We start this West Seattle Crime Watch update with two reader reports of multiple cars with shot-out/broken windows:

CAR WINDOWS SHOT OUT/BROKEN, FIRST REPORT: That’s one of several photos Mark sent along with this report:

I wanted to make readers aware and ask if anyone saw this incident happen. I parked our vehicle between Admiral Way and SW Lander Street on the East side of the street while we went to dinner at the Copper Coin. Sometime between 9:15 and 10:15 someone shot out 3 of our windows and also damaged the side panels with a BB gun. We filed a police report and now are dealing with the aftermath.

CAR WINDOWS SHOT OUT, SECOND REPORT: Just as we were about to hit “publish,” this hit the inbox, from Alice:

Our truck window was broken last night, along with those of four other cars on our block.

We are at 44th/ Spokane. The police came and said there were other broken windows south of us and he’s looking around for others. They were all the driver-side rear window and the cars were not opened or rifled. Some of the windows have a small hole but the officer couldn’t say if it was a small gun or not.

Too soon to have any idea if this is related to any of the other windows-shot-out incidents that happened around West Seattle some weeks back; no arrests in those as of the last time we had checked.

CAR PROWLS: As this continues to be our area’s biggest crime problem, as noted by police at every community meeting we’ve covered recently, we checked the police-report map to see what’s there for the past week – and found 26 (this does not count incidents from yesterday/today that haven’t even made the map yet but are likely on Tweets by Beat, which you can see on our Crime Watch page) – here’s our screengrab, after configuring the map to only show car prowls:

The mapped car prowls are, as shown north to south:

Thursday morning – 2300 block of California SW
Monday evening – 3200 block of 60th SW
Monday morning – 3000 block of SW Bradford
Sunday afternoon – 4500 block of 36th SW
Wednesday evening – 4800 block of California SW
Tuesday morning – 5000 block of 51st SW
Tuesday morning – 5000 block of 36th SW
Wednesday night – 5900 block of High Point Drive
Sunday night – 6300 block of Beach Drive
Wednesday morning – 2600 block of Sylvan Heights Drive
Last Friday night (reported last Sat.) – 34th SW/SW Myrtle
Last Saturday morning – 3600 block SW Webster
Sunday afternoon – 2400 block of SW Holden
Wednesday night – 2200 block of SW Holden
Tuesday morning – 7700 block of 35th SW
Last Friday night (reported last Sat.) – 7900 block 34th SW
Sunday morning – 600 block SW Kenyon
Thursday afternoon – 8000 block Fauntleroy Way SW
Last Saturday afternoon – 8100 block 16th SW
Last Friday afternoon (reported last Sat.) – 8100 block 34th SW
Last Friday night (reported last Sat.) – 8100 block 34th SW
Last Friday night (reported last Sat.) – 26th SW/SW Thistle
Last Sunday morning – 8500 block 16th SW
Last Sunday night – 8600 block Delridge Way SW
Last Wednesday afternoon – 8600 block 20th SW
Last Friday night (reported last Sat.) – 9200 block 35th SW

FOUND BICYCLE: A potentially stolen “small pink Barbie bike with white tires” was found in California Place Park this past week; if your household is missing one, please contact police to reclaim it.

P.S. For other lost/found items that are NOT pets – please remember we now have a special WSB Forums section for those – please use it if you have lost or found something!

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports today. The first one, a tale of hit-and run from Tim McConnell:

Last night around 12:40, on the corner of Hanford and Belvidere, someone decided to remove the speed limit sign that was in the parking strip in front of our house. They also decided to trim our trees and some of our shrubs. The problem is, we didn’t ask them to, and they did it with their car.

After I picked up a bunch of the car parts they left behind, obviously as a way to pay us for our damaged landscaping, I did some research on those parts, and learned they used a dark blue 1999-2002 Land Rover. Now, me personally, would have just used a regular shovel and hedge trimmers, but I guess they were pressed for time and figured one quick pass through our yard at high speed should do they trick. It was effective, as the sign was taken completely out of the ground, concrete post and all. The tree trimming was less than professional, as they removed the top of one tree and just pushed over the other. The second tree had already been trimmed that way by a previous “auto landscaper” and somehow survived. This time, I am not so sure I can revive it.

