Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:

BANK INVESTIGATION: We’re still working to get details on a pre-dawn police investigation at US Bank in The Junction. After a texted tip that SW Edmunds was blocked off there, we found police putting a small forklift-type vehicle on a flatbed tow truck (top photo). They declined to elaborate on the investigation; we went back later and noted that the drive-up ATM is gone, with debris in view along with severed wires, and even what appeared to be a scorch mark on the pavement:

Whether it was stolen, removed after a theft attempt, or some other circumstance, we don’t know yet. One bystander said he noticed police there as early as 5:45 am. We’ll add whatever more we find out – but in the meantime, if you need a US Bank ATM, you won’t find one at the Junction drive-thru.

ADDED 2:16 PM: One more clue – the call is classified as “theft.”

ADDED 5:23 PM: Police confirm the ATM was stolen, and the forklift was used in the crime. No further details likely until we can seek the incident report Monday.

(back to original story) Also in Crime Watch:

PACKAGE THEFT THWARTED: This happened Thursday afternoon in Riverview – caught on security-cam video that was texted to us:

If you have any information on the would-be thief/vehicle, let SPD know and refer to case number 2017-023139.

(UPDATED with addition of surveillance video to Avalon 7-11 robbery report)

We start West Seattle Crime Watch with two reader reports:

IF THESE ARE YOURS … From Jeff:

I found two pairs of skis in the bushes near the top of the stairway that ends at SW Brandon and 37th Ave SW.

This stairway climbs east from the Fairmount Park playground. Since the skis seemed to be in good condition, I assumed that they were stolen and discarded. I reported the items to SPD and they have an entry on their Twitter feed that appears to indicate that they have recovered the skis as indicated below. I could not find a name on the skis and I am not sure how SPD would reconnect the items with their owners if the theft was not reported so I am attaching a picture of the skis in case someone recognizes their property. They should be able to recover them from SPD.

Now, from the SPD files, the newest reports available online with narrative information – we found five of note, two robberies and three burglaries. First, a report on an incident mentioned here briefly on Monday, at which time all we knew was that the Avalon 7-11 had been held up early that morning:

AVALON 7-11 HOLDUP: Just before 3 am Monday, police were sent to the 35th/Avalon 7-11. The clerk told officers he was mopping when two people came in, described as”two males with brown skin … both wearing all-black clothing.

One of the males was approximately 5’6″ with a slim build. The other suspect was approximately 6’3″ with a heavy set build … both males had their faced covered with red bandanas, and were wearing gloves.” The report says “the larger suspect pointed a black handgun at him and told him to “save your life” and “give me the balance” … (the clerk) obeyed the suspect’s demands and opened the registers. One of the suspects then leaped over the front counter, while the other suspect ran around the counter to the opening on the rear. The suspects emptied all of the cash from the registers … and placed the money into a paper bag that was sitting nearby. While the suspects were behind the counter, (the clerk) believes that they may have taken several cartons of cigarettes from the display case (and) other unknown items from a nearby aisle as well.” The report says one robber also demanded the “safe money” but the clerk didn’t have the code. The robbers then left. (UPDATED: SPD has released the surveillance video – added above. If you have any information about the robbers, call the SPD Robbery Unit at 206-684-5535.)

AT ANOTHER 7-11: Less than two hours later, the clerk at the South Delridge 7-11 “noticed two masked suspects walking up to the business” and locked the front doors. They tried to open it by pushing on it; then one suspect “pulled out a firearm and pointed it at (the clerk),” who ran to the back of the store to call 911 and hide. The suspects, meantime, left. No descriptive information in this report except “green handkerchief” around the suspects’ faces. Here too, police were expecting to get video surveillance footage.

Meantime, details on three burglaries are now available:

2900 BLOCK FAIRMOUNT AVENUE SW: Reported Monday morning, a garage break-in last weekend, with a rock used to break a window. Three tools were stolen but others were left behind.

9000 BLOCK 20TH SW: A construction-site burglary was discovered here on Monday morning. A worker arrived and discovered a garage gate open, a fence cut, and tools stolen.

8200 BLOCK NORTHROP: Someone returning home here on Monday evening discovered front-door damage – broken wood around the deadbolt. Nothing appeared to have been stolen.

