West Seattle, Washington
18 Thursday
(WSB photo, Westwood Village, 10/20/23)
Back in October, we reported on the arrest of two 15-year-old boys after a purse-snatch robbery in Admiral and a purchase made with one of the victim’s cards. This week, one pleaded guilty and was sentenced, while the other has a plea hearing scheduled for next week. As they are being prosecuted as juveniles, we have identified them only as Suspects #1 and #2. The one who pleaded guilty this week is #1. Court documents say he was the one who got out of a car that pulled up behind the victim, near 45th and Stevens in the middle of the afternoon, and ran up to her from behind, knocking her to the ground and struggling with her for her purse, finally pulling it away. A tracing signal from the phone in her purse led police to the two boys at Westwood Village, where they were coming out of GameStop with a PlayStation they had bought with one of the victim’s cards. They split up, but police quickly took both of them into custody. #1 has remained in detention; his previous convictions, as we reported here, included a 2022 carjacking in Burien and a car theft last year in Kent. While on “electronic home monitoring” for the latter, he cut off the monitoring bracelet, and was arrested in September for an incident also involving Suspect #2 and a stolen car found at Bellevue Square.
Getting back to the current case, #1 pleaded guilty this past Wednesday to one reduced charge, second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, and one charge that was unchanged from October, second-degree ID theft. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office recommended the standard range of 15 to 36 weeks in state juvenile detention, and that’s what Judge Joe Campagna ordered. But that’s not all the time the defendant will be serving, KCPAO spokesperson Casey McNerthney explains – he also has an additional “15-to-36-week range” from a prior conviction – previously suspended, but now that’s revoked – plus two months. Juvenile sentencing works differently from adult sentencing, with ranges rather than fixed periods, and it will be up to the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families to determine when he’s released.
The report and photo are from FL:
Sometime between 8 pm 1/24 and 7 am 1/25 my 1998 Chevy (white) 1500 pickup was stolen from sw Henderson st / 35th Ave SW. It was parked on SW Henderson St between the public library and the Shell gas station. The Shell gas station camera was pointed directly at the spot it was parked in. It was a work truck that I used daily. It had a metal tool rack on the back in place of a canopy. This is the second white truck my family has had stolen from us in the last six months from this location. About 6 months ago our other truck was stolen at roughly the same time of night within a block of this location. Rampant car theft in the area.
License plate # is C13705B. We’ll add the police-report # when we get it.
One reader report received today, from Christopher:
I wanted to report some mail theft that occurred sometime around midday Monday 1/22. I live in a townhouse at the corner of Delridge Way SW and SW Edmunds Street; we have a joint, locking mailbox for our four units. We found that our mailbox has been pried open and our mail stolen. We have reported this to Seattle police department and the USPS Inspector General. I’m hoping to get this out to see if anyone else had their mail stolen as well, and encourage them to report it.
You can report mail theft to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service here.
ORIGINAL TUESDAY NIGHT REPORT: Police are investigating an armed carjacking reported a short time ago in the 8300 block of 41st SW. From initial exchanges between dispatch and officers, the car taken is described as a black Mazda M6; the suspects are described so far as three or four people associated with a dark-colored sedan, all Black and male, 5’10” to 6′, thin build, wearing ski masks and dark clothing, at least one with a gun. The stolen car was last seen northbound on 41st SW.
ADDED FRIDAY: The victim has told his story in comments below, and SPD has published its summary here.
9:59 PM: This is all breaking right now. Police have just arrived at Global Smoke & Vape (35th/Roxbury) after a report that two people robbed the store at gunpoint. So far the robbers are described as white, male, in black ski masks and dark clothing. (This is the store that dealt with multiple crash-and-grab burglaries last year.)
Police are also responding to two local Starbucks stores with reports of burglaries that just happened – Alki and Admiral. The person who is reported to have broken into the Alki store is described as 5’8″, in a dark blue puffy jacket, dark pants; the only description from Admiral so far is someone in a gray hoodie who got into a vehicle described as a gray Nissan Rogue.
10:39 PM: No further information except that SFD was dispatched to the Alki scene to board up the door.
(Added: Photo sent by Charlotte)
11:59 PM: And now an SFD truck is being sent to “secure” the Admiral shop.
Seattle Police confirm two business burglaries reported over the weekend – Early Sunday, West Seattle Liquor and Wine in outer west Jefferson Square was hit for the second time in less than a week; after a break-in attempt last Wednesday, this time someone did get in, according to the report, and stole what was described as an “unknown amount of product.” Early Saturday, a burglary was reported at the Itto’s building (California/Genesee). In that one, police say, the cash register was stolen – which might be linked to this discovery just sent by a reader:
That turned up dumped near Fauntleroy/Hudson. The California/Genesee incident # is 24-017994; the Jefferson Square # is 24-019098.
