Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:

STABBING SUSPECT CHARGED: The woman accused of stabbing a 16-year-old girl in The Junction early Sunday is now charged with second-degree assault. 44-year-old Tillie J. Lee remains in the King County Jail, with bail still set at $220,000. The charging documents tell the same basic story as the probable-cause documents on which we reported – saying the suspect became enraged because the victim hugged Lee’s boyfriend. Lee allegedly stabbed the girl in the shoulder and then took off. Prosecutors say in the charges that Lee has been booked 64 times since 1996 and has had 88 warrants for her arrest. Two of the convictions are felonies, both from the early ’00s, for vehicular assault and second-degree theft.

PACKAGE THEFT IN ARBOR HEIGHTS: From Erik this evening:

My neighbor just had a couple packages taken from their front porch. They were taken from 99th & 35th around 5:15 in Arbor Heights. Police were called.

The vehicle is a mid-2000s red Toyota 4-door truck. No plate on front bumper & damage to front bumper as well. Blue tarp covering items in the bed of truck. Be on the lookout. 2 white males with beards, probably mid to late 30s.

CAR PROWL IN ADMIRAL: Rick reports this happened early Wednesday in the 4000 block of California SW:

There are 4 townhomes facing California, 3 facing the alley. In between the 4 in front and the 3 in back is a communal driveway. Our car is parked about 5 feet from our back door. All townhomes can easily see the driveway from their windows; there are bright motion-sensing lights. … I saw my driver-side door was open (I know I locked it night). Inside the car, the glovebox was open and had been rummaged through. Looks like they got away with an old GPS from the glovebox, and a phone charger that was plugged into the cigarette lighter. No damage as far as I can tell. Seemed similar to the North Admiral Car Prowl mentioned here so I thought I’d report it, as it looks like they may be making their way south down California.

REMINDER: The next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is next Tuesday (February 21st), 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).

The latest in West Seattle Crime Watch:

STABBING SUSPECT ARRESTED: As promised, we added followup information yesterday to our report on a stabbing in The Junction. And today, another update: The suspected attacker is in jail. Seattle Police tell us that the 44-year-old woman is “well-known to the (Southwest Precinct) bike officers” and they arrested her on suspicion of felony assault after spotting her yesterday near 44th SW/SW Alaska, not far from where the 16-year-old victim was stabbed early Sunday. Online files show she has an extensive misdemeanor record, with more than 50 cases in Seattle Municipal Court dating back to 1992. (TUESDAY NIGHT UPDATE: The suspect’s bail hearing this afternoon resulted in a judge setting her bail at $220,000. She is due back in court Thursday.)

NORTH DELRIDGE BURGLARY: Joane reports a break-in on Monday afternoon:

Our neighbor, who works from home, noticed that there was a white van in our communal townhouse driveway around 12:15 yesterday. About 10-15 minutes later she noticed that the van was gone, but that our other neighbor’s garage door was left open. After texting with our other neighbor, it was apparent that they were not expecting anyone at their house, and that whoever was in the white van had used some sort of a universal car/garage door opener to get into their garage. Thankfully, nothing was stolen (the door from the garage into the house was locked) but they were in the garage doing something for at least a few minutes. The police were called and they came out to take the report of what happened. After looking around, they noticed that several houses on our street have white chalk markings at the end of the driveway near the sidewalk. The police officer stated that they did not look like city markings or anything he’d ever seen before, and we’re now assuming that they have something to do with the break in.

Joane added, “We caught about 30 seconds of video on our Ring device of the van/man in question. Not a super clear picture, but it’s something.”

NORTH ADMIRAL CAR PROWL: From Tracey in the 2200 block of California SW: “We had our car rummaged through (Sunday) night. It was locked and (I) woke to an alarm but didn’t think it was mine. Nothing was taken but what was weird is there was no damage. They have the equipment to unlock the doors.”