The man convicted of murdering Seattle Police Officer Timothy Brenton (right) in 2009 has died in prison, according to multiple regional-media outlets including The Seattle Times. Officer Brenton’s murder hit hard in West Seattle because of his roots here, including graduating from West Seattle High School in 1988. According to The Times, the Department of Corrections says Christopher Monfort, convicted in 2015 of killing Officer Brenton and wounding his partner Officer Britt (Sweeney) Kelly, was found dead in his cell this morning at the State Penitentiary in Walla Walla. He had been serving a life sentence. Monfort was found guilty of another crime that had a West Seattle connection, firebombing the city’s Charles Street yard, destroying vehicles including what was at the time our area’s Mobile Precinct, not replaced until a little over a year ago. According to today’s reports, Monfort’s death did not appear to be suicide. He had been a paraplegic since being shot during his arrest in Tukwila the day of Officer Brenton’s memorial.

Two reader reports and one police report in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

FOUND BICYCLE: From Mark – “Found a black Roadmaster bike today along Harbor Avenue. Probably stolen. If yours, email to msjseattle@gmail.com”

SMASHED WINDOWS: An alert from Allison, if you live near 16th/Trenton in Highland Park – “In the last 2 days I’ve seen my two immediate neighbors with the driver-side windows on their cars smashed.”

And from the SPD report files, this burglary attempt from last Thursday night has narrative information available:

ALKI BREAK-IN THWARTED: Police were called to a building in the 1200 block of Alki Avenue SW around 10 pm and arrived to someone running up to their car yelling, “They went that way!” They explained that the two people running away had tried to break into the apartment above theirs. The witness heard a “loud bang” and went upstairs to find that someone had tried to pry open a deadbolted door. The suspects were then seen leaving the building; they were described as “a white male, wearing a white snow jacket, black jeans, a white head scarf, and white Adidas tennis shoes (and) a white unknown sex suspect, wearing a white snow jacket and light-colored jeans.” Two crowbars were found on the ground nearby. Police were working with management to get a copy of surveillance video that shows the suspects.

Three reader reports plus a quick note from the online SPD files, and a reminder:

STOLEN BIKE: From WB:

Sometime on the evening of 1/15/17 and the morning of 1/15/17 my locked bike (Cannondale M400) was stolen off a second floor landing of my apartment building. California and Andover. Black/Dark Green. Commuter bike with rack. Serial #06526B5M16.

If you have info on it – refer to police report #2017-900426.

BIKES FOUND: Lewis sent this photo, reporting: “Just spotted these two girls bikes halfway up the staircase near Andover and 21st SW. They were in the trees off to the side of the staircase (visible from the stairs) if anyone is looking for them”:

(They might be the same ones shown in this report – though we published that two months ago.)

BAG THEFT AT BAR: From Jordan, who hopes you will keep watch for some of the stolen stuff:

(Saturday) night (1/14) my bag was stolen from the bar at West 5. This happened between 8:30 pm and 11:30 pm. My partner and I were sitting closer to the middle of the bar, near the serving station. I had my jacket and my bag hanging from the hooks under the bar in front of my bar stool. I am guessing my bag got swiped in the short time that I was gone to the restroom. My boyfriend was sitting next to me the whole time, but he had his back turned talking to our friend who was sitting to our left while I went to the restroom. Neither of them noticed anyone come up and take it, nor did any of the staff. However, it was quite busy and loud, especially around the bar area, where people were coming and going, so it’s not so surprising that someone could have swiped it and not drawn attention to themselves. As soon as I noticed it was gone, the staff helped me search for it, including walking out in the alley behind the bar to see if someone dumped it since I don’t keep much of value in my bag.

The content of my bag included: A black plaid scarf, a silver ring, my light-up knit gloves, my fingerless/mitten gloves, a portable phone charger, an umbrella, prescription sunglasses, and a bottle of non-narcotic prescription medication. The most expensive items being my sunglasses and medication. I never keep my wallet, phone, or house keys in my bag and that paid off. I am shocked that this happened, especially at West 5. We are regulars there and we know all of the staff and many of the other regulars. This is the last place I would have expected something like this to happen and it’s an important reminder to never let your guard down and always keep an eye on your stuff. I did file a police report online and I am awaiting a response. The total to replace everything is going to be around $500. If anyone happens to see my messenger bag and other things dumped somewhere, let me know.