As my wife and I work every day (yes, every day – our last day off was Jan 1st, our next will be Easter – small business owners), we do not have the time, nor the resources, to replace our damaged plants. We would really like it if the vehicles owner (or the person they let drive it) would come fix the damage they caused. If they could come replant what they destroyed and pick up all the plastic and glad they left, we would really appreciate it. We love our yard, but we don’t have the time to spend on it like we used to.

We would also like to find out of anyone has a few big rocks they would like to get rid of. We have a couple of spots in our yard where trees used to be that could use a more sturdy landscape material. One that can’t be “trimmed or moved” by late night, high speed, amateur yard maintenance.

The car should be easy to spot – it’s most likely a 1999-2002 dark blue Land Rover Discovery, or possibly a Range Rover, with massive damage to the passenger side front end. It is definitely missing a headlamp and fog light, and the trim for the fog light, as well as the plastic quarter panel around the wheel well, and a mud guard. If you are the owner or know the owner, please contact us through the Blog.

The “small business” he mentioned is West Seattle Runner, a longtime WSB sponsor, owned by Tim and wife Lori McConnell.

Also today:

HIT BY CAR PROWLER(S) TWICE: Sheryl reports, “In the last two weeks, my husband’s Chevrolet Silverado has been broken into twice. He typically parks on California Ave between Manning & Spokane streets (3600 block). While nothing of value has been taken, and they were kind enough not to break the windows, I wanted to let others in the neighborhood know so they could be vigilant and not leave valuables in their cars. ” Car prowling remains a top West Seattle crime issue, as reiterated at last night’s WS Crime Prevention Council meeting.

(UPDATED TUESDAY EVENING with word of arrests, WEDNESDAY AM with more details)

2:10 PM: A Denny International Middle School student told school administrators and police that he was robbed on his way to school this morning. This letter is going out to Denny and Chief Sealth International High School families right now, the district tells us:

This morning, one of our sixth-grade scholars reported to us that he had been robbed on his walk to school today near 20th Ave SW and SW Thistle St. He was approached by two males who were wearing hoods. At the time, he was walking alone. Our scholar did the right thing and cooperated with their demands to give them his valuables — they stole his iPhone. The two then ran east on Thistle and our scholar ran to school where he reported it right away. School staff called the police, who came to take a statement. Our scholar did a great job by reporting it right away. The Seattle Police and Seattle Public Schools staff will both be providing extra presence in that area.

As a precaution, we are reminding our scholars this afternoon about safety tips for walking to and from school. We would appreciate your help by having a similar conversation at home. The walking safety advice includes:

GENERAL WALKING SAFETY TIPS

 Avoid walking alone.
 Keep valuable items, such as expensive phones, out of sight.
 Pay close attention to your surroundings, avoid “automatic pilot.”
 Walk with a purpose; project an assertive, business-like image.
 Use common sense; plan your route to avoid uninhabited parks, parking lots, garages and alleyways.
 Stick to well-lit areas.
 Develop a plan before you see trouble. Crossing a street or entering a store may get you out of a potentially bad situation.
 If a car follows you or beckons you while you are walking, do not approach it. Instead, turn and quickly walk the opposite direction.
 Consider wearing clothing and shoes that you can move freely and quickly in, especially when walking or waiting for the bus.
 Always plan your route and stay alert to your surroundings. Avoid shortcuts. Walk confidently. Scan your surroundings and make eye contact with people.

In addition, as a part of our ongoing collaboration with the Seattle Police Department Southwest Precinct, we have been encouraged to let all scholars know that they should not be hanging out unsupervised at the Southwest Athletic Complex during non-school hours (or during high school lunch times). Being a part of a PE class or a sports team using the field or being at the Southwest Community Center is fine; hanging out in the parking lot area or bleachers without supervision should be avoided. This recommendation is being made by the police, who have noticed an increase in suspicious behavior by some adults in that area. After school, our scholars should be a part of an organized after-school program at school or head home.

As always, safety is our top priority. Thank you for your ongoing support.

The letter is signed by Denny principal Jeff Clark and Sealth principal Aida Fraser-Hammer. This happened just six days after a meeting held at Sealth to address student safety; WSB was the only media organization there – here’s our coverage.

2:17 PM: SPD Blotter has just published more details, even before we could call SPD to follow up:

Seattle police are working with school officials and seeking a pair of young robbers suspected of holding up a middle-school student Tuesday morning at knifepoint.

