamir S. Mohammed was charged today with luring, three days after he was arrested on Puget Ridge. Court documents say the 14-year-old victim got on the 128 bus in the 3200 block of California SW; Mohammed boarded by 35th/Morgan. She got off the bus on 16th near SW Holly and he followed her, asking her name and saying “I’m lonely and I need someone to be with me.” He walked ahead of her at one point and she thought he was gone until he appeared in a driveway, telling her she should come down the driveway to see some Christmas lights, then grabbing her hand and trying to drag her with him. She tried to get him to stop by saying she was only 12 and that her father was waiting nearby; she said police cars started to arrive in the area and he let her go and fled. The house with the driveway had surveillance video that allowed officers to later recognize and arrest Mohammed at the 16th/Holden 7-11. He remains in the King County Jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Two reader reports:
LAWN MOWER STOLEN: The video is from Greg:
He says his lawn mower was stolen around 8 pm this past Monday, and his car was prowled the next night. He’s near 42nd/Dawson, south of The Junction.
JEWELRY BOX, JEWELRY, CURRENCY COLLECTION TO WATCH FOR: From Dawn:
My house at 12th SW and Henderson was broken into over Thanksgiving weekend while I was out of town (not sure if it was Thursday or Friday).
They stole a vintage jewelry box (black painted with an Asian theme). It had 2 of my grandmother’s opal rings, my son’s baby teeth, lots of jewelry that doesn’t mean much, but has sentimental value.
They also stole my son’s bank and coin/money collection. He had a lot of bills and coins from all over the world. If anyone sees anything discarded, please let me know!
While checking the jail register for an unrelated case, we discovered a suspect had been arrested and charged in two armed robberies last Saturday, one of which happened in West Seattle. 21-year-old Seth C. Tapaka is in the King County Jail in lieu of half a million dollars bail, charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of unlawful gun possession, since he’s a convicted felon who wasn’t supposed to have a gun at all, because of a 2015 robbery conviction for which he cleared probation just a month ago.
He is accused of holding up the South Delridge 7-11 around 5:20 am Saturday, an hour after holding up a Circle K store in South Seattle. At both stores, court documents say, he got away with cigarettes as well as hundreds of dollars in cash. Police reviewing security video from buildings near the 7-11 found that Tapaka’s girlfriend was waiting in his car nearby. Detective Michael Magan noted distinctive features of the green 1997 Honda Accord – particularly a wheel rim that was different from the rest. When the detective returned to the South Delridge area this past Tuesday in hopes of finding more video, he instead spotted that same green Accord, with Tapaka and his girlfriend inside. Det. Magan called for patrol units to stop the car, which they did, at 15th and Roxbury. Subsequent questioning led police to find the handgun used in the holdups, a 9mm semiautomatic Ruger that belonged to a former girlfriend of Tapaka’s, who lives with their child at Tapaka’s mother’s house on Beacon Hill. The report says the former girlfriend also noted, when shown video from the South Seattle holdup, that the gray backpack that Tapaka used was their baby’s diaper bag.
Police are finding shell casings in the 12th/Trenton vicinity, per radio communication, after multiple 911 callers reported hearing gunfire in the area. One caller is reported to have seen someone firing a gun from a car that was seeing going northbound on 13th, then southbound on 12th. No reports of any shooting victims so far.
That’s Israel‘s car, stolen last night in Westwood:
It is a maroon 1999 Subaru Legacy and was stolen from the 9300 block of 30th SW (off Barton) the night of 11/28. The plate starts with “AOL” and it has a roof rack. SPD incident #18-445245.
Call 911 if you see it.
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