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: This month’s WSCPC meeting is one week from tonight, 7 pm Tuesday, February 21st, at the Southwest Precinct. WSCPC’s Richard Miller says the active-shooter expert who was unable to appear last month due to a sudden illness has re-committed for this month. WSCPC is also your chance to bring neighborhood crime/safety concerns directly to local police. The precinct is at 2300 SW Webster.

Ron e-mailed to ask you to be on the lookout for that distinctive stolen vehicle:

Our 1985 VW Westfalia Van was stolen from 60th Ave and Admiral Way in Alki area. White van with black bra on front, roof rack (spare tire on roof) and side ladder. Black rims also. Driver’s side window broken out. WA plate ANJ9602. If seen or found, please call Paul at 206-295-9547 or email phuggett@mac.com.

They believe it was taken Friday afternoon, and yes, they have notified local shops and Vanagon groups.

Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

STREET ROBBERY: Police were searching in South Delridge this past half-hour for a man who is reported to have robbed someone at knifepoint around 16th SW and SW Cambridge [map] and gotten away with the victim’s wallet. He is described as dark-skinned, in his 20s, about 6 feet tall, medium build, clean-shaven, wearing a dark pulled-up hoodie, possibly gray pants. We have a crew in the area trying to find out more.

Also tonight, two reader reports:

MAILBOXES BROKEN INTO: The photo above was sent by Stefan, who reports, “This is what (the mailboxes) looked like this morning. We’re in the townhouses at the corner of 35th and Cambridge [map]. Pried open with a big bar from the top, all mail gone. Happened overnight, we noticed at 10:30 this morning.”

PACKAGE THEFT: Kevin reports a package was stolen off his front porch at 37th SW and SW Barton [map] on Saturday.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:06 AM SUNDAY: An “assault with weapons” response to The Junction right now. According to Seattle Fire radio, a female victim reported being stabbed in the chest by a woman in her 40s with a “pocket knife.” The victim is being taken to Harborview Medical Center; the attacker is still at large, last seen southbound in the alley between California and 44th SW. The wound was not believed to be life-threatening.

UPDATE, 10:44 AM MONDAY: As promised, we sought the report from SPD, and have obtained it. Here’s what it says: The victim, a juvenile, told police it happened in the alley behind KeyBank. The attacker’s boyfriend, she said, had hugged her, and that upset the attacker, who the victim described as “intoxicated.” The attacker subsequently took out a “pen-type knife” and started stabbing the victim. The boyfriend pulled her away and was last seen with the attacker headed southbound down the alley. The attacker is described only as a Native woman in her 40s, missing her front teeth, dressed “industrial-looking,” including a brown/tan Carhartt jacket. No arrest so far.

We start tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch update with two reader reports:

STOLEN VEHICLE FOUND, WITH MORE LOOT: The photo above is from Jennifer, whose stolen car – reported here earlier this week – was found, with others’ stolen property:

My car was recovered by the SPD on the 1200 block of SW Holden and filled with stolen property including 2 bikes on bike rack … It was operating as mobile drug unit, car filled with drugs and needles, 3 people arrested, cell phones in car, and interior completely trashed, Thule rocket box and roof rack missing … hopefully bikes and other stolen property can get reunited with the owner.

CAR PROWL IN HIGHLAND PARK: We don’t have other details but WS says a neighbor’s vehicle was rifled through on Tuesday night and shared this security camera video:

Recognize anyone? Let police know.

Now, two followups:

SOUTH DELRIDGE SWAT CASE: Bail was set Thursday at $100,000 for the 31-year-old Burien man arrested after the SWAT standoff on Wednesday. Probable-cause documents reveal he also had two warrants out for his arrest in unrelated cases. They also say police first were called to the house around noon after the suspect allegedly hit his ex-girlfriend as she tried to get away from him. One of the warrants for his arrest is in connection with a case on which he is awaiting trial; it was issued last September when he failed to appear for arraignment on charges of possessing stolen mail and other stolen property. Those charges trace back to an arrest in Burien last May. The suspect is due back in court Monday.

