West Seattle, Washington
30 Wednesday
Six notes this afternoon:
POLICE IN JEFFERSON SQUARE AREA: This isn’t a crime situation but we’re mentioning it since some are asking – they’re dealing with a person in crisis in an apartment.
STOLEN PICKUP: From a reader:
Our ’97 red Ford F-250 with black axle dump trailer attached (filled with pavers) was stolen at 5:35 am (driving away caught on camera). We live in West Seattle, Belvidere area. We filed a police report.
If you see it, call 911.
CAR BREAK-IN #1: Via e-mail:
Our family member’s car was broken into (Tuesday) night (in the 6500 block of) 37th Ave SW sometime between 7:00-9:00 pm. There were 10 boxes of family heirlooms, books, etc taken as our Aunt is in the middle of moving. Anyone see any plastic containers dumped anywhere? Surprised and disappointed as this happened so early in the evening on a pretty busy street.
CAR BREAK-IN #2: From Molly:
I wanted to report to the West Seattle Blog that our car was broken into Saturday morning at 2:00 AM. The car was parked outside our house in the alley between 40th and 41st and Alaska and Oregon. The person wore a hood and was not deterred by our motion detector light or camera. The person went through our car and left it in shambles, and left the light on so the battery died.
CAR BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: This car prowler was caught on video a month ago by Jon in Upper Morgan:
He brought it up during last night’s quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting and shared the video with us afterward. Nothing taken – though several neighbors did note items stolen from their cars that same night – but he also notes that his car is a 1996 Subaru Legacy Outback and we’ve reported this week on several thefts involving cars like that.
GUN/DRUG SUSPECT CHARGED, OUT ON BAIL: Following up on last week’s report of two 25-year-olds arrested after a police sting operation to buy stolen wheels – the male suspect has been charged, and is out on bail; the female suspect is out of jail and has not been charged. The former is Benny P. Saeteurn, a Highland Park resident, who posted bond and was released yesterday after six days in jail. His bail was raised to $30,000 when he was charged with one count of first-degree unlawful firearm possession and one count of felony drug possession. Charging documents say Saeteurn told police he was there and armed because he was acting as protection for the woman during her meetup with what she thought was a buyer for stolen wheels she claimed to have received from a third party. Prosecutors say he should not have had a gun because he has a felony record, for burglary and attempted robbery.
FIRST REPORT, 5:42 PM: The two older Subaru Outbacks stolen since last night and reported here have both been found – but now there’s word of ANOTHER being taken. We just talked with Alice, who says her white 1996 Outback was taken from her parking space behind an apartment building in the 4000 block of California SW this afternoon. A police report is filed. Plates (updated) AWC6441. Distinguishing features include a passenger-side dent and a “2016” rear-bumper sticker. If you see it, call 911.
DETERRING THIEVES: Even before getting the call from Alice, we had asked Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner if she had any recommendations. The Club, she says, “does work if effectively installed.” (Alice told us she usually uses one but had it off at the time because she was just briefly stopping at home.) Plus, “An alarm is also effective, if the vehicle has one- if neighbors call when they hear it and if it is consistently on.” Here’s the official SPD auto-theft-prevention tipsheet.
ADDED 8:39 PM: Since this story is still atop the site, we’re adding yet another car-theft report that’s come in – Matt reports, “Our friend’s car was stolen from the garage of the LA Fitness just outside Alaska Junction. The car is an ’89, red Nissan Pulsar NX … We’re in contact with the police who’ll be coming to our house to file an official report shortly. They’ve verified that the car was not towed.” (added) Plates 874YVU.
ADDED SUNDAY, 4/22: The Pulsar was found this weekend in the Admiral Bartell Drugs lot, and we are told the finder had seen it reported here.