Two reader reports of West Seattle thefts:
HARDTOP STOLEN: This report and photo are from a reader:
My Mazda Miata hardtop, which had specially installed bolted locks to prevent theft, was drilled off before my discovery the morning of Jan 12 in a lighted alley apartment lot (next to other cars) in the Alki area. This current removal was a concerted effort requiring multiple people and tools and also involved the removal of all items in the glove compartment, car inside, and trunk. Approximately $6,000 of damage was done to the car. This hardtop is not replaceable and was useful for the driver’s visibility (soft convertible tops have small back windows). SPD report number is 2024-901158.
PACKAGE STOLEN: This happened just after 1 pm today, reports Jenn:
We had a package stolen from our front door. We have video from our Ring camera – they were wearing a blue jacket (looks like they’re attempting to look like an Amazon delivery person), red backpack, gray beanie with Pom Pom, and were masked. We’re off 34th and Morgan and have a gate that they opened.
No report number yet; we’ll add when it’s available.
10:29 PM: Multiple 911 callers – and texters contacting us after calling 911 – reported suspected gunshots in High Point a short time ago, and police have confirmed it was gunfire: Officers have just told dispatch they found casings at 29th/Brandon. They’ve also heard from people near 29th/Findlay who say they were “shot at” – but no injuries are reported so far. The only description is a “black sedan with aftermarket headlights.”
10:47 PM: A texter says they’ve found casings by the 34th/Myrtle roundabout and have reported that to police.
10:56 PM: Officers have just told dispatch they’re at the aforementioned “second scene.”
11:11 PM: They’ve subsequently reported a “bullet in a house” near the second scene. Still no injuries reported in connection with either scene.
Two reader reports:
STOLEN SIERRA: From Jon:
My 2000 GMC Sierra pickup was stolen at 4 AM of the 18th while parked in the 6000 block of Beach Drive. The truck is a medium green with a flat bed cover and Washington license N7IGG.
Guilty party was the passenger in a 2000 to 2006 GMC Tahoe, license beginning in “D” and ending in “10”. If anyone notices either please call 911 and mention the case number: 24-16382.
GAS THEFT: Reported via text – “Just a note that on 38th between Stevens and Lander last night at about 930 somebody drilled out my gas tank on my Toyota Tacoma and stole the gas.”
2 PM: Thanks for the tips. Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School families have received an email from their schools’ principals about a threat today that they say was determined to be a hoax. Here’s the version sent by principal Ray Morales:
This morning, a threat was reported regarding Chief Sealth International High School. Seattle Police Department (SPD) responded quickly to our campus.
SPD completed a thorough safety check on our shared campus. Seattle Public Schools (SPS) safety and security team has reviewed our security alarm system and found no unauthorized people entering the building. SPD and SPS have determined this was a hoax. There is no credible threat to our students and staff.
The incident remains under investigation with SPD and SPS Department of Technology Services who are attempting to determine the source of the email.
For Denny, out of an abundance of caution, we kept first lunch Denny students inside due to the additional police presence.
I am grateful for the quick and thorough response by SPD and SPS. Today, you or your student may see additional SPD and additional SPS safety and security staff on our campus as they investigate and support our school community.
We’re checking with SPD to see if they have any additional information; the call log on X (formerly Twitter) says police responded to a threat call at CSIHS just after 9:30 am.
ADDED 2:58 PM: Here’s the SPD response to our inquiry:
On 01/19/2024 at approximately 0937 hours, a local news station received an email from an unknown individual. The email was regarding a bomb threat at (the school) and a teacher’s residence. Officers headed to the high school and contacted the principal of the school. Based on the email, the school deemed that the email non-credible and wished not to evacuate the school. The listed teacher declined to speak to officers. Officers checked the outer perimeter of the school and did not locate anything suspicious. The school staff checked the inner perimeter and reviewed security camera footage, nothing was suspicious.
We start this Crime Watch roundup with two business-burglary attempts:
LAUREN’S JEWELRY BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: Lauren Wiggins, proprietor of Lauren’s Jewelry (WSB sponsor) at Westwood Village, has a card collection she’d rather not have – seven SPD officers’ cards from burglaries or burglary attempts since 2020 (plus a sticky note with the case number from one she reported by phone). She tells us the latest was last night – four or five people with “two big white trucks … They attempted busting our lock, noticed the security (guard) turn on his lights and honk, then went after him and came back with a crowbar and tried crowbarring the door open.” As the photo above shows, the glass shattered but the would-be burglars didn’t get in. If you have any information, the SPD incident # – this time – is 24-015034.