And from the online SPD files:

STORE HOLDUP: According to the police-reports map, the 7-11 at 3280 SW Avalon Way was held up just before 3 am today. The report’s narrative details are not available online yet, so that’s all we know.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL REMINDER: As previewed here on Saturday, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council DOES meet tomorrow, and that’s where you can find out more about crime trends, get answers to questions about crime/safety concerns, plus see the guest presentation about “active shooter” situations. 7 pm Tuesday (January 17th), Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – reader reports plus incidents from the SPD files.

CHECK YOUR CREDIT CARD ACCOUNTS … if you have used cards at gas stations lately. This is from Kathy:

Got a call from Discover Card yesterday to tell me they had detected fraudulent activity on my card. Turns out that the last place I used the card was on Thursday at the Safeway Gas Station on Admiral Way (first pump on the left.) Looking back at the charges, even though I filled the tank, I was only charged $1 by Safeway! Then, yesterday morning a charge was made to my card for a “donation” to an entity I’ve never heard of. Discover is not charging me anything, and is sending me a new card, but I do want to put out a warning to potential victims. I spoke to Safeway, and they said they’d bring it to the attention of their manager, who won’t be in until Monday!

If you have gotten gas at the Safeway pumps in the last few days, I would suggest checking charges on whatever card you used to make sure you haven’t been ripped off.

It’s a good idea to check your credit and debit card accounts online between statements, as this could happen almost anywhere.

EGG VANDALISM: Bri’Anna e-mailed to report: “Our pickup was egged overnight [Wednesday/Thursday] while parked on the 4100 block of 25th Ave SW. Unfortunately, it froze to the vehicle. SPD did not take a report, but we thought we would give our neighbors a heads up. (Sooo many egg/chicken/fowl puns, and my mind is blank! I’m THAT frustrated with this.)”

From the police-report files, which we check daily to look for the newest reports published with details (narratives), five burglaries/attempted burglaries that were all reported in West Seattle last Monday (January 9th):

8100 BLOCK 9TH SW: A resident was away from home between 1 pm and 2:45 pm and discovered someone had forced open the back door, ransacking several rooms.

8800 BLOCK 9TH SW: In the same time frame, with the same method of entry, on the same street, another burglary happened about half a mile south. The family at this house got notification from its alarm company. The burglar(s) had ransacked rooms and left drawers open; a jewelry box and camcorder were missing.

3900 BLOCK 39TH SW: This also happened Monday afternoon. The resident was looking at a security camera while away from home after getting an alert around 1:20 pm, triggered by a motion center. The resident saw a “black male suspect” in black ski mask, gray sweatshirt, and black pants, walking “under the elevated back porch,” the report says, then looking into a back window before walking away. The resident believed a rear window screen had been removed, but it didn’t appear the residence had been broken into. Around the same time, a nearby resident called police to report two men – one of whom matched the prowler’s description – looking at houses from alleyways near 39th SW and SW Andover.

4900 BLOCK SW DAWSON: Residents told police that sometime between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, someone broke into the house and ransacked two rooms. Jewelry and a laptop were missing. The first hint they had that something was awry was that their dog didn’t greet them upon their return – they found the dog in one of the bedrooms, door closed, and they never put the dog there.

7300 BLOCK 44TH SW: Just before noon, police were called to investigate a construction trailer in this block. They were told that it had been burglarized, with a padlock cut to get in, and six power tools were missing.

It takes a while for report details (beyond location/time) to show up on the SPD website, so reader reports are helpful, so we can help get the word out faster – once you’ve called SPD, if it’s breaking, text/voice 206-293-6302, or e-mail info to editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

Four reader reports to share this afternoon:

STOLEN CAR: Matt‘s brother’s car was stolen today on 34th SW: “It was a green 1996 Honda Accord. Lic # AUK3613. The car is from Victoria B.C. and has a ‘Honda City Victoria’ license plate outline. It also has a ‘Sub Pop’ sticker on left side of the back bumper.” Call 911 if you see it.