Three auto-theft-related reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – starting with two more stolen vehicles to look for:
STOLEN IN ALKI AREA: Someone took Paul‘s white 1999 Subaru Legacy Outback from the 2000 block of Alki Avenue SW between 11 pm last night and 8 am today. Plates: ATV0897. Also: “It’s got a Backcountry.com goat sticker, and a PLU Alumni sticker.” (3:56 PM UPDATE – Just found in Junction area!)
STOLEN ON 39TH SW: Mimi‘s blue 1996 Subaru Outback was taken between 3 am and 7 am on 39th SW near SW Oregon. Plates: BJL4075. (3:35 PM UPDATE – Just found in the Alki area!)
If you see either one, call 911. Thanks to someone who did that last night, a stolen car mentioned here earlier this week has been found:
‘OSCAR’ FOUND, THANKS TO A WSB READER: As promised, we followed up with SPD about the search for auto-theft suspects near Westcrest Park late last night, and the report narrative confirms it’s something we heard on the scanner just before the search – police were tipped by somebody who recognized the car because it was shown here on WSB:
It was the Jeep Cherokee whose owner nicknamed it “Oscar,” as confirmed today by her dad Wade. Meantime, the police-report narrative confirms the search resulted in one arrest, a 37-year-old man found hiding in the greenbelt nearby (who crawled out, the report said, after being warned the K-9 might bite him). Whether he was linked to the theft is not yet clear but he turned out to have a felony warrant, the report says, adding that he was booked into jail after a stop at Harborview because he said he had used heroin and felt ill.
1:29 PM: We’ve learned that the suspect is 41 and is being held for investigation of obstructing (police) as well as a warrant related to a drug case.
11:31 PM: If you hear the Guardian One helicopter in southeast West Seattle, near Westcrest Park – it’s being called in to help with what scanner traffic indicates is a search for two people described as auto-theft suspects. There’s a ground search with K-9, too. The suspects are described so far as male, white, one in a camouflage jacket, ponytail and goatee, the other in a black shirt or jacket and “slightly unshaven.” If you have any information, call 911.
12:54 AM: Sounds as if police detained one person. We’ll be following up later this morning to see what else we can find out about how this started and shook out.
Another stolen car to be on the lookout for:
Wade reports, “My daughter’s car was stolen last night from the street by our house at Delridge and Cloverdale. It is a 1993 Army Green Jeep Cherokee 4 door. The car’s name is Oscar. A police report has been filed.” (We don’t have the plate number but will add when we hear back. Meantime, call 911 if you think you see the stolen vehicle.)
UPDATE: Plate number BGX9092.
Five notes in West Seattle Crime Watch today:
STOLEN SUBARU: Just received from Ricardo:
Our 1999 Subaru Legacy wagon was stolen from our house this morning/last night. Just wanted to let the community know and to be on the lookout for it. It’s tan in color and has a moon/sunroof. License plate number ANJ2766. Nothing of any real worth in the car unless someone was really looking to lift a case of Trader Joe’s water and a 20-year-old dog blanket. Has been reported to SPD, incident #: 18-132219.
It happened near 36th SW/SW Henderson. (APRIL 19 UPDATE – Ricardo tells us it’s been found.)
WALLET/PHONE THEFT: Stacey says this happened in a flash at the Junction Shell minimart – her wallet and phone were snatched off the counter, and the cards were used “all over downtown” shortly thereafter. She’s hoping to get the surveillance video, and is also still awaiting the report number, so this is a warning for starters.
GRAFFITI VANDALISM: Yes, we know, this happens a lot, but the past few days have brought an extra-brazen wave south of Morgan Junction, Will noticed while walking in the area this morning. The tagging, mostly on the west side of California SW, included multiple commercial buildings as well as a townhouse building at California/Mills, where Will found people painting it over this morning. He says they told him they had called police, who came by to photograph it this morning.
(Photo added, courtesy of commenter KittyJorts)
(Getting graffiti photographed before painting it over is always a good idea, SPD has said repeatedly at community meetings we’ve covered.) The police incident # is 18-132170.