The student was reportedly walking in the 2100 block of SW Thistle St around 7:30 AM when two teenage boys approached him. One suspect brandished a knife, demanded money from the victim, and forced him to empty out his backpack. Both suspects then fled with the student’s cell phone.

The student ran to school and contacted staff, who called 911.

Officers searched for the suspects but were unable to find them. The victim described the suspects as a white male, 15 years old, 5’7, wearing tan cargo shorts, a green hooded jacket and white shoes and a Hispanic male, also 15, 5’5, wearing a black hooded jacket and white shoes.

P.S. If you have questions for police about this or any other local incident, or neighborhood concerns, remember that the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets TONIGHT, 7 pm at the precinct (2300 SW Webster).

6:19 PM UPDATE: We’ve just learned from Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis that two suspects are in custody in connection with this robbery and another holdup. We’ll add anything more we find out tonight.

7:39 PM UPDATE: Capt. Davis confirmed at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting that the arrests followed a second robbery this afternoon, and that what they recovered from the suspects included what was taken in the first holdup.

ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: A few more details in this SPD Blotter update.

Seen this stolen car? It was stolen around 4 am today in Highland Park, from 12th SW/SW Holden: “All green, bright green wheels on driver’s side, child’s car seat, iPhone, children’s clothes inside.” Plate number is AIC0067. Call 911 if you see it.

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:

MAIL THEFT: Surveillance video caught someone stealing mail on Beach Drive near Lowman Beach around noon Friday:

The victim is offering a thousand-dollar reward if a tip leads to identification. You can refer to police incident #16000087115.

HIT-RUN: Emily reports her vehicle was hit “on Fauntleroy coming off the ferry (Friday). If you see a maroon Mercedes SUV missing its front emblem, with license plate AYJ4***, please call 911 and report to SPD, attn: Officer Johns!”

STOLEN-BIKE UPDATE: We reported Friday on Kim‘s stolen bike. Now, an update: “The boneheads couldn’t ride it and crashed. Found by neighbors where it was ditched. Back home in locked space.”

P.S. Reminder that the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets Tuesday (March 15th), 7 pm at Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster) – bring your crime/safety concerns directly to local police, as part of the meeting.

Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch so far today:

BUSINESS BREAK-IN: Pharmaca in The Junction opened late today because of a burglary. Damage was visible to the shop’s door on the SW Alaska side of the drugstore the first time we went by at mid-morning after a tip; we went by again, and someone fixing the door said the shop would open as soon as the repairs are done. No other details about the burglary yet.

CAR PROWL: Joe in Arbor Heights reports his car was gone through overnight in the 9800 block of 32nd SW. Charging cables were taken.

BICYCLE STOLEN: Kim is asking that you be on the lookout for this bicycle stolen from a backyard patio around 9 pm last night in the 8400 block of 8th SW: “Voodoo titanium cyclocross bike. Serial number b115420.” If you have any info, in addition to calling police, you can contact Kim at trendamissoula@msn.com

We hope crime doesn’t happen to you. If it does, once you’ve reported it (911 if it’s in-progress or just happened), let us know so we can get the word out via Crime Watch – editor@westseattleblog.com or 206-293-6302 text or voice – thank you.

Two followups and two new reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today:

GUNFIRE FOLLOWUP: We’ve finally obtained the report narrative from Sunday night’s gunfire incident at 11th SW and SW Barton. It says the original call came from the family whose home was hit by a single gunshot; one resident was in the bathroom when she heard what she thought was a light bulb popping, until she found and picked up what turned out to be a .22-caliber bullet. It had gone through the western side of the house, into the wall of what the report describes as “the nursery,” and then ricocheted off the bathroom door before landing on the bathroom floor. Police believe it was fired from 12th SW but none of the neighbors with whom they spoke saw or heard anything. No one was hurt, but judging by the description, it was a close call.

SHOOTING FOLLOWUP: On February 28th, we reported on the investigation of a shooting whose victim was “dropped off” at a hospital but had ties to an address in the 6500 block of 18th SW on Puget Ridge. A commenter today pointed out this seattlepi.com story about charges filed in the case. We’ve subsequently pulled up the court documents. The suspect, 29-year-old Corey X. Brown, is in the King County Jail, in lieu of a quarter-million dollars, charged with first-degree domestic-violence assault and unlawful gun possession. Court documents say the victim is his pregnant 37-year-old ex-girlfriend, shot in the leg by Brown in front of witnesses outside a house in the area mentioned above, described as her family’s home, then driven to a hospital by her current boyfriend. Brown, whose record includes assault, robbery, and car-prowl convictions, was in jail on an unrelated warrant when the new charges were filed.

