West Seattle, Washington
24 Wednesday
We start this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup with good news:
STOLEN CAR FOUND: Brent reported his car stolen in The Junction six days ago. Today, Kathleen posted this comment that she spotted it in her neighborhood off Beach Drive. And Brent has just confirmed, they got the car back!
CAR PROWLS: Again last night, at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (full report to come), Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis acknowledged that car prowling is at the top of the crime list in this area right now. And more happened last night, according to Janet, whose car was broken into on the 5000 block of 36th SW, with unique items taken:
GLASSES SAMPLES STOLEN
INVU Sunglasses (35 styles, 3 colors each)
Scott Harris, Michael Ryen, Cinzia,
Côte d’Azur , and DB4k ophthalmics.Keep an eye out, please. … I can replace things with insurance but I would love to help stop this repeat offender. I’m asking optical shops to ask for receipts when filling RXs for frames they didn’t sell.
She’s sure it’s a repeat offender because she wasn’t the only victim last night – she was at a local auto-glass shop for repairs this morning when two other break-in victims came in, and she saw another car on her street with broken glass this morning.
TWO STOLEN CARS: First report is from Jenica:
My car was stolen from in front of my house. It is a 1999 2-door white Honda Civic, it has Acura rims, a spoiler and a moon roof. License plate number ALF0062; there is some paint missing on the passenger side rear bumper. I’m a single mom with a really tiny income, I can’t afford to buy another car. The police said cars are often found within a few miles from the owner’s home. I need all the eyes I can get out there as I have no way to go out looking for it very far.
(update) That theft happened on Pigeon Point; we don’t yet have a location for the next theft, reported by Austin: “My car was stolen this past weekend and I would really appreciate it if people kept an eye out for it. Last I saw it didn’t have any bumper stickers or distinguishing marks other than a couple scrapes on the rear right bumper. Honda Accord LX 1991 – White. License Plate: 515-ZRH.”
BURGLARY: Jim says his neighbors’ home was broken into on Monday morning:
They are on the corner of Spokane and 56th. The burglar entered the home when no one was there, but (one resident) returned home while one person was still inside the house. They were looking for valuables and did get away with their daughter’s laptop. … There was a new white 4 door sedan parked across the street on 56th that must have been waiting. It drove up the dead end and down (Spokane), and the SPU driver (who was helping [the victim]) saw someone limp up 56th (southbound) the same direction the car went.
WATER-TOWER GRAFFITI VANDALISM: Two people messaged us about graffiti vandalism on the Charlestown water tower. We went over; it’s entirely obscene/vulgar and showing you a blurred photo wouldn’t do much, but we did contact Seattle Public Utilities to ask how soon they planned to remove it. Obscene/hate graffiti vandalism is priority for removal, spokesperson Andy Ryan says, and also reminds you of the ways to report graffiti vandalism as soon as you see it:
·Use the city’s “Find It, Fix It” smartphone app.
·Call Seattle’s Graffiti Report Line to report graffiti on public or private property, 206-684-7587—or use the online Graffiti Report Form.
·Call the Seattle Police Department at 206-625-5011 to file a police report when graffiti appears on your property.
·Call 911 to report graffiti in progress. (Graffiti vandals must be caught in the act to be prosecuted.)Private property with graffiti that has not been removed in a reasonable amount of time may be subject to fines under the Graffiti Nuisance Ordinance. Graffiti is typically removed:
·Within 10 business days for public property, within 45 to 60 days for private property.
And if you haven’t seen our earlier mentions – the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets tonight, all welcome, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
Four cases in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
STREET ROBBERY REPORT: This is happening right now – a report of a citizen held up on the street near Delridge and Cloverdale, with the robber reportedly getting away southbound in an alley. The Guardian One helicopter might be called in for the search. No other details yet; we’re working on it. (3:22 pm update) The helicopter is indeed in the area. (3:38 pm update) The helicopter is gone; scanner mentioned someone detained – we haven’t been able to find an active scene on the ground, though, but will update if we do find out more.