WEST SEATTLE LIQUOR BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: Someone also tried but failed to get into the liquor store on the west side of outer Jefferson Square last night. It was reported around 10:45 pm. Police say the would-be burglar “damaged the window of the business with a rock but did not make entry” and was described as a white man, 30-40 years old, thin, in a green hoodie and blue jeans. If you have any information, the case # is 24-014905.
Three other reports:
STOLEN CR-V: Roxanne posted this report in the WSB Community Forums.
TRAILER THEFT ATTEMPT: A reader signing their note as “Neighborhood Watch” sent this:
A driver in a big white GMC (looked like a GMC Sierra with 4-doors) pickup cut off a latch to my neighbor’s utility trailer parked on street near 31st Ave SW & SW 97th St and tried stealing items out of it. I ran toward him yelling to stop and leave right away. He drove off and I noticed it did not have any license plates displayed either. Be cautious if this truck is seen anywhere.
The incident happened Tuesday morning.
STOLEN BINOCULARS: We’ve been car-prowled for the third time in the past few years here in Upper Fauntleroy. Your editor here made the mistake of leaving binoculars in the glove box after the last time we spent a few minutes whale watching. That’s all the car prowler got away with, because aside from that lapse we leave nothing in the car but a pen and paper in case a story call gets returned while we’re out. Guess you can fence binoculars, but if you find a small pair of Diamondback binoculars tossed aside somewhere, they might be ours. (Since we always ask people to include their police report number, for the record, here’s ours, filed online – 24-900961.)
After multiple 911 calls about suspected gunfire heard in Fairmount Ravine, police went to the area, and officers have just told dispatch the gunfire is confirmed – they’ve found casings. They’re “just past the Admiral bridge,” which dispatch calculates is in the 2500 block of Fairmount Avenue [map]. No word of injuries so far.
Last night at about 8:40 pm, SPD and SFD responded to a report of an assault at 35th/Henderson. Medics reported the victim was a man around 50 years old hit multiple times in the head with a golf club, according to archived audio we checked after a witness sent this reader report today:
I want to report an upsetting incident that happened last night. I witnessed a houseless man that was in front of the Southwest Branch library on 35th get attacked by a man with a golf club. I was walking my dog at 8:30 pm on 35th, saw the houseless man by the library when I first started my walk, and when I turned around to head back home there was a man dressed in all black (did not appear houseless) talking to him. The men started to argue and the victim was trying to shoo the other man away. The man in black then threw a bunch of liquid on the man’s face, the victim started running toward the Shell station on Henderson and unfortunately ran straight into the telephone pole. He hit the ground and the man and black who was chasing him started swinging the golf club at the victim’s head. I called 911 immediately and went into my apartment as the man with the golf club was also taking swings at cars that were passing by and honking.
With the 911 operator on the line I went back outside to see the victim being helped by another man who was out walking his dog and the Shell station employees. The police showed up quickly right as I returned to the scene. The victim had a bad head wound and was taken to the hospital. The man in black ran off, which is frightening because he truly came out of nowhere swinging and I’m convinced if a few of us hadn’t been walking our dogs on this cold night this would have resulted in a death. As far as I know this guy is still on the loose.
The only descriptive info we heard on recorded dispatch audio was: Black, male, about 5’8″, dressed – as the witness said – in all black, including a pulled-up hoodie. The dispatcher also mentioned a possible accomplice: white, male, black beanie and hoodie. We won’t have access to followup info from SPD until Tuesday; if you have information, the case number is 24-011199, and the violent-crimes tip line is 206-233-5000.
ADDED 3:35 PM: SFD says the victim was in stable condition when taken to Harborview Medical Center – by private ambulance, which generally means the injuries were not expected to be life-threatening.
SATURDAY: Reported by John via email:
We wanted the neighborhood to know that at approximately 7:50 am this morning, our black 2016 Subaru Forester (plate # BOS 2514) was stolen from the front of our house on the 3400 block of 41st Ave. We started the car and turned on the heat. I went back inside for about 3 minutes to put our daughter in her infant carrier and the car was gone from the driveway. A warning for others that may be warming the car on these cold days.
The SPD incident number, if you see this car and call it in, is 24-011562.