And two reader reports:

CAR BROKEN INTO, DOG BED TAKEN: From DHS:

Our Nissan Xterra was broken into last night in High Point at 29th and SW Raymond. The window was smashed out. Small items and personal belongings were stolen including our dog’s bed!!!

Not sure what kind of lowlife steals a dog bed but I’m very disappointed. Attached is a picture of the dog bed. It’s a hammock style to safely transport your dog in the back seat. It’s bright red and had a red stuff sack, also stolen.

My wife’s Mazda was broken into two weeks ago in the same fashion. After speaking to some of our neighbors this morning, at least 6 other cars have had windows smashed out and personal belongings stolen in the past few weeks.

CAR PROWLER WITH STROLLER: From Jim: “At 12:30 am (Wednesday), our vehicle was broken into using a filed-down ford key. According to the police officer who showed up, this is becoming commonplace and it does not trip the car alarm. Few items were taken. This took place on the 9200 block on 11th SW.” Per a surveillance camera, he added, “Looks like a male with backpack and a dog – Rottweiler mixed – pushing a baby stroller.”

P.S. Next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is Tuesday (March 15th), 7 pm @ the precinct (2300 SW Webster).

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

TRUCK BREAK-IN: Early Monday morning, Nancy reports discovering that her husband’s truck had been broken into. “They took about $2500 in tools, mostly Makita items.” This happened in Arbor Heights.

LIKELY LOOT: A Puget Ridge resident wonders if any of this looks familiar, “various socket gears and an ammo (?) box” that appeared Sunday morning:

The tipster suspects it was dumped loot.

SAFETY MEETINGS: Reminders of three – Tuesday night, the Admiral Neighborhood Association hosts a Community Police Team officer, 7 pm at The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd/Lander); Wednesday night, it’s the student-safety meeting for the Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School communities at Sealth (2600 SW Thistle); March 15th, it’s the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, 7 pm at the SW Precinct (2300 SW Webster).

Three West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports to share:

MAILBOX PROWLER: Carolyn says the video above is from 8:48 last night, at 8th SW and Elmgrove, with a would-be mail thief driving up, checking out the boxes, and moving on.

EARLY-MORNING DOORKNOCKER: From D:

This morning at 6 am we were awakened by knocking on our front door. My husband answered and a woman asked if he had jumper cables. She didn’t appear to have a vehicle, so he declined. She asked again, and wanted him to follow her outside, as if trying to lure him away from our house. Later, I was reading the WSB and saw the video John posted about a grocery thief stealing right off his porch. I showed it to my husband and he identified the woman as the same one who came knocking. We are in Highland Park at 18th/Trenton. Our home was burglarized one month ago, during the day while I was picking my daughter up from preschool. Also, in the last 10 days our car has been broken into twice and our tire slashed. Now thieves are knocking on our door before dawn?

BICYCLE FOUND: From Aaron Goss of Aaron’s Bicycle Repair, the photo and report:

One of our customers sent us this picture of bike found in the Gatewood neighborhood. He found it abandoned in his yard.

It is a bike we serviced because it has our service sticker on it. But we cannot find a matching record in our database. The customer that found the bike is out of town, but if anyone is missing the bike, I will put them in touch with the finder.

FYI, We offer a service at our shop now where, for $5 we take a picture of your bike and record the serial number on our server. We have recovered several bikes because of it! About 50% of our customers take us up on it. Those that decline, just mentioning it reminds them to do it themselves. Without a matching serial number, we cannot legally hold a suspicious bike.

Seattle Police urge everyone to keep a record of the serial numbers for valuables – or, when you can, inscribe them with identifying information; if your valuables are stolen, they have to have some way to be able to match them back to you.

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch. First, from Alex:

Just wanted to let the blog know that there was an attempted home burglary at 48th and Graham this afternoon around 12:30. The suspects were 3 Caucasian men who were scared away before the police showed up. … They were seen on my parents’ deck by our neighbors, trying to open windows and our deck door.