RECKLESS-DRIVING SUSPECT BACK IN JAIL: The 24-year-old man arrested in The Junction last weekend was booked into jail again last night, and was out again this morning. The arrest was on suspicion of driving with a suspended license; no complaint was filed but Municipal Court records show charges were filed in connection with last week’s arrest, so we’re naming the suspect, Casey Carlstedt, whose overnight jail stay was his 10th booking into King County Jail since last April. The charges filed against him and linked to last weekend’s incident: Disobeying a traffic-control device, “no valid operating license with valid ID,” and driving without insurance. We’ll continue watching the case.

Thanks again to everyone sharing Crime Watch reports so your neighbors all around the peninsula know more about what’s happening – we hope crime will NOT happen to you, but if it does, once you’ve reported it to police (911 if it’s happening now or just happened), let us know … 206-293-6302 if breaking, editor@westseattleblog.com if not. Thank you!

It’s been a bit quiet on the crime beat – but we do have one recent pre-snow car-prowl report, from Tracy:

Heard vehicle alarm go off at about 5:20 am on 2/5/2017. Went out to check, turned alarm off. Did not see anyone flee nor any vehicle leaving, but the motion light had been activated. Opened driver side door and discovered a small, metal nail puller sitting on driver seat. No damage to vehicle so I’m assuming I left it unlocked, but the alarm must have set. I did notice the top tray of the console was missing. Miscellaneous items were in it, but nothing important. Searched alley trash cans and area with a flashlight, but nothing. Access to the vehicle was made from the alley. Once there was daylight, a neighbor searched the alleyway and sidewalk around 44th and Hinds. A long, skinny screwdriver was found in the alley and my console tray with nearly everything in it was discarded along the sidewalk.

Reported this to the police online; received phone call afterward to set up a time to meet an officer and provide him with the prowlers’s tools which were recovered.

P.S. Calendar reminder – next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is in 2 weeks, 7 pm Tuesday, February 21st, at the Southwest Precinct.

In West Seattle Crime Watch this morning – a vehicle theft: Jennifer‘s 2016 dark gray Ford Edge SUV was stolen overnight from the street in front of her house at 45th SW and SW Holgate in North Admiral. “Car has Thule rocket box on top and Thule bike rack on back,” she adds. License # BBH3384. If you see it, call 911.

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight.

JUNCTION POLICE RESPONSE: A few people have asked about a sizable police response in The Junction in the 7 pm hour. Before we could break away from what we were covering, Jon sent the photos and report, explaining it’s about a recurring problem with a pickup-truck driver:

Neighbors have been trying to get this guy picked up by LEO for over two months as he routinely disturbs and puts into danger anyone who shares the streets with him.

He routinely burns out, does donuts, and drives high-speed laps around the Junction between 6 PM to 5 AM (regardless of traffic or crowds); parks, gets out, walks back and forth at the crosswalk, behaves erratically and then hops back into his vehicle where he then resumes his dangerous antics.

SPD showed up around 6:25 PM and the guy was in cuffs by 6:50 PM. We’ll see for how long.

Incident number is: 2017-42145

If anyone has videos or photos of the driver, or has interacted with him, it would help the case, tremendously. Evidence can be sent to the responding officer on scene: Christopher.Perry@Seattle.gov

Thanks to Ofc. Perry for coming out and thanks to everyone who repeatedly made calls.

CAR PROWLED, AGAIN: From Haley – “On the night of February 1, our Honda was broken into while parked in the alley behind our home. The driver-side window was broken but nothing appears to have been taken, although the driver seat was pushed all the way to the back. This is the second time, as it was also broken into this past October.”

Thanks again to everyone sharing Crime Watch reports so your neighbors all around the peninsula know more about what’s happening – we hope crime will NOT happen to you, but if it does, once you’ve reported it to police (911 if it’s happening now or just happened), let us know … 206-293-6302 if breaking, editor@westseattleblog.com if not. Thank you!