STOLEN BICYCLE: From Chris:

My bike was stolen from our secured entry garage in the Alaska Junction (44th, between Alaska and Edmunds). Reported to SPD (2017-13425), and on bikeindex.com. I don’t know when the theft occurred, but I believe it was sometime between (Tuesday) night and (Wednesday) afternoon.

Bike is a 2015 Marin Lombard Elite 52cm (like this, except I had wrapped my handlebars in teal tape).

CAR PROWL FRUSTRATION: From John:

My wife’s car had the side window broken on Monday late afternoon, Lincoln Park South lot.

She’d semi-hidden a small backpack with a laptop, so that’s history. She just walked through that same parking lot this afternoon and noted four more fresh piles of shattered window glass – in addition to hers from Monday.

The SPD officer who took her report was sympathetic but resigned to this never-ending nuisance. I’d like to think that some special enforcement could be done in West Seattle where car prowls are endemic, like Lincoln Park’s middle and south parking lots. I’d think a few arrests here and there could slow the pace of this crime and perhaps even result in the criminals reconsidering their acting with impunity in the usual locations.

It just doesn’t seem like this cool community should have to put up with petty crime running rampant.

There have been arrests – but one challenge police and prosecutors have identified is that car prowling by itself is a misdemeanor and so that doesn’t necessarily keep the suspect behind bars for long unless there are other factors in the case, such as an arrest warrant already out for them.

PACKAGE-THEFT VICTIM’S THANKS: From Nathan:

I just want to say thank you to one of my excellent, anonymous, neighbors. Today I came home from work to find an opened package on my porch. The contents were on top of the package, and a note said it was found nearby, shredded and the contents strewn about. It was signed, “your neighbor on 48th”. This was near Hanford and 47th. Apparently the would-be thief didn’t think the $8 ethernet cable jacks I ordered could be traded for heroin or crack. The nice gesture of my neighbor restored some faith in humanity …

4:14 PM MONDAY: Just found this while going through police reports looking for the newest ones published with narratives:

A 17-year-old girl showed up in a hospital emergency room on Saturday afternoon with a gunshot wound. East Precinct police were dispatched. They talked to the victim’s boyfriend, who they found “pacing outside the emergency room.” The report says he told them it happened in his car at 27th SW and SW Cambridge [map]. He and his girlfriend were in the car with friends of his; one friend, he said, had a gun and while saying “something similar to ‘we’re going to be brothers for life’,” racked the slide on his pistol, and it fired, going through the front passenger seat and through the girl’s chest. They drove to the hospital. Police talked to the girl just before she was taken into surgery and reported that “she made statements consistent with the gunshot being accidental.” They found a bullet hole, bullet, and blood in the car, which was impounded. Police later met with the man whose gun fired; he was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for investigation of assault.

ADDED 9:54 AM TUESDAY: We now have the probable-cause document from the 18-year-old suspect’s bail hearing Monday afternoon. He is a Rainier Valley resident and was released on personal recognizance. The document says that he told police a different story about the gunshot – that he got into the car, noticed a gun on the floor, picked it up with the intent of throwing it out the window, and that, he said, was when it went off. He said he then gave it to his brother, who also was in the car, and told him to get rid of it, adding that he doesn’t know what happened to the gun. He has no criminal record in online statewide files.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon, both from local parks:

RECOGNIZE THAT BICYCLE? James Lohman from Seattle Parks sent the photo, saying the bicycle was found while Parks was cleaning up an abandoned camp “on the back side of Camp Long right off Brandon Street.” Now they’re looking for the owner. If it’s yours, or if you have a lead on whose it might be, you can e-mail James at james.lohman@seattle.gov.

WESTCREST WINDOW-SMASHING: This report is via e-mail from Amy:

Yesterday, 1/9, after exploring Westcrest Park to earn their “local explorer badge” for Cub Scouts, my husband, 6 year old son and four other families came back to find all of their cars with smashed windows! This happened around 2:00 at Westcrest Park in the upper parking lot. All cars were rummaged through, but no personal belongings were taken. The police were called, but at this time there are no leads. There are no security cameras at the park even after all the improvements the city has put into Westcrest recently. It’s sad that now 5 families have to repair the damage at our own expense…just imagine all the good things the Scouts could have done with this amount of money! What started out as a fun nature lesson for the kids turned into a frustrating and frightening experience.