UPDATED 12:37 PM SUNDAY: The car’s been found, in Tukwila. Inside, though, somebody else’s large Osprey backpack – if you’ve had one stolen recently, let us know and we’ll connect you,
ORIGINAL REPORT: That’s the work van used by A Cleaner Alki, the volunteer group founded by Erik Bell, who’s organized cleanups far beyond Alki – all over the peninsula. Erik emailed us today with a different kind of request – asking you to be on the lookout for the van, which somebody stole early this morning:
2006 Chevy 1500 Work Van
Stolen 1/12/24 around 6 am from Admiral area
White with some peeling paint around front window and door jam. Black bumpers, grille, rear light surround and door handles. No side windows, clear glass in the back doors and cab. Has a gray metal bulkhead behind the cab with circular cutouts. Kind of nondescript otherwise, no exterior graphics. Used for community cleanups and full of EGO brand tools and other gear.
Paper plates A6652308
If you see it, call 911.
UPDATE, 1/16: Erik emailed this morning to say that “Our van was recovered last night at 61st & Stevens with the help of Good Samaritan neighbor Christine and the SPD.” Christine told him she recognized it from the WSB post.
HIGH POINT HATE-CRIME ARREST FOLLOWUP: The 38-year-old man arrested Tuesday remains in the King County Jail. Today we’ve obtained the probable-cause document from a hearing Wednesday at which his bail was set at $50,000. It says police first responded around 12:16 pm Tuesday to a call of a man yelling “racist remarks” at passersby and pointing a gun at them. The document says the suspect, who is described as white, is reported to have used a derogatory term for Black people, yelling from the second floor of an apartment building, including threatening to kill someone. According to the document, he lives in the building where he was arrested near Lanham/Graham. Police say they found “a pellet gun that looks like a real gun.”
ADMIRAL ARRESTS FOLLOWUP: In this story last night, we mentioned two juveniles taken into custody after incidents at Admiral businesses late Wednesday afternoon. We still don’t have full details on what happened, but an SPD spokesperson answered our inquiry:
This incident involved two juveniles ages 11 and 14. The 14-year-old male juvenile was booked into the King County Child and Family Justice Center for burglary and the following charges for property destruction, assault, and unlawful use of weapons were requested. The 11-year-old was identified and released to a legal guardian and charges were requested for burglary.
We’re following up with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
MAILBOX TAMPERING: From a reader:
Wanted to share that today 1-11-24 our community mailbox was pried open and broken into. 2400 block SW Webster St, near the home Depot.
PACKAGE THEFT: The latest reader video is from an Arbor Heights resident:
The victim says this happened Tuesday, and that the thief who drove into her driveway took four packages. She filed a police report, tracking number T24000707.
That’s the poster (full-size PDF here) that local women have been distributing around the area to warn others about a man suspected in multiple incidents of sexual harassment. We first published a reader report about this on December 30th; one of the women involved emailed us the poster today, explaining, “Since emailing you on this originally, we are now up to more than 2 dozen similar reports (majority in West Seattle but some in Burien and White Center as well) of harassment via social media reports – the most recent on Sunday near the West Seattle Farmers Market, which they reported on our original blog post.” (Here’s the link to that comment.) They asked us to again publish a photo of the man’s pickup truck:
And they want you to know that if you have an incident to report, SPD has told them to advise victims to please call it in to 911 and. refer to SPD incident # 24-002311.
Thanks for the tips about a sizable police response in High Point. We got there just as it was wrapping up. Officers at the scene told us that it had to do with a “hate crime that happened hours earlier.” One person was arrested. We asked SPD’s media office for further details; here’s the summary with which they replied:
Officers responded to reports of a male yelling racist remarks at passerby and pointing a gun at them in the 6000 block of Lanham Pl SW. Officers arrived and contacted a victim who stated the suspect threatened to kill them and pointed a gun toward them. Officers contacted the suspect and took him into custody. The suspect will be booked into KCJ [King County Jail] for investigation of hate-crime offense and felony harassment. Officers determined the weapon used was a BB gun.
The response had Lanham Place SW blocked near Graham, according to readers, but it should be clearing now if it hasn’t cleared already.
ADDED WEDNESDAY: The suspect is 38 years old. We hope to find out more about what happened in documentation that should be available after his bail/probable-cause hearing.
9:32 PM: A hit-and-run driver injured Megan‘s son at California/Charlestown tonight, and she’s wondering if there are any witnesses out there: “Someone ran a red light in front of Meeples and hit my son. 6:30 pm Jan 8th … if anyone saw anything, please let us know!!!” We asked if there’s any description, and how he’s doing (the dispatch had described the injuries as “minor”): “I just heard it was a dark vehicle. They hit him hard enough that he flew on to the hood, then the road, so the driver definitely knew that they had hit someone. He’s very shook up and upset with road rash etc.” The SPD case # is 24-007129.
ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: SFD says the 17-year-old victim was treated at the scene and did not need hospitalization.
(WSB photo, December 29)
8:12 PM: When we reported Saturday on the charges against a Burien carjacking suspect arrested in West Seattle on December 29, court documents said the teenager who crashed the stolen car shortly thereafter remained unidentified and in critical condition. According to today’s King County Medical Examiner’s Office list of death investigations, he has died. The KCMEO says he was 14 years old and died from burns suffered when the Suburban caught fire after colliding with a semi-truck at West Marginal and 2nd SW. There are no details such as residence or school. The adult suspect, 20-year-old Edil N. Pineda-Mencia, remains in the King County Jail awaiting arraignment on two felony charges.
10:56 PM: We’ve just learned from a reader that the 14-year-old was a student at Highline High School in Burien.
Four notes in Crime Watch:
CARJACKING SUSPECT CHARGED: Two felony charges are now filed against the man arrested near Harbor/Spokane on December 29 when he bolted from a stopped Suburban that had been carjacked in Burien and tracked to West Seattle. 20-year-old Edil N. Pineda-Mencia is charged with first-degree robbery and attempting to elude police. He and a juvenile accomplice are accused of approaching a woman as she was loading laundry into the Suburban in the 15700 block of 1st Avenue South in Burien, pointing a gun at her and demanding her keys. According to charging documents, a restaurant security camera recorded the carjacking. Meantime, the Suburban had a tracking device. An hour later it pinged to a Top Hat address that turned out to be near Pineda-Mencia’s residence. Deputies didn’t catch up with it in time, but called in the Guardian One helicopter, and half an hour later the vehicle pinged to the 2300 block of Alki Avenue SW. Deputies and SPD officers converged on the area, the helicopter headed that way, and they found the vehicle in the Don Armeni Boat Ramp lot, from which it took off. Heavy traffic at Harbor/Spokane thwarted the escape and deputies say Pineda-Garcia ran from the stopped car, but didn’t get far. Meantime the juvenile moved to the driver’s seat and sped off, crashing the Suburban on West Marginal a short time later. The charging documents say the juvenile had not been identified, and was still in critical condition, four days after the crash, when Burien Police referred the case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. The charging papers also note a BB gun was found outside the burning vehicle. Meantime, Pineda-Garcia – who has an assault conviction, as we reported Wednesday – remains jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Three reader reports:
STOLEN PICKUP: Zack‘s pickup truck was stolen in SODO but he’s asking people here to watch for it too:
My 1999 Toyota Tacoma was stolen from an employee parking lot in SODO sometime over the past week. Liscense plate # B78655U. Police case number #2024-000236
PACKAGE THEFT: The video and report were sent this evening:
I wanted to share with the community that we had several packages stolen from our porch around 4 pm today in the Gatewood neighborhood.
The video is not very clear, but my teen daughter was home alone and she described the thief as female, dyed red hair, red sweats, white sneakers, black top, and black face mask. Got in a black van or truck. My daughter was upstairs at the time, and opened her window to call out, but was unable to stop them.
CAR PROWLING ON WHEELS: Sent by Beetle:
SUV caught driving by and checking car door handles on 18th Ave in highland Park area. . Set off car alarm a couple cars away from mine and sped off.
Police were called to the Rite-Aid store on California SW this past hour after staff detained two teenage boys who were initially reported to have tried to steal a cash register.
They were transferred into police custody. We’re looking into whether they are the same two teenagers reported in social-media discussions to have been wreaking havoc, particularly in businesses, for months; one reader emailed us about her family being harassed in a restaurant last night and finding out that the teens were known for similar incidents.
UPDATED MONDAY: We checked back with SPD. Here’s how they summarized the incident in response to our inquiry: “Two juvenile males, ages 14 and 16, were arrested for theft. Charges were requested and the juveniles were identified and later released to legal guardians. It appears the two suspects entered the business. One suspect asked a store employee for assistance while the other suspect attempted to steal cash from the register. Both suspects were detained prior to police arrival.”
7:45 PM: SPD and SFD have responded to a stabbing on Olson Place northeast of SW Roxbury. The victim is a 35-year-old man reported to have suffered a stab wound in the chest and is being taken to Harborview. We don’t have clear information on the status of his attacker – at first one person was reported to have been quickly detained, but a suspect description was then circulated. Radio exchanges indicate the attacker may be known to the victim.
8:24 PM: SPD says a suspect is in custody and the victim is in critical condition.
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