BACK TO ORIGINAL REPORT: And from the WSB inbox:
UPPER FAUNTLEROY CAR BREAK-IN: Car prowler(s) smashed a window to get into Erin‘s VW Bug in Upper Fauntleroy overnight but made off with nothing but Hot Tamales candy (right). She says, “I’d be less angry if I left something obvious for them to take but there was nothing to take but candy in the cup holder. Jerks!”
About a mile to the north:
MORGAN JUNCTION CAR BREAK-IN: And it wasn’t the first time, reports Eva:
Another act of vandalism to report from the night of Saturday, January 16th into the morning of Sunday, January 17th. The driver side window of my vehicle (parked in the open garage of my apartment building at 6900 California Avenue SW) was smashed in. There were no valuables in the car and it appears nothing was taken. This is the second time my car has been broken into in the span of two months. In the previous attack the thief/thieves destroyed two locks on the car and stole an assortment of mundane items from inside.
And from there, a little more than a mile east:
HIGH POINT VANDALISM: Michelle sends the photo (we’ve cropped it so as not to show the entire outsized tag on the pavement in front of the bench), noting, “This is not common in this pretty park…happened (Saturday) night.”
You can report graffiti vandalism via the city’s Find It, Fix It app, too.
REMINDER – CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TUESDAY NIGHT: If you have neighborhood concerns, questions about an ongoing situation or unsolved case, this is where you’ll find precinct leadership (and usually Community Police Team officers too) when the all-volunteer West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets, 7 pm Tuesday at the SW Precinct (2300 SW Webster). Special guest, an insurance-industry expert who’ll talk about the newest trends in how car prowlers/thieves are doing their illegal work, and which cars are currently most vulnerable. All welcome.
Reported by your neighbors around West Seattle:
BIKE FOUND – STOLEN FROM YOU, PERHAPS? Anthony found a new Novarra bicycle leaning against a fence north of Lincoln Park on Friday night, apparently abandoned, as tends to happen to stolen bicycles. If this might be yours, please e-mail him details about the color/model/accessories of the one you’re missing – anthonymedeiros1958 (at) gmail.com
HIGHLAND PARK CAR BREAK-IN: Reader report received this morning:
My husband’s car was broken into and vandalized last night. Went to bed around midnight and woke up around 8 am. Found glove-box contents strewn about the seat; a broken phone holder was stolen. We’re right across the street from Highland Park Elementary, 8600 block 10th SW.
ADMIRAL CAR BREAK-IN: From S:
Just wanted to report our car was broken into late night Saturday the 9th, possibly early that Sunday morning. They stole a mahogany Martin guitar. It was in the Admiral District off 42nd and Lander on the side of The Sanctuary. We have sent a police report, just now getting the word out as we had to leave out of town the next day.
Side note: Learn more about the newest tactics car prowlers/thieves are using, by coming to the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, 7 pm Tuesday at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
HIT AND RUN: From Jon:
Car hit and run: At around 10 am on Sunday 1/10, an unmanned parked car was hit from behind on 55th between Genesee and Dakota. The force of the impact pushed the car into the street. Witnesses saw a black 4-door Hyundai sedan drive away with something (its bumper?) dragging. I imagine there is significant damage to the front of this car. If you see a car that matches this description, please call the Seattle police. Much thanks!
ILLEGAL DUMPING INTERRUPTED: Jim reports interrupting this truck trying to “offload its contents on private property around noon Saturday in North Shorewood – pretty distinctive-looking ’90s Ford pickup:”
That’s just over the city limits line, so it’s been reported to the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports. First, from Brooke:
(At mid-afternoon today) while a contractor was on break, someone stole the tools from his truck, and kicked in the door of the house he was working on and stole the tools from inside as well. The tools were taken from the 9000 block of 14th AVE SW. He is really distressed, and just called the police after much urging from several of us on the street and him being pessimistic that they could do anything. I was hoping we could be awesome neighbors and keep our eyes peeled to see if we can reunite him with his tools. If anyone sees anything or notices someone unloading or trying to sell a large number of tools, please call the police and tell them you think it might be related to this case.