Two car-prowl reports – 4 cars – in West Seattle Crime Watch:

IN GATEWOOD: Steve C on 38th SW sent the report and photos from a break-in at 1:30 am Thursday:

They stole some stereo equipment, car-maintenance equipment and CDs, some of which belonged to the Library. We have the whole thing on our security camera and have filed a report with the police. They also got a good set of prints that will hopefully turn up something. These guys were fast and ballsy. They pulled up in a light-color, older-model minivan. The driver stayed in the car and the passenger got out and walked right up to the truck. He very quickly entered into the drivers side by jimmying the lock in about 1 second flat. He spends time going through the vehicle and leaves a few minutes later in the van.

SPD is investigating. Please tell your viewers to be on the lookout for the van. The responding officer told me car prowls are getting more frequent.

IN FAIRMOUNT SPRINGS: Texted this morning:

Three cars with broken windows at 41st & Brandon. We’ve filed an online police report for ours. Prowlers were not thorough. Maybe the weather was starting up as they were working.

Thanks again to everyone sharing Crime Watch reports so your neighbors all around the peninsula know more about what’s happening – we hope crime will NOT happen to you, but if it does, once you’ve reported it to police (911 if it’s happening now or just happened), let us know … 206-293-6302 if breaking, editor@westseattleblog.com if not. Thank you!

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

GUNFIRE INVESTIGATION: From police radio – multiple calls came in reporting gunfire around the 5400 block of 23rd SW, and investigating officers reported finding shell casings. No word of any injuries. We’ll follow up on this when the final report’s in tomorrow.

(Added 11:13 am Wednesday) Summarized from the report, by SPD media relations Det. Mark Jamieson: “Officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired in the 5400 -5600 block of 23rd Ave SW around 10:20 pm (Tuesday) night. When they arrived, they located several shell casings in the street. As officers continued to look around the area, they saw that a vehicle parked in a driveway had been struck with two rounds and that the east side of a house had also been struck. Officers spoke to the occupants of the home, who reported no injuries and stated that they did not hear or see anything. The Gang Unit was notified, the scene was photographed, and the evidence was collected and placed into evidence.”

SHOOTING VICTIM SHOWS UP AT HOSPITAL: This one is from the police-report files. The just-made-public narrative on this report says a 24-year-old man showed up at Harborview Medical Center on Sunday afternoon with a gunshot wound to his leg and said it happened in the 4500 block of Delridge Way SW. He told police he was waiting for a friend to pick him up when someone he described as a 6’4″ black man dressed in all black walked up to him, said something like, “You jumped my homies,” and fired a single shot at the victim’s leg. That dropped the victim to the ground in pain, he said, adding that someone he “hardly knew” then drove up and offered to drive him to the hospital. That “someone,” the victim continued, dropped him off half a block from the hospital and he walked the rest of the way in. Meantime, police went to that area of Delridge but found no evidence or witnesses, while the police report concludes with a mention that the King County Sheriff’s Office responded to a gunfire report in the same time frame in Skyway, finding a single spent casing but no victim or other evidence.

CAR PROWL: This reader report received tonight is from Todd in the 3200 block of 41st SW:

Just want to alert others that we found our car’s driver-side door ajar this morning and evidence someone had rifled through car, but nothing taken. We don’t leave anything in our car and usually lock it, but forgot. We filed an online police report just to document incident. Car was parked in driveway.

Four reader reports tonight:

ABANDONED BICYCLE: Usually stolen and dumped – do you recognize this one?

The reader who sent the photo found it at 22nd SW/SW Thistle.

ARE THESE YOUR LICENSE PLATES? Brittany found them in an Avalon/Genesee-area alley last week:

License-plate theft sometimes goes undetected, as we’ve mentioned before – thieves might swap someone else’s plate(s) for yours, to put on a stolen car so that a police plate check won’t come up as stolen … unless you’ve promptly spotted and reported your missing plates.

EGG VANDALISM: Scott reports from Admiral, “I’ve been hit multiple times over the weekend. The first was early Friday morning around 12:50 am. They came back again that morning a half hour later around 1:20 am. Yesterday evening I was hit again at 8:10 pm. I made a police report last night and they encouraged me to let others know to make reports as well if I hear of it happening in other parts of Admiral.”

