West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
Two West Seattle Crime Watch items this afternoon, plus a reminder:
STOLEN CAR: From Jake:
Our silver 2013 Subaru Outback was stolen out of our driveway last night at the corner of Barton and Director st in the Fauntleroy neighborhood. Plate #BBY1565. It is our only vehicle and contained our car seats and garage door opener.
If you see it, call 911. Police report # is 2018-026262.
STREET ROBBERY FOLLOWUP: On Saturday night, we reported on a street robbery in Morgan Junction, at the northbound C Line stop on California north of Fauntleroy. At the time, we heard only that the victim’s phone had been taken; a friend who provided additional information said the victim’s wallet was taken too. We obtained the police-report narrative today, and it confirms that. The report says the two robbers demanded his phone and wallet – “no physical contact, no weapons seen” – and ran into the nearby parking lot (alongside Cal-Mor Circle). They were not found. The descriptions are close to the ones we published that night – “a white male, approximately 20-30 years old, 5’8″, wearing a gray hoodie with the hood up and covering his face, and red or plaid pajama type pants. The second suspect was described as a black male, 20-40 years old, approximately 6 ft tall, wearing an unknown colored golf style hat, (dark)-colored jacket, and blue jeans.” If you have any information, the police report # is 2018-024745.
REMINDER: Your next chance to hear, and ask, about crime trends in West Seattle is tomorrow night – 6:30 pm, WS Blockwatch Captains’ Network, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster). You don’t have to be a captain – or even part of a block watch – to attend. This month’s meeting – as previewed here – also includes a panel discussion of the opioid epidemic, from people whose lives have been directly touched by it.
Another stolen vehicle to watch for. The report is from Erica in High Point:
Our Toyota 4Runner was stolen last night.
SW Myrtle/30th Pl SW
License Plate: AVD5251
Make: Toyota
Model: 4Runner
Year: 2015
Color: Black/Black Interior
If you see it, call 911 – the police incident # is 2018-025186.
10:31 PM: Police are searching in Morgan Junction right now after another report of someone being robbed of their phone. According to preliminary information from scanner traffic, they’re looking for two suspects. No specifics on circumstances so far, but police were summoned to the west side of the 6400 block of California SW, and the suspects were last seen on the east side of the street. Police broadcast these descriptions: White man 20s-30s, about 5’8″, gray hoodie with picture/writing of some sort, red/plaid PJ-type pants; black man 30s-40s, 6′, dark jacket, golf hat, black jeans.
10:50 PM: A friend of the victim tells WSB the robbery happened at the northbound C Line bus stop – the victim then went across the street to contact police.
Justin sent that video, saying it’s from a break-in at his home at 1:31 am Friday, near Charlestown and 40th. If you recognize the person in the video, contact police and refer to incident # 2018-024462.
ADDED: Justin has since provided screengrabs – the one above is the clearest. We asked whether any particular stolen item should be watched for, but he says that so far, it appears not much was taken.
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, starting with a reader report:
FAUNTLEE HILLS CAR PROWL: Kris e-mailed today to report a car prowl earlier this week:
Our car was parked at the corner of 40th Avenue SW and Director SW overnight on January 15. On January 16, I walked out to see the hatch and passenger door ajar. Sometime during the evening the car was prowled. Nothing of significant value was taken and the police were notified … In the past few days, I have recovered some of the items along Barton Avenue SW.
And from the many court cases we are continuing to check on, two updates:
WESTWOOD MURDER-CASE UPDATE: When last we mentioned the two defendants charged in last year’s murder of Edixon Velasquez in Westwood, they were set for trial relatively soon. According to court documents, they have since agreed to have the case pushed back a few months, and in court today, the readiness hearing for Anna Kasparova and Abel Linares was rescheduled for March 23rd, with trial tentatively set for April 25th.
SOUTH DELRIDGE ROBBER PLEADS GUILTY: A plea agreement this week for 22-year-old Aaron K. Knox, one of two men charged last summer with stealing a 58-year-old man’s bicycle at gunpoint in the 9200 block of Delridge Way SW. Knox has no criminal history but pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery; hr will be sentenced February 16th. Court documents say prosecutors will seek to have him sent to prison for three years and five months.
In West Seattle Crime Watch today – first, a reader report:
CAR PROWL: Dennis reports a car break-in overnight on the northeast corner of 8th SW/SW Cloverdale [map]: “Nothing of value in the car.”