SUSPICIOUS VISIT POST-PACKAGE DELIVERY: A Puget Ridge resident in the 6500 block of 16th SW got a package delivered around 11:15 am today but wasn’t able to get to the porch immediately to pick it up. Around 11:30, they report, a car backed into the driveway with two people inside, and the passenger got out and started walking up the resident’s steps toward the package – until the resident opened the door, at which time the person “turned around and (weirdly casually) went back to the car. Ignored me when I asked if I could help with something, so I gathered my stuff and went inside. They casually drove off, south on 16th.” The car, the resident believes, was a dark gun-metal-colored Jeep Cherokee, mid-2000s. The person who came up the steps wore a black baseball cap obscuring his/her face, “chin-length braids with maybe a little brassy bleaching at the tips of some,” and loose all-black clothing.
CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL ON TUESDAY: If you have neighborhood crime/safety concerns, your next chance to bring them directly to the attention of Southwest Precinct police – outside of 911 calls – is Tuesday (April 17th), 7 pm, at the precinct (2300 SW Webster). It’s the April meeting of the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, and all are welcome. The scheduled guest is SPD Bias Crimes Unit Det. Elizabeth Wareing (rescheduled from an earlier date).
Posted in the WSB Forums by Kelso:
Our apartment complex’s storage unit was broken into over the weekend, and while the burglar left behind things of high value (skis, bicycles, electronics) they did take a carry-on hard-case silver Samsonite luggage from my wife and I. They also took a LeSportsac weekender bag that has a very high sentimental value and isn’t made anymore (it has an aloha stamp print on it) … A few other items were taken, but we would be particularly keen to get these back. If it’s been dumped somewhere and someone finds it, we would really appreciate getting these back! This was near the corner of Graham Street and California.
Kelso’s post includes an image of a similar bag.
(August 8th WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Three months after a judge ordered him to Western State Hospital, Gatewood stabbing defendant Ryan Cox is still waiting for a spot there to open up. As we reported in January, a judge ordered Cox to the state hospital for up to 90 days of treatment to attempt to restore competency to stand trial. He is charged with second-degree assault in an incident that left a man seriously injured last August. A status hearing for Cox was scheduled for this week; a court document filed yesterday says the hearing is postponed until July 16th. We checked with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to find out why, and they tell us he is “still waiting for admission,” which is currently expected to happen around April 30th. The up-to-90-days treatment clock won’t start until he is admitted. WSH has long been reported to have backlogs leaving patients waiting,
Out of the WSB inbox, from Aiko:
My forest green 2000 Chrysler Cirrus LX was stolen from the front of my house this morning between 12:00 am-7:15 am. I live in the 9000 block of 32nd Ave SW in the Arbor Heights neighborhood. The license plate number is BGK1449. I have reported this to Seattle Police.
If you see it, call 911.
APRIL 18TH UPDATE: Aiko tells us her car was found today in SODO.
11:53 PM: From Thom:
We had a mailbox break-in at our apartment today at 6609 SW Admiral Way. Around 12:30 pm, my wife found the mailbox panel pried open. It’s not clear if they were interrupted or if they were targeting a specific box, but some boxes had all contents removed (ours included) while others still had mail in them. Who knows what, if anything, they got away with.
They seem to have popped it open with a crowbar just above the locking mechanism, because the whole assembly is open and there’s a large bent portion in the metal frame right where the lock engages. … If anyone finds any discarded mail in a bush or alley or somewhere from 6609 SW Admiral Way, 98116 I’d be curious to hear about it.
ADDED 1:15 AM: Police are investigating multiple reports of gunfire – five or six shots –
heard in High Point, near the 3000 block of SW Graham. (We have received a texted report, too.) No victim reported, and so far we’re not hearing any word of other confirmation such as casings or property damage.
Two reader reports in Crime Watch this morning:
DUI CRASH INVESTIGATION: Thanks to Keith for the photo and report from a crash around 9 last night south of Alki, at 59th SW/SW Charlestown. He reported that the driver was taken into custody after hitting parked cars; Tweets by Beat confirms it’s a DUI investigation.