ALSO IN ADMIRAL: Another reader reports:

As I drove down my street in the 5 am hour, there were two men in all black, hoodies, wearing black face masks… they tried to scare me as I drove. They threw their hands up at my passenger window like a “boo!” motion. Right ahead of me was a woman who was jogging with her dog, I yelled out my window “Did they just spook you?” And she said yes, so I called 911. This was on 41st near Metropolitan Market. They were walking Northbound. From the little I could see, they looked like they were white, maybe teenagers. What the heck were they doing? At 5am? On a Monday morning?

She did call police.

Thanks again to everyone sharing Crime Watch reports so your neighbors all around the peninsula know more about what’s happening – we hope crime will NOT happen to you, but if it does, once you’ve reported it to police (911 if it’s happening now or just happened), let us know … 206-293-6302 if breaking, editor@westseattleblog.com if not — thank you.

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

CAR WINDOWS SHATTERED: The photo is from Megan, who says her car and others along 9th SW in Highland Park were broken by bullets/projectiles overnight. She counted 10; we haven’t heard from any of the other victims, so we don’t know about others, but SPD’s auto-tweets do show a Highland Park Way/Portland “property destruction” call, which is also in the area. (SUNDAY UPDATE: Megan says police have since told her that 22 vehicles were hit.)

BURGLARY: From Ronnie:

I live in the 5400 block of 23rd Ave SW, half a block south of Brandon. Sometime between 1:15 and 3:15 Thursday afternoon, my house was broken into. I have no idea how they got my garage door open, but that’s definitely how they got in. They walked away with several thousand dollars worth of electronics and guitars. They took 3 game consoles but left behind laptop and desktop computers that were in plain sight. They took my Gibson SG but left several much more expensive guitars behind. The police officer said it was probably kids. I have three dogs that were home at the time, and they were completely unharmed and locked in one of the bathrooms.

WIRING THEFT: Karen says a neighbor in the 5000 block of 36th SW reported a streetlight outage to Seattle City Light and discovered it was because of copper-wiring theft – which would have had to have been done by someone climbing two poles. Neighbors speculated that a truck might have been used. So if you have a streetlight outage, be sure to report it promptly, so that SCL can check out the cause (and repair it, as has been done in this neighborhood already). This SCL webpage offers three ways to report it – an online form, e-mail address, and phone number. And if you see suspicious activity, of course, call 911.

One followup and two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

CHARGES FILED: Prosecutors filed charges today against the two burglary-ring suspects arrested at an Alki house on Monday – 26-year-old Joseph F. Sims, below left, and 29-year-old Shon Shanell, below center. 25-year-old Alonzo Severson, below right, had already been charged, as we reported yesterday in our coverage of the media briefing about the case.

(Washington Department of Corrections photos)

The documents finally provide a little information about why Sims and Shanell were at the house in the 3200 block of 62nd SW where they were arrested by Bellevue Police on Monday. BPD had been trying to arrest Sims for several days and, according to the charges against Shanell, “received information that Sims was staying at a residence in (that area of Alki).” They staked out the house starting around 6 am. At 9:30 am, Shanell drove up in the matte-black Audi we photographed yesterday at BPD headquarters:

Sims walked out of the house, the documents say, and that’s when police arrested them both. They both were described as having thousands of dollars in cash in their possession, and both were said to be wearing diamonds – Shanell was wearing the watch stolen from Mariners star Felix Hernandez’s house in Clyde Hill.

The documents include a few more details, such as that Sims had been out of prison for less than a year before his alleged crime spree started. He’s described as “probably one of the most prolific and dangerous burglars in recent Seattle history.” And the charging documents show that much of the evidence involved cell-phone tracing; Sims allegedly would turn his off just before a burglary, and then on again afterward, and the documents mention a trace on January 1st in West Seattle, though none of the accusations involve any burglaries here.