And from Heather:
I am contacting you so you can remind our West Seattle community to be vigilant about checking their mail every day. I live at on the 6000 block of California Avenue near the Morgan Junction and a row of mailboxes was broken into last night.
We found out the hard way that a new credit card had been in the mailbox: At about 6:00 (Thursday) evening, the thieves went to a gas station and then tried to buy merchandise at Nordstrom’s. For once, the fact that the card was at its limit saved us because the transaction was denied. The only way we found out was an email from Amex apologizing for not being able to complete the purchase.
I strongly urge everyone to check the balances on debit and credit cards regularly for suspicious charges. Check your mailbox every day. And keep your eyes peeled for these criminals. Something as simple as stealing mail can cause quite the headache, financial and otherwise.
And a reminder – the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council resumes its monthly meetings next Tuesday, January 19th, 7 pm at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster). Along with local police, an insurance-industry expert will be there to talk about current trends in car break-ins and thefts, in hopes the information can help reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
Someone stole Brent‘s 1996 black Honda Accord EX: “It was last parked at 42nd and Edmunds, parked next to Safeway on the street. It had a handicap placard hanging from the mirror. There was a brand-new Britax car seat (1 week old) in the back seat.” The license plate: AHF 0976. Call 911 if you see it.
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
CAR PROWLS: Two notes at midday today briefly mentioned car prowls along Beach Drive – one near Me-Kwa-Mooks Park, one in the 5900 block of Beach Drive, both involving windows that appeared to have broken in.
WHAT METHODS ARE CAR PROWLERS/THIEVES USING? Next Tuesday’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting will include a guest from the National Insurance Crime Bureau to talk about the latest methods used to get into cars, as well as “which vehicles are the most and least likely to be stolen,” according to WSCPC president Richard Miller. The meeting is at 7 pm Tuesday, January 19th, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
VANDALISM: From the Stop ‘N Shop store at the Senior Center of West Seattle in The Junction:
On December 30th, the Stop ‘N Shop sold a Pennsylvania House bedroom set for $1,500. The buyer arranged to pick the set up on January 6th. When they came to pick up the furniture, we took off the protective sheets only to discover that someone had scratched / keyed the surfaces of several pieces in the set. I believe the act of vandalism occurred (in the store) on Wednesday, January 6th, 2016. We don’t understand why someone would behave in such a manner. What we do know, is that the loss of income from this kind of crime only hurts low-income seniors who we are trying to help.
The buyer did end up accepting the damaged furniture anyway, the store notes. If you have any info, contact police.
Another police report we’ve been seeking to follow up on a recent incident became available today. This one is from the police standoff Saturday night at an apartment building north of The Junction.
(WSB photo, Saturday night)
The report says almost 50 officers ultimately were there as police eventually convinced an armed man – originally reported as having threatened self-harm – to come out of his apartment and surrender peacefully. The report says the man was booked into jail for investigation of domestic-violence assault and a gun-possession violation. According to the report, police learned during the standoff that he was a convicted felon, with a record of assault and weapons convictions in Oregon.
The report says his wife told police he was intoxicated, angry, and confrontational after going out for a walk Saturday night. She reported that he had duct-taped a handgun to his right hand, a .357 revolver that had belonged to her father and had been stored in a safe for a decade. She said he threatened to shoot and kill her and “everyone else,” pointing the gun at her, and at himself, saying he wanted “death by police.” He left the apartment with his keys and phone. She called a friend who, the report says, told her to leave the apartment and call 911. She apparently did not, but the friend did, reporting that the man had threatened his wife with a gun and might be seeking a “suicide by cop” situation. Police rushed to the area, found the man’s wife, and set up containment as well as calling for a negotiator.