And Melissa reports a “suspicious trespasser”:

We wanted to give a heads up to anyone in the area of Spokane/Manning/Admiral of a man in his late 20s/early 30s with chin-length hair, a beanie, jeans, and a dark hoodie, carrying a plastic bag, who at 5 am this morning trespassed onto our property and attempted to look in our garage and in our windows and then came to our front door but was deterred by our motion detector light. Not sure if he was looking to enter or for something easy to steal. We reported the incident to the police along with a photo of the man but wanted the neighborhood to be on the lookout as well.

Once you’ve called police, share the alert here … editor@westseattleblog.com, or 206-293-6302 (text or voice) if it’s urgent.

From the WSB inbox, an alert from Kevin south of The Junction tonight:

Sometime between 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm today someone tried to break into our house on the 5200 block of 42nd SW [map]. Two neighbors were outside most of the afternoon but didn’t see anything. The people did not get in, apparently outsmarted by 90-year-old locks.

That involved a deadbolt key the burglar(s) couldn’t grasp even after breaking glass, and another door where they “only managed to bend the handle awkwardly.”

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports this morning, starting with another stolen car to watch for:

STOLEN SILVER SUBARU: From Rebecca: “My car was stolen from in front of our house last night. 3700 block of 34th Ave SW near Manning. It was a silver Subaru Outback. We reported it to the police, incident number 16-75829. I don’t know the license plate, it had a car seat inside and a STEM sticker on the back window.” SPD asks that you call 911 if you see this (or any other) stolen car – the thief could still be in the area, and auto thefts aren’t always standalone crimes (they might be used as transportation between burglaries, for example).

HIT AND RUN: If you’ve seen a blue Volvo with a missing passenger side rear-view mirror cover, Laura hopes you’ll report it – here’s why:

I would like to report a hit and run on the west side of the 5400 block of 48th Ave SW (traveling south). In the evening we discovered that our van had been side swiped on Tuesday 3/1. After notifying our neighbors of the incident, two of them mentioned a blue car parked in front of ours around 9:45 am. We later discovered a rear view mirror cover from a blue Volvo in front of our car.

Here’s a photo of the damage done to Laura’s car.

P.S. Set your calendar reminder early – this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, including your chance to bring issues and questions to local police face-to-face outside an emergency situation, will be at the precinct (2300 SW Webster) at 7 pm Tuesday, March 15th.

In Crime Watch tonight – a stolen car to watch for. It belongs to Stacy‘s neighbor; Stacy says it was taken in the 9400 block of 18th SW [map] early Tuesday, just after midnight, a 1991 silver two-door Honda Accord with Washington plates AMF1330. If you see it, call 911 – the case # is 16-073069.

As reported here on Saturday, Alki Elementary‘s principal sent a letter home to families (read it in our previous report here) about a suspected luring attempt. We’ve obtained the full report narrative from Seattle Police this afternoon, with more details than the letter had included:

[On February 26Lh, 2016 at 1500 hours, was picked up by his mother from AIki Elementary School; as school weather was clear but overcast they decided to walk home a short dístance away. (The child) was walking slower than his mom and sister as their distance extended a block ahead. (The child) explained that he was walking N/B on 59th Ave SW approaching SW Spokane Street when he stopped for a vehicle to drive by. As the vehicle slowly drove past, the passenger inside this vehicle looked at him and asked, “Do you want to get in?” (The child) stated he replied, “no thanks.” The vehicle drove off and made a turn and drove off in an unknown direction.

(He) describes the vehicle as a red pick-up truck with lifted suspension and a canopy. He stated two subjects were on board. The male passenger is described as a black male 18-25 with short hair and medium complexion. He wore a goatee and a dark brown jacket. He was smoking a cigarette during the encounter.

I asked (the boy) if he was fearful from the encounter. He stated,”No.”He really didn’t think too much of it. He reported the incident to his mom when he arrived home. (She) stated this incident caused her alarm and wanted to report the incident to law enforcement.

Hey, package thieves! If you’re reading this … we have messages from two recent targets. First, JL:

I had an USPS package stolen from our stoop Friday afternoon. We are near 34th Ave SW and SW Andover [map]. It was delivered Friday at 3 pm while we were still at work. I didn’t report it until now because I thought there was a possibility that the package was delivered to the wrong address, as the USPS has been having this growing problem with us and our neighbors the past few weeks. But it’s not looking like that’s the case.