Sims is charged with 11 crimes, including eight counts of residential burglary. He is being held without bail. Shanell, who got out of prison last October, is charged with possession of stolen property, and also has been charged in an unrelated case involving alleged eluding and animal cruelty. His bail is set at $175,000. And Severson’s bail is set at half a million dollars. Prosecutors say more charges are possible, given these barely scratch the surface of the 100-plus break-ins they believe were committed by the suspects. The documents also mention an alleged accomplice, a woman who allegedly assisted with some of the burglaries while dating one of the suspects. She is not charged.

Two reader reports via e-mail:

STOLEN MAIL FOUND: From LL:

I was out for a walk this morning and found a pile of mail on the corner of SW Trenton and 17th Ave SW. The addresses were all from the 8800 block of 24th Ave SW. I called the USPS 800 # to report the theft and their reply was “put the mail in a bag and give it to your mailman.” I took it to the Westwood post office instead. This happened last year in January. Someone was stealing mail on 17th & 18th Ave SW between Elmgrove and Henderson. The thieves seemed to target houses that had mailboxes next to the sidewalk.

CAR PROWL: From Michelle: “Another car prowl. (Wednesday) morning a window in my husband’s car shattered when he closed the door. The car dealer said there was evidence of crowbar marks on the door. We are on 46th between Hill and Walker.”

The two men arrested in connection with Sunday’s theft of the ATM from the West Seattle Junction US Bank are now charged, and the court documents fill in some of the information we didn’t have in our followup after their bail hearing on Monday.

The suspects are 28-year-old Nathaniel Grier of Shoreline and 35-year-old Joseph Annable of Sammamish. Both are charged with 2nd-degree burglary, 1st-degree theft, possession of a stolen vehicle, and attempting to elude police.

The documents confirm that the forklift left behind at the bank, worth $4,000, and shown in our photo above, was stolen from Junction True Value a block west, and reveal that the cargo van found with the ATM inside was stolen from the University of Washington Bookstore. The charging papers also say the ATM contained at least $45,000 when stolen, but the suspects apparently were unable to get into it. The pursuit that led to the arrests on Sunday, hours after the West Seattle theft, was “called off several times,” the charging documents reveal, because of how dangerous it got to be, crossing several jurisdictions, with the stolen van at one point swerving toward a state trooper who was assisting someone at roadside.

Grier’s bail is set at $205,000; his criminal history goes back at least 13 years, and he is said to have confessed to at least eight thefts, four “successful.” Annable’s bail is set at $75,000; he does not have any recent criminal history. They are scheduled for arraignment (to answer the charges) on February 8th.

11:26 AM: We’re at Bellevue Police HQ as BPD and Seattle Police go public with more details about the “high-end burglary ring” linked to the two Alki arrests we covered back on Monday.

They’re talking behind a table covered with what they say is seized loot – cash, jewelry, purses, more. They say the victims include Seattle Mariners star Felix Hernandez. (Added – What was taken from him included a keepsake watch:)

They say the burglaries happened starting in April 2016. “The thieves would use luxury automobiles to commit their crimes in an attempt to blend in with the neighborhood traffic …” Here’s a map of some of the incidents:

The arrests in the 3200 block of 62nd SW followed a nine-month investigation involving Bellevue, Seattle, Kirkland, Medina, and Clyde Hill Police, according to the information we’ve received so far, even before the briefing (which we’re recording on video) begins.

Police say the three suspects are expected to “be charged today with numerous counts of burglary” and are identifying them as 23-year-old Alonzo Severson, 26-year-old Joseph Sims, and 29-year-old Shon Shanell.

11:33 AM: The briefing has begun, with Bellevue Police‘s chief saying the two people arrested in West Seattle were the “two remaining members of the Rock Smash Burglary Crew.” He says the items stolen by the ring totaled at least $3 million in value, taken in the course of “at least 123 residential burglaries.”

They worked in daylight and “often defeated (alarm systems).” The chief says they won’t elaborate on how they tracked down the suspects, but that police spent “hundreds of hours” doing that. He says they have recovered at least $400,000 in stolen items, and that the suspects seem to have motivated just by “greed,” and lived it up on the spoils of what was stolen.

