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 ed****@*************og.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 ja**********@*****le.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.

From Admiral to Arbor Heights, four reports from the WSB inbox:

PACKAGE THEFT: Erika reports that this happened about 11:45 am today in the Fairmount Park area:

Please be on the lookout for a white, late model Tahoe or like-looking SUV. The driver-side back window was covered with a black tarp/plastic. The driver was white, male, ~30 yo, short/balding hair; I think he was wearing a dark jacket & white t-shirt. The passenger was white, female ~30 yo, dark, curly shoulder-length hair. Please call the police if you see this vehicle.

CHRISTMAS CAR PROWL: Melissa says this happened in Admiral last Sunday:

We had our car rummaged through early Christmas morning on 41st and Lander. No broken glass (must have accidentally left car unlocked) – nothing major stolen, just an emergency kit, a CD set and some snow chains. As far as we know, no one else on the street had their cars broken into.

IT HAPPENED ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT: A Delridge resident reports:

We live on SW 18th. My husband and I got home from dinner with our family (Sunday night) around 8 and found two strange cars parked in front of our house. Two men were sitting in the first car, (a green Jetta plate # AWG19–) with no lights on and this seemed odd so we went inside but watched from our house as they began smoking something off of tin foil through glass pipes. My husband went back outside and got license plate numbers for both cars and I called 911. I could clearly see them continuing to light up in the car while we waited for the police. One man got out and drove away in the second car, a dark blue sports car (plate number ANU3933) and drove off. The Jetta then backed into our car and drove away just as police arrived.

In a second note, the resident said the second car was listed by SPD as stolen. Then on Monday night, she says, “the guy came back in a different stolen car” (this one). They again called 911, but the man/car left before police arrived.

VANDAL IN ARBOR HEIGHTS: This happened Monday night:

I live in the Arbor Heights area. My husband left in our car, and shortly thereafter there came a knock on the door. I looked out and saw a man, probably in his early to mid-30s, with long curly hair and a ski cap. I did not open the door and asked him what he wanted. He said that his “GPS” was wrong; he was looking for his aunt’s house. He left on foot, and as he walked up my driveway he intentionally damaged one of our Christmas decorations. I ran up the driveway to see where he was going, and he turned around and saw me, and started back toward me. I ran into the house and called my husband, who returned home immediately. We saw him walk by our house again a few minutes later. I have called the police. Because he turned around and started back toward me, I feel that this guy is up to no good.

Following up on one of the incidents we covered right before Christmas weekend:

Three suspects remain in jail in connection with what happened at the Junction 7-11 last Thursday night, and probable-cause documents say they are the ones who told police where they were.

The suspects are a 29-year-old Puget Ridge man, a 30-year-old Rainier Valley man, and a 33-year-old Delridge man.

Police first responded to a report of a fight at the store, and were told the people involved had left in a white car. The 53-year-old man on duty at the 7-11 told police he recognized them as previous shoplifters and told them to leave, but they didn’t. They picked up “several items,” he said, and walked toward the door, which he was blocking. They became argumentative, he said, then he and they went outside, where, he told police, they started hitting and kicking him, knocking him down, and leaving him with cuts and bruises on his face. He said they also stole his phone and about $100 cash he had in his pocket, and a witness told police they had hit his car as they left in theirs.

Meantime, the 30-year-old called 911 to report the incident, saying he was near the Bank of America at 41st and Alaska and wanted to talk to police. Officers found all three men there. The 30-year-old claimed the clerk had assaulted them, and that the phone theft was a mistake. The 33-year-old told police he had just gone into the store to use the ATM and that he had a job and didn’t need to steal.

All three were arrested, in part because of identification from a witness. They’re all being held for investigation of robbery and due back in court tomorrow afternoon, by which time we might find out about charges; the 33- and 30-year-old suspects’ bail is set at $10,000, while the 29-year-old is being held in lieu of $7,500 bail.

(SIDE NOTE: We have not yet been able to obtain the report on another incident at the same location, a man found outside the store early Sunday with gunshot wounds, but will continue trying tomorrow.)