The contents weren’t anything very valuable, just a record from a now-defunct local band. If anything, I’m annoyed that it was a record that took me a little while to find, and even more annoyed that we have someone in the neighborhood whose morals are low enough to steal anonymous packages.

To the thief, if you are reading this: Do me a solid and go sell the record to Easy Street Records. They’ll give you about $5 for it. Then they can turn around and sell it to me for $10. I’m happy to pay it, and you’ll be helping stimulate our local economy and support a West Seattle business. It’s a win-win! You get $5 and I get my record. Come on, buddy.

Just as we were about to publish JL’s report, this one came in, from Rusty:

Wednesday afternoon I had 3 packages delivered to my house (close to 41st & SW Rose St.), each containing cast-iron weights, and each weighing approximately 80 lbs. The mailman parked one house away, delivered the packages, then continued to the adjacent block on foot. When he returned to his vehicle, he noticed that someone had attempted to steal one of the boxes, but only made it 1/2 block before giving up and dropping it on the sidewalk (very close to his truck) and partially ripped open. The other 2 boxes were strewn about close to my door, as if they had tried to move each one.

The mailman left a mail theft notice on my door and I figured out that I was missing one box, so on Saturday I went to the post office and was able to retrieve the missing box. I would like to sincerely thank the conscientious mail carrier for being pro-active, and also let the loser who tried to steal my mail know that they might want to get a set of their own, as they are currently too weak and soft to steal them from others.

Got a message for a criminal? Or even just a basic “here’s what happened” report? Send Crime Watch info to us at editor@westseattleblog.com – after you have reported to police, of course. Thanks!

Four West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon:

MORGAN JUNCTION SEARCH: Not a lot of details on this but it’s happening right now – the AT&T Wireless store at California/Fauntleroy/Morgan reported an iPad was stolen by three “young male” suspects. So if you’re seeing police in the area, that’s what they’re responding to.

LURING ATTEMPT REPORTED: Thanks to the Alki Elementary parent shares this letter that families received last night from principal Shannon Hobbs-Beckley:

Dear Alki Community,

I want to share with you information about an incident in our neighborhood today. This evening, we received information regarding a male stranger in a red truck near Alki Elementary School at the end of the school day. As a student walked by the vehicle, the student was asked if he wanted a cigarette and a ride in his vehicle. The student refused and the driver left. The student immediately reported it to his parents. They notified staff and Seattle Police.

The student did everything right, immediately getting away from the stranger, reporting the incident and giving a specific suspect and vehicle description to SPD. They will continue to investigate.

The safety of our students is a top priority for Seattle Public Schools. You can help your children stay safe by talking to them about personal safety. As a reminder, please talk to your child(ren) about walking in pairs or groups and being aware of their surroundings at all times, as well as not talking to strangers or getting into their vehicles. Having these conversations, especially with younger children, can be difficult. We encourage you to be sensitive to your child. This link to the Seattle Police website offers some valuable information which may help you with your discussions.

We’ll look for the police report on that Monday – the only incident logged on Tweets by Beat that might correspond is a “suspicious person” call from 59th/Spokane last night.

BURGLARY THIS MORNING: A house at 16th and Cambridge was broken into this morning, according to a relative of the victims, who weren’t home at the time. The relative says an alarm was set off and police got there fast, but the burglar made off with a laptop.

CAR PROWL LAST NIGHT: Around 7 pm Friday along 19th on Pigeon Point, a smash-and-grab car prowl happened, with a purse and iPhone stolen. The victim’s friend says they tracked the phone to a gas station on Delridge; they say the suspect (whom they describe as “a black man in his 40s, stocky build, 5’9”) was there trying to use a stolen credit card, in a gold 2005 Elantra, license plate starting with ANW, which police later told them was stolen. As of our last check, they hadn’t heard whether the car and suspect had yet been found.

In West Seattle Crime Watch today – Amber at Freshy’s in The Admiral District has a heads-up for fellow businesspeople:

I had an attempted break-in last night (luckily they failed), and I just wanted to get the word out and warn others. I know there has been a lot of this going on, and businesses are most likely already prepared, but just a reminder to make sure no one leaves cash in their register, etc., and that this happened right in front on California. They obviously tried pretty hard, and my security camera showed that they went to great lengths, so just to reiterate their boldness.

We asked – sorry, no images of the actual burglar(s). Amber did get video of a burglar several years back that she says helped convict him – so yes, cameras can make a difference.