Deputy Chief Carmen Best from Seattle PD says “these are significant arrests” and that they don’t believe any other suspects are on the loose.

The police leaders here say that breaking the case started with discovery of a phone in a Mercer Island yard – the citizen who found it turned it in to police, who made note of a call that came to the phone, and it rolled on from there, exemplifying the “if you see something, say something” philosophy.

11:44 AM: We asked the first question, about how the suspects arrested in West Seattle were linked to the house in Alki where they were found. Police wouldn’t elaborate on that but they said these suspects “were very good at what they did” and that investigators were often just a step or two behind – the suspects apparently even did “counter-surveillance.” But one of the suspects arrested at the Alki house, they say, Shon Shanell, allegedly was wearing a wristwatch among the items stolen from Mariners player Hernandez.

In some of the burglaries, police believe the burglars were armed, and they say that in some incidents, residents were home when the burglaries happened.

Other details as the Q/A section goes – some of the handbags being shown here among recovered loot are worth tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars.

They’re looking at safe-deposit boxes and storage facilities to see if they can recover even more of what was stolen.

Another local note – we don’t know yet if any of the burglaries happened in West Seattle (that section of the map, above, is covered by its legend), or if the arrest location is the only link.

The suspect that was arrested elsewhere was taken into custody after leaving jail about a week ago following a hold in connection with a Department of Corrections warrant, per the Bellevue chief.

11:59 AM: The Q/A has wrapped up and police are taking us and the other media crews to see the vehicles they have seized in relation to this – “five luxury cars” are mentioned in the news release. We’re also checking on the suspects’ status – Shanel is being held without bail; Severson is being held on half a million dollars bail and is listed as having been charged already; Sims is being held without bail.

12:23 PM: Here are the vehicles. BPD tells us the Audi is the one they seized at the arrest location on Alki.

While the cars were not stolen, we’re told, they are believed to have been bought with money resulting from the crimes.

12:39 PM: Reading the charges already filed against Severson, the evidence includes a monitoring bracelet he had to wear from another case, allegedly placing him inside some of the burglarized homes. The jail register shows he has been in since January 12th, meaning that the two arrested in Alki are Shanell and Sims.

ADDED 9:36 PM: We’ve added more photos inline above, and right above this line is our video of the entire briefing.

Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes this morning:

(WSB photo, added 10:21 am)

GUNFIRE ON PIGEON POINT: Last night before midnight (while we were covering the “heavy rescue” crash in North Admiral), we heard police dispatched to reports of possible gunfire on Pigeon Point/North Delridge. This morning, a reader reports seeing a car with shot-out windows near 23rd and Andover, and we’ve just obtained details from SPD spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson:

Last night, just after 11:00 pm, officers responded to several calls of shots fired in area of 23 Ave SW/SW Andover. Officers contacted witnesses who heard the shots. One person said they witnessed shots coming from a white car, another person stated it was a black car. Officers located a parked car in the 4000 block 23 Ave SW that had been struck by bullets. Officers found one shell casing and one bullet fragment near the intersection of 23/Andover.

No injuries were reported.

ARBOR HEIGHTS SUSPECT OUT: The man arrested after the Arbor Heights search on Monday morning, 28-year-old Matthew Melzer, is out of jail this morning after a plea bargain. According to Municipal Court records and the King County Jail Register, Melzer was cited for two counts of second-degree criminal trespassing (a misdemeanor) and pleaded guilty to one; the other was dropped and he was credited for time served, then released from jail at 8 am today.

READER REPORT – CAR PROWL: Just out of the inbox, from Jon:

I live between California Ave and 44th Street just off SW Hinds St. I awoke this morning to find my truck light on. Upon closer inspection, it appears that someone had rummaged through my truck as the console was open and things were strewn about the cab. Nothing appears to have been taken (as I don’t leave anything of value in there), but it’s frustrating nonetheless. If you live nearby, please keep an eye out for suspicious activity.