In West Seattle Crime Watch – two reader reports, followed by five summaries from police reports:

FOUND BICYCLE: The latest “likely dumped” bicycle to turn up is in Gatewood. From Tracey:

Just wanted to alert the blog readers that a (likely stolen) bike was left in the alley between 38th and 39th just south of Warsaw yesterday [map]. It’s a smaller Schwinn Ranger, purple with turquoise accents. The seat is missing so for now we’ve just left it there. Hoping an owner might want it back.

FOUND ITEMS: Via e-mail today, from a reader wondering if it’s crime evidence:

Purse, clothing, fetish accessories, and used syringe found on pedestrian stairway leading from SW admiral to SW Spokane St. At 12:25pm on Sunday, Jan. 8th. Police notified.

The next five items are from the police-report files – the most recent Southwest Precinct report narratives made public online. They are from incidents December 31st and January 3rd. Our summaries are written from those five narratives:

CAR-PROWL ARREST: Around 8:45 pm on January 1st, police got a call about a theft and fight involving three people at 15th SW and SW Barton, with someone suspected to be armed with a knife. When police arrived, they were told it all started with a car prowler spotted inside a vehicle parked in the 9200 block of 14th SW. When asked what he was doing in the car, the person allegedly pulled a small knife out of his pocket, and then ran away. Another person came out and said she had taken photos of the suspect. A K-9 search followed and a suspect who matched the photos was found in the 9000 block of 15th SW. The report says that he was wearing a small backpack in which “officers located two multi-tools with knife blades, along with bolt cutters, multi-tools and a headlamp. All these possible car prowl tools were later placed into evidence at the SW Precinct. Also in the backpack officers located a keychain with two Subaru keys on it.” He turned out to have an arrest warrant out for another prowling case and was eventually booked into jail.

SHOT FIRED INTO STORE: A nighttime clerk was cleaning up just after 2 am on December 31st in the 9200 block of 35th SW (the business’s name and exact address are redacted on the report). The front door was locked. The clerk looked up and saw a “male,” his face covered, standing in front of the door, pointing a gun at the clerk, demanding that the door be opened. The clerk ran to another room and called police; just as they arrived in the area, the man fired a shot through the glass door and ran away. The first officer arriving heard the shot and recovered a casing. The clerk could only describe the gunman as “a possible black male, about 5’6″ and very thin,” no clothing description. Police brought in a K-9 team to search but didn’t find who they were looking for.

GROCERY STORE EMPLOYEE INJURED: Around 11:30 am on December 31st, police were called to the Junction QFC, where employees were reported to be holding a man down on the ground outside. They were told that the man had been “verbally harassing random customers,” as described in the report, and was asked to leave the store. He then hit a store employee with a full can of what the report identifies as “Steel Reserve, an alcoholic beverage.” The employee had “swelling and redness around his left temple … (but) declined medical attention.” The suspect, who was arrested, claimed he was assaulted by the store employee while trying to buy the beer.

BURGLARY #1: Last Tuesday evening (January 3rd) in the 7700 block of 30th SW, a woman called police to say that she had gone to check on the home of her deceased father and found a security alarm going off, then discovered the back door had been forced open, with pieces of its damaged frame on the floor. She thought some items had been stolen, though another family member said that couldn’t be confirmed.

BURGLARY #2: Also last Tuesday, a woman living in an apartment in the 200 block of SW Roxbury woke up that morning and, she told police, realized someone had removed items from her wallet. The report says her driver’s license, food-stamp card, money, and “a memento card” were missing. The wallet was under her pillow when she went to sleep but she didn’t notice or hear anything – nor was anything else disturbed. Police found no sign of forced entry.

From Olga:

Tonight, around 9 pm, someone threw a chunk of ice (around 1 ft in diameter) at our car parked in Genesee. The ice went all the way through the car, smashing the back window and damaging the back door, and landed in front of the passenger seat.

We heard the crash and the sound of a car taking off west on SW Dakota St. This is the second time we’ve had this kind of vandalism – it was a rock the first time.

SIDE NOTE: The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council is scheduled to resume meeting this month – save the date/time to bring your neighborhood concerns, 7 pm Tuesday, January 17th, at the Southwest Precinct 2300 SW Webster).