And a package-theft victim reports finding himself face-to-face with the person who took his package:
PACKAGE TAKEN: Nathan reports that happened on Wednesday:
I literally spoke to a thief that stole a package from the side of my house. I did not know I had a package delivered; usually I receive a notification from UPS.
You’ll see her walk to my backyard, talk to me as I was in the basement, go to the side of my house where UPS has been leaving packages lately, then run back through my yard with a much fuller bag. Seconds later, I walk outside, not realizing what had just happened. She asked if my house was for rent. I told her no, but didn’t really think it was suspicious because our neighbor rents their house out and I thought maybe they were looking for another renter. Guess I should have known better.
UPS confirmed the package was delivered minutes before the theft. If you have any information, refer to police incident # 2018-902958.
In West Seattle Crime Watch, two followups and an alert:
FOLLOWUP – SUSPECT AWAKENED IN STOLEN CAR: Remember last Friday’s incident in Arbor Heights during which Guardian One‘s crew recorded that video of Seattle Police awakening a man found asleep in a stolen car? The suspect got out of jail tonight after five days. Prosecutors have yet to charge 34-year-old Craig R. Crisler in last week’s case but we are identifying him because he was being held on a warrant from a similar case in which he is charged. Crisler was charged three weeks ago in a February case in which police found him asleep in a stolen pickup truck in Burien. Also asleep in the truck, a 6-year-old whose mother is described in court documents as Crisler’s girlfriend; he was taking care of the child because she had been booked into jail two days earlier. The child was turned over to CPS; meantime, it was discovered that the stolen truck had been painted a new color since it was taken, and that it was found to contain tools including a pressure washer stolen from someone else. Crisler missed a court appearance in the case and that led to a warrant carrying $5,000 bail. He posted bond tonight and got out before 9 pm. Court documents from the Burien case show his last known address in North Shorewood, not far from where he was arrested last Friday.
SPEAKING OF STOLEN TOOLS: We’ve published more than a few reader reports recently of tools stolen in break-ins, both vehicles and structures. This alert from Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner says it’s a trend:
The SW Precinct Crime Analysis Unit Detective informed us of a recent crime trend involving burglaries of sheds, outbuildings, and garages. A variety of items have been stolen including bicycles, power tools and generators.
Please keep an eye out on your sheds/garages/out buildings! Ensure they are securely locked, regularly check to see if your door has been tampered with, take inventory of your items and secure bicycles with quality locks! Remember to always report theft and suspicious behavior to the Seattle Police Department by calling 911.
ONE MORE FOLLOWUP: Back on March 24th, we reported on trouble for a Southwest Precinct police officer while he was taking a suspect to jail – the suspect allegedly started a fire in the patrol car just as they were arriving downtown. As first reported in The Seattle Times, that suspect, 24-year-old Nickolas J. Osborne, is now charged with felony malicious mischief and misdemeanor harassment.
We have obtained the court documents, which say the latter charge is for the original reason he was arrested, reportedly harassing Lincoln Park and Lowman Beach park visitors and threatening them with a stick. The former is for the squad-car fire. The charging papers say that even before being placed in the car, Osborne was accusing police of being “agents of the Illuminati” out to get him; in the car, police say, he “slipped his handcuffed hands to the front of his body, unbuckled his seatbelts and began violently kicking the rear driver side window.” The officer radioed for backup at that point. Osborne then allegedly said the officer would have to kill him and should be nervous. After that, the charges say in-car video shows Osborne picking up a lighter from the car floor (whose lighter, it doesn’t say), using it to generate a flame, and setting the car ceiling on fire, including a camera; he was recorded, the report continues, saying, “There we go! Let’s both burn in hell!” Shortly afterward, the officer pulled over and got the suspect out of the car; Osborne’s clothing had ignited but he wasn’t hurt, nor was the officer. The car was damaged badly enough that it had to be taken out of service, SPD says. Osborne remains in jail, his bail set at $10,000.