12:58 AM: Seattle Police and Fire are outside the California/Erskine/Edmunds 7-11 in The Junction, where a 19-year-old man was found with what are described over the air as two gunshot wounds to the chest. Scanner traffic says they’re not sure yet what happened or when, as the victim is described as intoxicated and so they’re having trouble communicating with him. SFD Medic 32 is taking him to Harborview Medical Center.

1:19 AM: No word of an arrest, or suspect description, so far.

If you have family/friends visiting via vehicle, please remind them not to leave anything in the car, as thieves don’t seem to take time off for the holiday:

CAR PROWLS: From Lea – “Riverview neighborhood had multiple smash and grab car prowls” on Thursday night. No further details. Also, from Mariya near 28th SW/SW Nevada, “Our truck got broken into (Thursday) night for the 3rd time. We park on the street and never leave anything of value inside. We’ve filed police reports every time. One time they stole the sifter gear knob and now they’ve stolen our radio. They must have a key to the truck because they never break windows, just let themselves in.”

PACKAGE THEFTS: From David and Adam, “Multiple packages stolen from 8600 block of Fauntleroy Way SW on Thursday.” And Elton says a neighbor reported packages stolen from their townhouses around California/Hinds on Friday.

Hoping for a Silent Night tonight. If not … we’re at 206-293-6302, text or voice.

(WSB photo)

That’s the scene we found at the Junction 7-11 (California/Erskine) after we headed there to check out scanner traffic about a possible robbery. Police there told us that it was a case of a shoplifter turning violent (which escalates the crime from theft to robbery); Seattle Fire and AMR ambulance crews were there checking out the clerk who was injured in the process. Police told us they have a suspect in custody.

The photo and report are from Emily:

Car Stolen in North Admiral, Tuesday after 10:00 PM.

Red Honda CR-V 1998, License plate: 921ZXB

The car may have Colorado State Parking sticker on front windshield.

If you see it, call 911 (and then let us know!).

Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

ANOTHER HIT-AND-RUN: An SDOT crew was out at 47th and Admiral today after an early-morning hit-and-run. A texter told us an “older red pickup,” apparently with only the driver inside, hit two parked cars and some of the Alki Mail and Dispatch outdoor furniture. The street sign was hit too, which is why SDOT had some work to do. No injuries reported. If you have any information, this is SPD case 2016-456757.

PACKAGE THEFTS: Erika wants you to know that “there’s been a huge string of thefts in the Fairmount neighborhood over package deliveries over Friday and Saturday. A group of us have filed a police report, but just thought you might want to put out a PSA to the West Seattle area to remind people to check their tracking and to support your neighbors in watching out for suspicious activity.”

CAR PROWLS: From Harry in the 6300 block of California SW:

Wanted to report a car prowling that occurred at my place of residence Sunday to Monday evening.

Sometime between 11:00 PM Sunday (December 18th) night and 7:00 AM, my car was broken into. No windows were smashed, but the thief was able to access my vehicle. I’m not sure how they got in, as I definitely locked my car the last time I had used it. I remember very specifically locking it.

The car was ransacked, with the loose change taken from the side door. The glove box was open as well as the center console, and things were scattered all over the car.

The trunk had been opened, and one bag was missing. While the bag didn’t contain a lot of things, it contained two pairs of dance shoes (jazz, tap) as well as a portable sound bar. All told, the value of the items were approximately about $250.

Later that day, I found out from my good friends and neighbors that their car, in the same covered parking lot, had also been burglarized. They found inside their car my dance towel as well as a T-shirt. From my neighbor’s car, a similar situation — the car was ransacked. Most items were left, but a coat was taken.

Curiously, the thief seemed to have left behind their bike on the ground. It’s still there.

I wanted to let people to know to be extra vigilant, lock your doors, double-check them, and report any suspicious activity.

Regarding the bicycle – police say many if not most stolen bicycles are just used by criminals to get from one point to another. So if you see one abandoned, chances are good it was stolen.