Next, a followup:
(Photo tweeted Saturday night by @culinaryfaerie)
JUNCTION PURSE-SNATCHING FOLLOWUP: After reporting this in bits and pieces, we finally have the police report with full details of the circumstances in last Saturday night’s Junction “purse-snatching” incident. It says the victim was sitting in the Junction Starbucks with her laptop and purse on the table in front of her just before 6 pm when three people ran in, grabbed her purse off the table, and ran out with it. The first 911 call said two people including the victim chased after the purse-grabbers. As we reported, police found and arrested three suspects.
The two adult suspects are now charged so we’re identifying them: The police report says 19-year-old Alonso Roman was found about three blocks away, in the alley east of the 4500 block of 41st SW, with the victim’s purse. Police also found a felony arrest warrant for him in a residential-burglary case. In this case, he’s charged with two misdemeanors, theft and receiving stolen property. The other adult suspect, 19-year-old Delino Olebar, was found about a block further east, near Jiffy Lube, and police found three misdemeanor warrants out for him. They say he gave them a false name at first; he is charged with theft and false reporting, both misdemeanors. The juvenile suspect was found on the other side of Alaska, near Bank of America. Roman and Olebar were booked into the King County Jail, and the jail register says they’re still there now; the juvenile suspect was released to his parents. The victim told police the only thing missing from her purse when she got it back was a pair of earbuds.
Mason at the Antique Mall of West Seattle e-mailed to say burglar(s) hit the store earlier this week:
The incident occurred sometime between 11:30 pm Monday night and 6:00 am Tuesday morning at the front entrance of the Antique Mall of West Seattle (4516 California Ave SW). The intruders made their way into the store after drilling out the front-door lock. It is suspected that they did not stay long as only the front few cases were disturbed and the number of items reported to be missing is minimal. This does of course further raise concern for potential future attempts at our store and other stores in the Junction as this sort of crime is becoming more frequent.
We have re-keyed the locks and readjusted our security system. Of course we don’t keep any cash in store after hours and we suggest that other area businesses update/increase their security as well.
If you have any information for police, the incident number is 18-019526.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:
PHONE THEFT: From Chelsea:
Last night, as I was walking home from LA Fitness, I was standing on the corner of Edmunds and Fauntleroy when 3 males approached me from behind as I was sending a text. They then grabbed my phone out of my hand (they did not assault me or pull any weapons). After they grabbed the phone, they proceeded to run West on Edmunds (away from me), where they split up right around 40th Ave. Two of them booked it into an alley behind the apartment building there while one of them ran toward and then crossed Alaska.
I didn’t end up filing a police report because I didn’t get a good look at them plus I didn’t have a phone to call. They appeared to be younger, based upon their clothing, which was dark hoodies with jeans and at least one of them had a backpack on.
As we told her, it’s vital to file a police report so this is on record at the very least, and it’s not too late to file one. (Wednesday update: She has filed a report – incident #18-019576.)
PURSE-SNATCHING FOLLOWUP: We still haven documents with full details of the Saturday night incident in The Junction, but we’ve got a few more than we did on Sunday. We’ve confirmed that two 19-year-olds booked into jail for theft on Saturday night are the adult suspects in this case (police told us a juvenile also was arrested, but juvenile detention rosters are not available online). Both are still in jail, one with bail set at $20,000, one with bail set at $1,500. Both have been ordered – if they do get out – to have no contact with the Junction Starbucks, which at least one witness told us is where the purse theft happened.
ABANDONED BICYCLE: Latest sighting is reported by Becky:
She spotted it at the corner of 47th SW and SW Edmunds.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch so far today, and a reminder:
CAR BREAK-IN: From Steve:
We had our car prowled overnight, sometime between 11 pm and 9 am. We are on 37th Ave SW between Lander and Stevens [map]. Registration and Title, Insurance, car chargers, special parking permit and shopping bags were taken. The car was completely cleaned out. The registration (etc.) was in a bright-orange vinyl folder.
The tracking number for the incident is T18000652.
(ADDED 1:12 PM) After reading this, Todd e-mailed to say his car window was broken by someone last night just a block west, on 38th SW.
BICYCLE FOUND: A texter found a bicycle at 12th SW and SW Myrtle [map] – near Riverview Playfield – and turned it over to a Parks and Recreation crew that was nearby. The finder didn’t take a photo but described it as a black or gray Trek “commuter bike” that had been purchased at Gregg’s. (The general Parks number is 206-684-4075.)
REMINDER – WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TOMORROW: 7 pm Tuesday (January 16th) at the Southwest Precinct, it’s the next meeting of the WS Crime Prevention Council, with your chance to bring neighborhood crime/safety concerns to local police. A drug-trend guest is booked this month too.