5:15 PM: Police at the scene aren’t saying much but the black car in the southbound lane of 35th SW just north of SW Webster is stolen, according to scanner traffic, and officers are searching for two men last seen running west from there. A K-9 team is now joining the search.
6:06 PM: No luck so far in finding the suspects. The car is no longer in the travel lane.
A reader asked us this afternoon about the candles, flowers, and balloons at 24th SW/SW Kenyon. We’ve learned that they are in memory of 21-year-old Trevon McKoy, identified by the King County Medical Examiner this afternoon as the man shot and killed on lower Queen Anne Hill early Sunday. A community member who asked for anonymity tells WSB that the memorial is near where Mr. McKoy lived with his grandmother, just blocks from Denny International Middle School, which he attended before going to high school outside West Seattle, at Franklin HS; mourners gathered at the corner for a vigil last night. Citywide-media reports say McKoy had a rising rap career as JuiceTheGod, profiled last summer by Seattle Weekly, which also noted his college-basketball career. No arrest reported so far.
Two Crime Watch notes tonight:
TEXTBOOK, NOTEBOOKS TAKEN IN SMASH-AND-GRAB: The photo and report are from Cheryl:
My daughter’s car (parked on 53rd Ave SW between Dakota and Andover) was broken into about 4 am. I don’t expect to get anything back, especially the NorthFace backpack, Apple changer or earbuds, but if anyone sees a high-school pre-cal textbook and notebooks around, please let me know. She has 3 tests on Monday.
Just as we were getting ready to publish this, we got a note from Luke, who might have witnessed this; he reported, “At about 4:00 am this morning I heard a window break and I went to go check it out and I saw two men in hoodies digging through a car taking stuff and putting it into a Safeway bag. When they saw me, they ran. They looked like teenagers.” He said it happened across from his residence, in the 4000 block of 53rd SW, which checks to the same area Cheryl mentioned.
CAR-THEFT FOLLOWUP: Brian, who told us last night about his beige Honda Accord getting stolen, tells us it’s been found: “Thief was found asleep in my car with the engine running down in South Park, by Loretta’s.” (We don’t think it’s the same one arrested after being awakened in a stolen car in Arbor Heights on Friday, but we won’t be certain of that person’s identity until we can check with police tomorrow.)
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN CAR: From Brian:
Beige 1997 Honda Accord, stolen on the corner of 44th Ave and Alaska, right across from the Wells Fargo. Plate # BHH7458. Front bumper was damaged by a hit and run two months, so the car can be identified by mangled front bumper and black tape. Pirate skull and crossbones sticker on back bumper.
If you see it, call 911.
TOOLS TAKEN: From Galager:
Just wanted to send the word over to you guys that our truck was broken into and had things stolen from inside. It was parked on the corner of Highland Park Way and Holden. A yellow DeWalt tool bag with multiple tools inside (impact drill, reciprocating saw, and various other things).
(WSB photo)
HELICOPTER HELP WITH AUTO-THEFT ARREST: Thanks for the tips about Guardian One over Arbor Heights a short time ago. We headed that way to investigate – hadn’t heard anything on the scanner – and subsequently learned that they were helping track down a stolen car. The helicopter crew tweeted that it was found with a suspect “passed out inside.” This happened near 34th and 100th (photo above). ADDED 2:54 PM: Helicopter video, just made public:
ADMIRAL BREAK-IN: From John:
Our garage was broken into (Wednesday) afternoon around 3:20 pm. The padlock was cut off. We were home watching TV when they entered our back yard via the alley. They were preparing items to be picked up later as they stole the garage door opener. Hope they return soon so I don’t get tired of waiting for them. We are located on 41st Ave SW North of Admiral Way. Seattle Police were out and took fingerprints.
That’s not far from where a car was broken into a day later.
BICYCLE FOUND: Abandoned bicycles usually tend to have been stolen and dumped. Here’s one Karen just found on a dead-end West Seattle street:
Yours? Let us know.