Another auto theft in North Admiral – Heather says it’s one of three crimes overnight near California SW and SW Hill:

This morning 2 cars in a apartment parking lot were ransacked. Nothing of value was stolen (that I’m aware of. I only know what was taken out of my car).

My boyfriend’s 1997 Honda Accord [photo above] was also stolen from the side street (Hill St). License #AGV3163.

If you see it, call 911.

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, two cars:

STOLEN CAR: Carrianne says this happened in North Admiral, 47th SW between Walker and Hill: “Our car was stolen, we believe, in the early morning hours on December 27th. We were out of town until today and upon returning home noticed our car missing. It’s a silver 2004 Hyundai Elantra 4D. License plate AVJ5560 (Washington). If spotted, please call 911. Thank you.”

VANDALIZED CAR: Just in case you know whose this is – Debra sent the photo and report:

“This has been at Yancy next to West Seattle Health Club for a week. Window now bashed in.”

(UPDATED late Tuesday night with new info from bike’s owner)

ORIGINAL REPORT, 1:20 PM MONDAY: Terry‘s cargo bike is one of a kind, essential to mobility with a disability – and now it’s gone. Can you help find it?

I custom fabricated an electric-assist large, long cargo bike to aid in mobility since I have a disability in my lower left leg. I spent the day yesterday, January 1st, with friends who live on Alki Ave SW near El Chupacabra (2620 Alki Ave SW), leaving my bike outside using a friend’s lock. Friend unlocked my bike around 5 pm when he thought I was leaving; however, it was closer to 6 pm when I went to leave, and my bike, the extra battery, and the charger were all gone from where I had it. … My hope is to get more eyes out on the lookout for this hard-to-miss, essential mode of mobility and transportation, custom cargo bike!

Terry says a police report is filed and they are awaiting the incident number – we’ll update this to add that when available.

UPDATE, TUESDAY NIGHT: Terry says the bike’s been found and was NOT stolen after all: “Apparently there was no malice nor crime committed regarding my cargo bike. A friend placed it in a safe place and I was made aware today.. I’m very sorry for the inconvenience and any aspersions cast in West Seattle’s direction regarding crime.”

The photos are from Alysia, who says a hit-run driver damaged both their cars near 31st SW/SW Holden early today [map]. A neighbor heard it happen around 2:30 am and “saw the car struggling to get away,” describing it as a green van.

“They left a bunch of debris and their hubcap behind. Please keep an eye out for a green van with a significant amount of damage to the front right. Any info would be appreciated!” If you have information to report to Seattle Police, it’s incident #17-0340.

Two items in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, starting with this followup:

CHRISTMAS MORNING INCIDENT WAS STABBING, NOT SHOOTING: In the first hour of Christmas Day, we reported briefly on someone found at the Junction 7-11 with what medics initially described – in transmissions monitored via scanner – as two gunshot wounds. We were finally able to get followup information just now from Seattle Police. The report says it was eventually determined that the victim, 17 years old, had been stabbed, not shot. The original call was a report of a suspicious person outside the store, appearing high or drunk, “staring up at the sky.” The officer started talking to him, noticed blood on his hands, asked about it, and the response was that he punches walls when he gets mad. His hands, however, didn’t look injured; the officer then noticed the teen’s clothes were bloody, and eventually the victim lifted his shirt and the officer saw his wounds and called Seattle Fire. The victim overall was uncooperative, police say, including identifying himself with a name that actually was that of his brother. That name came up with a felony arrest warrant – and so did the victim – so he was going to be booked into juvenile detention once out of the hospital. How – and even where – he got stabbed remains a mystery; the 7-11 clerk said the victim had been in the store for a while about half an hour earlier and he didn’t notice anything wrong.

STOLEN SKATEBOARD: Kevin reports his son’s Christmas present was stolen “right in front of him” last night at Jack Block Park – this skateboard:

He sat his longboard down and walked over to his cousin. A car pulled up and a young man jumped out, grabbed his board and sped away. Two males, early twenties. Older white American sedan. The board is brand new and is made by Omen. If you know of a guy that has recently come into possession of a similar board…please let me know. 206-650-2214.