We’ve finally obtained a bit of information about an incident last night in The Junction. We knew from scanner traffic that three suspects had been arrested after a search in the 40th/41st/Alaska vicinity around 6:30-7 pm, but didn’t hear what preceded the search/arrests and were unable to find officers afterward to ask; the online information system (including Tweets by Beat) is down, too. So we went back to the precinct today in hopes of tracking down a few details. While the full report isn’t available, we’re told it was a purse-snatching. No injuries. The three suspects who were arrested – two adults, one juvenile – are described as having had run-ins with police before. We hope to get the full report after the holiday weekend.
One reader report in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight. Just in, from Liz:
My boyfriend and I live at the Alaska Junction and today between 1 am and noon, Luc’s maroon 1992 Subaru Legacy wagon (hatchback – license plate number AAM 5011) was stolen with his black MacNeil BMX bicycle locked inside. It was parked on Glenn Way near the alley between Oregon and Alaska. We have made a police report, looked at Offerup and Craigslist, and called the tow yard, but there has been no sign of the bike or the car.
The bike is a MacNeil Default frame with S&M bars and forks, purple Hoder grips, and Odyssey pedals (purple) cranks and wheels.
SPD incident # 18-14338. Call 911 if you see the car.
P.S. Reminder that the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets Tuesday (January 16th), 7 pm at Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster) – bring your neighborhood crime concerns/questions for police.
First time in a while that we have received a reader report of a car-stereo theft. The photo and report are from Alex:
Someone broke into my truck last night and took my car stereo as well as some speakers. Truck was parked IN my apartment’s parking lot at Willow Court Apts. on Delridge [map].
SPD incident #: 18-011457.
ORIGINAL TUESDAY NIGHT REPORT: Around 7:30 tonight, Jeff reports, his wife’s car was broken into in the front parking lot at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction. There’s one thing he’s hoping will be found:
Her black work work bag was stolen. Most important to her is her notebook and thumb drive containing many many references and resources. Also in the bag was a black iPhone. I’m hoping that the bag gets ditched somewhere close to the scene. … The stolen bag was a black Kipplinger messenger-style bag. In the bag was some medications (Rx & OTC), black iPhone (6s), work keys and badge, a notebook, and a thumbdrive (Lexar, green/blue).
No police report # yet; if you think you have found the bag, let us know.
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: The SPD incident # is 18-10904. Also, as Jeff posted in comments, they’ve found the stolen phone – still looking for the bag.
(January 2016 WSB photo)
Almost two years after a deadly trench collapse at a West Seattle worksite, the owner of the company that employed the victim has been charged with criminal manslaughter. The announcement late today from the state Department of Labor and Industries says this is “the first time a Washington employer has faced felony charges for a workplace fatality.” 36-year-old Harold Felton was killed January 26, 2016, when the dirt walls of a trench collapsed during side-sewer work at a house in the 3000 block of 36th SW. Seven months later, the state cited Alki Construction LLC for seven violations, as reported here. And now, the company’s owner, 40-year-old Phillip Numrich, has been charged with second-degree manslaughter. The announcement quotes L&I director Joel Sacks as saying, “There are times when a monetary penalty isn’t enough. This company knew what the safety risks and requirements were, and ignored them. The felony charges show that employers can be held criminally accountable when the tragedy of a preventable workplace death or injury occurs.” We’ve looked up the court documents, which were not included in the L&I news release; Numrich has been charged with two counts, second-degree manslaughter and “violation of labor safety regulation with death resulting.” The documents note that he and the victim not only had an employer-employee relationship, they were longtime friends. Mr. Felton was the first person killed in a trenching incident in our state in more than seven years.
The last two stolen vehicles reported in West Seattle Crime Watch were both found by readers – maybe this will be three in a row. Ivana reports a 1999 Ducati Monster Cromo 900 motorcycle was “stolen from the driveway next to the apartment building at 9011 35th Avenue SW [map] between approximately 10:00 PM on 01/04/2018 and 07:45 on 01/05.” Black frame, chrome tank, carbon fiber fairing, Brembo brakes, round mirrors, low mileage. WA license plate 4C7676. Call 911 if you see it – SPD incident # 18-5224.
3:30 AM: An “assault with weapons” response is arriving at an address in the 9200 block of 17th SW [map], where a man is reported to have a gunshot wound to the leg. Police are searching for the suspect, last seen “running southbound in an alley,” though there’s no description yet.