FOLLOWUP TODAY ON BELLEVUE POLICE’S ALKI RAID: Thanks to tips, we reported Monday on Bellevue Police arresting 2 at a house on 62nd SW. BPD told us it was related to a “series of burglaries” around the region and that more info would be forthcoming. Check back here on WSB later today, because we’re expecting to have that info soon – BPD is hosting a media briefing, with its police chief and Seattle PD Chief Kathleen O’Toole, at 11:30 am, announced with the intent “to discuss the dismantling of a major burglary ring in the region. The investigation that will be discussed is believed to be the largest burglary ring case in terms of loss value in the history of the city of Bellevue. Recovered stolen property and several seized vehicles will be on display. Some of the recovered items on display were stolen from a notable sports figure.” We’ll be there.

(ADDED) STOLEN TRAILER: As mentioned in the WSB Forums – be on the lookout:

2008, white, 5×7 TNT cargo trailer. Stolen from Fauntleroy & Othello between Tues Jan 24 9pm- Weds Jan 25 8am

No distinguishing marks or pictures, unfortunately. Lic # 7052VJ Washington

The trailer is completely FULL with my trade show display for working at the home & garden shows (backdrop, shelves, cookware)

Call police if you see it.

A 33-year-old man is in jail tonight, under investigation for the December holdup of a man using an ATM in South Delridge. Southwest Precinct police arrested the suspect yesterday afternoon near 15th and Barton. He was supposed to have a bail hearing today but he refused to go, so the judge had a probable-cause hearing without his presence and ordered another bail hearing tomorrow. The robbery happened the afternoon of December 18th at the Wells Fargo ATM at 15th and Roxbury. A man making a cash deposit was robbed at gunpoint; probable-cause documents say that after the robber left with the cash, the victim tried to use his phone to call for help, but the robber returned to grab the phone away. An investigation led to the identification of a suspect; police have been looking for him, spotted him, and arrested him. The same man was arrested in West Seattle in November after police spotted a package theft in process; it doesn’t appear he was charged in that case.

(WSB photo from Sunday)

We have full details now on the arrest of two men in connection with the theft of the West Seattle Junction US Bank’s drive-up ATM early Sunday.

After we reported the theft on Sunday, a commenter from Lake City mentioned the arrest of two men and recovery of a vehicle – but we didn’t have the official information connecting it all until just now.

Bail was set at $200,000 for a 28-year-old Shoreline man and $75,000 for a 35-year-old Sammamish man.

Probable-cause documents say the theft happened just after 5 am, when a citizen called 911 to say a nearby building shook and that they saw a forklift being used to steal the ATM from the bank on SW Edmunds.

It was reported as stolen from a “nearby hardware store” – reportedly Junction TrueValue, a block away. We photographed it after a reader tip about police activity turned out to be the impounding of the forklift post-theft:

(WSB photo from Sunday)

The police report says that video shows three people stealing the forklift by using wire cutters to get into a secure area at the store. The ATM was torn away from its spot in the drive-thru and loaded into “a stolen cargo van,” police say.

Just after 1:30 pm, the stolen van was spotted in Issaquah by state troopers. As our commenter wrote, a significant pursuit followed – with the van going the wrong way on one-way streets along the way – and eventually it was located in Lake City, with the ATM still inside. The suspects tried to run, “stripping off clothing” as they bolted, according to the report, but officers eventually caught them. Here’s the photo the commenter says shows the stolen van:

(Reader photo from Sunday)

The probable-cause documents say the two suspects both confessed to at least some parts of what happened, including stealing the ATM. The 28-year-old man is reported to have told police that this was the 8th time he has stolen an ATM, and the report describes him as “an extremely active ATM thief”; the 35-year-old man claimed it was his first, and, the report says, “seemed proud he didn’t hit any other vehicles during the pursuit.” Both are reported to have confessed to trying to get into the ATM safe with a saw – but being unable to.

Both are due back in court on Wednesday afternoon. The third suspect shown stealing the forklift is apparently still on the loose.