In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – Southwest Precinct police are hoping you can help identify the person in the photos. They sent the photos and this explanation:
This suspect stole several valuable items from a locker at the LA Fitness at 3900 SW Alaska St on 3/15/2018 between the approximate times of noon to 1:30 pm. He subsequently went to Menashe and Sons Jewelers and used the victim’s credit card to purchase a $6,000 Rolex watch, followed by several other unauthorized transactions in the Tukwila/Southcenter area.
Any information on his identity can be directed to the SW Precinct Detective Unit at 206-233-2623.
The case numbers are #18-93279 and #18-94804. You can see two more photos here and here.
1:18 AM: Police are searching after a report of an armed robbery at 42nd SW/SW Alaska in The Junction. According to radio communication, the victim described the robber as a white man in his mid-20s, gray vest and long-sleeved white shirt, who got away in a dark blue BMW 330 sedan, last seen eastbound on Alaska. Call 911 if you think you see it.
ADDED 1:03 PM: We asked SPD media relations for more details. Det. Mark Jamieson says the victim told police the robber was someone he knows – he ran into him in the area, the two talked for a while, and then, the victim said, the suspect pulled out a handgun and demanded money. Then he took off in the aforementioned vehicle. With the description and plate, police came up with a name and an address in Auburn; they asked Auburn Police to check the registered owner’s address, but no one was there. Robbery detectives are investigating further.
The photo is from Skylar, who reports a smash-and-grab near 41st SW/SW Admiral Way this afternoon:
I came out from work and was greeted by my passenger-side back window being smashed and my bag stolen. It was an olive green Tumi bag, with a pair of Lululemon leggings, a Northern Exposure sweatshirt with mooses on it, a pair of Nike Air Max plus/97’s, and other miscellaneous items in it. The value of the bag is pretty high and I don’t expect to get it back, I just want others to be aware that this is happening in the area.
But if you do happen to find any such items discarded – let us know.
From last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting at the precinct:
(Precinct liaison Joe Everett, right, with precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis seated at left)
PRECINCT LIAISON EXPLAINS THE JUSTICE SYSTEM: Joe Everett, the Southwest Precinct‘s liaison from the City Attorney’s Office, gave an overview, starting with an explanation of his role – the face of a “long-term, proactive partnership.” The program started in 1995 “as a thing that happened downtown,” then over time “moved out to the precincts.” Until late last year, South and Southwest Precincts were handled by one liaison lawyer; now, each precinct has its own. Reducing crime, developing a more efficient/effective response to public-safety problems, improving communications are all part of what he’s supposed to help with. Also: “Providing real-time, proactive legal advice for officers … protecting SPD resources by working closely with other City agencies to address neighborhood problems before they become criminal problems.” Overall, “I like to think of myself as a problem solver,” he summarized.
Explaining the court system:
Another stolen vehicle tops West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN SUBARU: From Ana:
I’m writing to see if you could help locate our stolen car. This morning my husband tried to leave for work but was instead greeted with the fact that the car was not there. We parked it along 42nd Ave in Morgan Junction; it is a 1998 Subaru, plate number BEN3517. Not much of monetary value on the inside, more of a sentimental value, our son’s car seat and tricycle were inside the car.
Call 911 if you see it.
STOLEN MAIL: From Laura:
I found a pile of what looks to be stolen, then dumped, mail at the corner of 35th and Cambridge this morning at about 9:30. The addresses are both from the 9200 block of 37th Ave SW.
HOW TO REPORT CRIME: The March newsletter from Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner has arrived, full of helpful info about what to do to report crime:
We did cover last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting and our report will be up later today/tonight.
A stolen pickup truck to watch for, as reported by Steve:
My black GMC Sierra Truck was stolen around March 19-22. Was parked in secure parking garage, new building on California Ave, west side of street… The apartment building garage is on alley side between Charleston and Andover St. License #C98796G.
If you see it, call 911.
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