3:34 AM: Now the report is that “two or three black males in hoodies” might have been involved, and this might have happened during “a robbery in an alley.”
3:51 AM: Medics describe the victim over the air as 19 years old with a thigh wound from a 9mm bullet, not believed to be life-threatening. They’re taking him to Harborview Medical Center.
3:59 AM: We’ve talked to police at the scene but so far they’re still trying to lock in some facts such as where the robbery/shooting actually happened. A K-9 is involved in the search.
16th SW is closed in White Center between 98th and 100th after a double shooting (update: one confirmed dead), in the same area where a man was shot and killed eight months ago. We’re updating on partner site White Center Now as information becomes available.
Two reader reports tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch, both including car prowls:
IN NORTH DELRIDGE: After reading last night’s report about tools taken in a Pigeon Point shed break-in, Lauren sent this:
Both of the following incidents happened at our house located very close to Pigeon Point at Delridge and Oregon [map].
Sometime in the very early hours of yesterday, January 4th, both my and my boyfriend’s cars were broken into in our driveway. Nothing of value was inside but items were clearly rifled through and strewn around. I discovered this at 7:30 am. Police report was filed.
This early AM (January 5th) at ~2:50AM, we heard a loud sound like a car door slamming. My boyfriend and I went out to the deck and saw a car part way up the driveway. The car quickly turned into the street and sped away very fast. The car was black or dark blue and either a PT Cruiser or a Mini Cooper.
IN ADMIRAL: From Wendy:
I wanted to report that we had a car prowl yesterday or last night on the 2600 block of 47th Ave SW [map]. We have reported it to the police but wanted to get the word out to the neighborhood to be aware. No signs of forced entry so not sure if we left it unlocked. We don’t keep much in our car, they took a phone charge cord, ice scraper, wet ones, a nearly empty tube of lotion, and a dog harness.
The only thing I care about having back is the dog harness. Brand-new green and brown Gooby.
P.S. The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council is back in session this month – Tuesday, January 16th, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster). Neighborhood crime updates and concerns are always the centerpiece, but this month WSCPC president Richard Miller has also scheduled a guest, Steven Freng from the Northwest High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas, who will talk about “recent drug use trends, including specific problem drugs and other emerging issues,” according to the announcement from Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Burbridge.
New information today about Thursday’s home-invasion robbery on Puget Ridge. An area resident has provided Seattle Police with images of what police say might be the getaway vehicle – likely a silver 4-door 1999 Buick, with one particularly distinctive feature: Lug-nut covers missing on both passenger-side wheels.
Otherwise, police say there’s not too much more than what we originally reported – it happened just before noon in the 5200 block of 18th SW, and they don’t know why this particular house was targeted. Four people forced their way into the house; at least two had handguns. They are described only as black, male, with dark hoodies covering most of their faces. They demanded cash, and were told the people in the house had none. One resident was “pistol-whipped outside the house” before the robbers broke in; they took “nothing of value,” SPD Det. Mark Jamieson told WSB this morning, and let barely two minutes after they arrived. Robbery detective St. John is investigating – call 206-386-4050; the incident number is 2018-004202.
Two Three West Seattle Crime Watch items tonight:
ANOTHER STOLEN CR-V: For the second day in a row, we’ve received a report of a stolen CR-V. The one stolen yesterday was found by a WSB reader hours later. Maybe you can find the one taken overnight from Sarah in Seaview:
I’d like to report the theft of my vehicle sometime last night, 1/3-1/4, in the 5900 block of 48th St SW, it was parked legally in the vicinity of my residence and it’s been verified by SPD as not towed.
The vehicle is a blue 2011 Honda CR-V; notable features include Maryland license places and several Washington, DC parking permits, as well as a whole lot of bumper stickers including: Sierra Club, Bernie Sanders, Barrie School, George Washington University, Ocean City Brewing Company, West Marine Sailing, and several magnets for Marathons, Half-Marathons and Cycling. It’s pretty distinct and that’s not an all inclusive list, but hopefully could help positively identify it if spotted.
If you see it, call 911 – and then let us know.
(Sunday update: Confirmation that the CR-V was spotted by a reader – southwest of The Junction – and has been recovered!)
ADMIRAL ATTACK SUSPECT UPDATE: Today brought another hearing for Kierra Ward, charged in October’s knife attack on a mother out walking with her baby. Documents from the hearing indicate that Ward is choosing to go to trial rather than seeking a plea bargain; the date is tentatively set for February 21st, depending on what happens at a readiness hearing set for February 9th. Ward remains held in the King County Jail in lieu of $400,000 bail.
ADDED 8:50 – PIGEON POINT SHED BREAK-IN, TOOLS TAKEN: This just came in from Elizabeth, minutes after we published the above two items, so we’re adding it:
I wanted to let the Pigeon Point community know that my shed was broken into either last night or sometime today. The thieves stole all of my tools. (4100 block 19th SW) … They cut the hinges off my shed to get in. Below are a list of the tools stolen I have identified so far in case anyone hears or sees anyone out there with new things.
-Rigid Miter Saw, collapsible
-Rigid Table Saw, collapsible
-Rigid Hand Sander
-Rigid Nail Gun & Nails
-Dewalt Cordless Hand Saw
-Dewalt Cordless Reciprocating Saw
-Dewalt Cordless Drill
-Dewalt Cordless Impact Drill
-Dewalt Drill Bits (4-5boxes)Unfortunately I don’t have any cameras working that could help catch these people. My thought is that they drove some kind of truck and reversed back into my driveway up to the shed and broken. This would have shielded them from being seen from all sides (the other sides are surrounded by two other neighbors and my house as I have an open driveway, no garage. I’m guessing they had some kind of van as the miter saw and table saw are big.
Wanted to let the neighborhood know so everyone can keep an extra eye out on their homes as well as hope that someone saw something that could help catch these thieves.
(WSB photo)
ORIGINAL 12:47 PM REPORT: Police are in the 5200 block of 18th SW on Puget Ridge (south of Dawson), after a report of a home-invasion robbery. It’s still early in the investigation, but so far, they have been told that four armed men, described only as black, wearing black hoodies, and black masks, broke into the house. At least one person was home, a man who suffered a facial injury. The robbers are believed to have gotten away in a vehicle, though SPD tells us there are conflicting descriptions. We also don’t know yet what if anything they took. Robbery detectives are on their way to the scene; we’ll check back later for an update.
FRIDAY MORNING NOTE: The report was not available yesterday but we’re renewing our request this morning. The final classification of the call, meantime, was “strong-arm robbery.”
1:09 AM: Multiple reports of suspected gunfire have had police out searching in the Roxhill Park area for the past hour or so. So far, no reports of them having found anything or anyone; one person who called police told WSB he saw the shots fired from someone in a vehicle. We’ll check later this morning for the final incident report.
11:52 AM: Just checked with SPD, and they confirm, no evidence of gunfire found – doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, only that they did not find casings, property damage, or victim(s).
ORIGINAL 1:32 PM REPORT: Two items in West Seattle Crime Watch today – the first, a reader report; the second, from SPD files.
STOLEN RED HONDA CR-V: The photo above is from Joe; it’s his most-recent photo of the 2001 Honda CR-V someone stole from him very early today near 16th SW and SW Thistle [map]. He says, “Although the actual event wasn’t captured (I don’t know how), my security camera showed my car present at midnight and gone by 1 am.” Washington plates AYU3617. If you see Joe’s CR-V, call 911; police incident # is 2018-002500.
9 PM UPDATE: Thanks to the reader who spotted Joe’s car about half a mile north on 17th, called 911, let us know too, we made sure Joe knew, and he has the CR-V back – though it needs repairs to the center column to be driveable.
(Back to original report) Next: We didn’t get a reader report about this burglary last week, but the narrative is now available online (as SPD does for some, but not most, reports):
STOLEN ITEMS FOUND AFTER ADMIRAL BURGLARY: This happened last Thursday (December 28th), according to the report we found in SPD’s online files. Police were called to a Walnut Avenue SW address in early afternoon. They were told that someone had broken into a garage overnight, stealing two bicycles and “a saw, leaf blower, wheelbarrow, flat-screen TV, an Airstream battery, and a red backpack with fishing gear.” A neighbor spotted the garage door open early in the morning and alerted the victim – apparently the burglar(s) got in through a window and left via the door. Police learned that someone else in the area had called 911 at 1:15 am after seeing someone near the garage door working on a bicycle that matched the description of one of the two stolen bikes; officers responded at the time but didn’t find anyone or anything.
While investigating the burglary hours later, officers were told about a bicycle spotted near 41st/Lander [map], and discovered it was one of the stolen bikes. Checking the area nearby, they found other items taken in the burglary, dumped or hidden in bushes – the flat-screen TV, leaf blower, saw, and battery. They also found fingerprints on the TV and on the window through which the burglar(s) had been entered, so those were going to be crosschecked with a database.
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