Several responded, including the officer who wrote the report. He reported talking with the man’s wife and “obtained further background information on (him) that could assist negotiators in resolving this incident in a safe manner for all involved.” For those who wondered about the magnitude of the response, note that the officer wrote, “Due to the nature of the call, involving a suicidal subject with mental-health issues and with prior military-combat experience, SWAT was requested to respond to the scene,” and they decided to wait until SWAT arrived before trying to make contact with the man in the apartment. Meanwhile, they talked with his wife, who said she thought the gun was loaded, and that it had been modified to shoot single-action only.
The report added, “In an effort to resolve this incident in a safe manner, it involved a huge police response of 48 officers” – patrol officers from two watches in this area, officers from the South and East Precincts, hostage negotiators, SWAT, and the Arson/Bomb Squad.
Around 9:40 pm, the officer writing the report “rode in a SWAT armored vehicle” to outside the apartment building, where the man came out onto the balcony in a bathrobe, smoking a cigarette. They noted he no longer had a gun taped to his hand. They started talking to him and “discussed a safety plan … gave him instructions on how to walk to his apartment door and meet with the officers waiting outside.” Within five minutes, he was in custody. The report says his wife gave consent for them to search the apartment, where they found the gun, unloaded, with what “appeared to be tape residue.” We don’t know his name, so we don’t know his current status.
Ever since last week’s incident that led police to find 32 shell casings outside a house in the 5600 block of Delridge Way, we’ve been working to get the report, to see if it would include anything more on what happened or why. We finally obtained it today.
The report was written by the patrol officer who responded to what was described as five callers who “reported hearing 10 or more shots in the area” just before 1 am last Wednesday (January 6th). That included a caller who reported finding “eight bullet holes in her front and side windows.”
At that residence, the officer wrote:
The glass storm door that faces west was shattered and there was a bullet hole in the front door. The front yard on the west side of the house was littered with shell casings and there appeared to be multiple bullet holes in the north side of the house. Twenty-seven 7.62 shell casings were located in the front/west yard and driveway, along with five 9 mm shell casings and one unfired 9 mm round. The casings were strewn about the front/west yard and driveway. It appeared the shooter or shooters stood in the yard and the driveway and targeted the house. 13 holes were located in the house, including a shattered window frame in the north side of the house. Two spent rounds that appeared to have hit the yard and bounced into the cement foundation of the house were located on the ground on the west side of the house.
The resident told police she was asleep when she heard the shots, “jumped out of bed and pulled her mother out of her chair and onto the floor.” Another resident slept through it. As previously reported, no one was hurt; a witness reported that “he heard the shots, then saw 4 subjects run southbound on 23rd SW from SW Findlay and get into a dark-colored vehicle and left in an unknown direction.” (There is no description of the “subjects” nor anything more about the vehicle.) Police speculated a nearby alley might have been used as an escape route.
We have followups in the works on other recent incidents, too, but are writing them up separately. If you have concerns about this or any other neighborhood crime issues, by the way, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s next meeting – with local police in attendance as always – is one week from tonight, Tuesday, January 19th, 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct, Delridge Way SW and SW Webster.
From Hilary:
Last night someone busted our car window in. It was parked in our driveway in the alley behind Graham St., nearest cross-street 30th Ave SW. The alarm never went off, strangely. We will look at camera footage tonight. Unclear if anything of value was stolen from it yet. High Point people, be vigilant!
P.S. We checked in recently with West Seattle Crime Prevention Council president Richard Miller, who confirmed the group WILL resume meetings this month – your chance to, among other things, hear from and ask questions of local police. 7 pm Tuesday, January 19th, at the precinct (Delridge/Webster).
(Added: WSB photos)
7:52 PM: Thanks for the texts about a big police response north of The Junction. We’re just arriving in the area where police have converged, near California/Dakota. We know they’re focused on an apartment building with a possible suspect inside but we don’t yet know why. Updates to come.
7:58 PM: More police vehicles in the northbound lane of California just south of Dakota, and through traffic is having to go through the center lane to get around it. Avoid this area if you can. Police at the scene aren’t saying what the suspect is wanted for.
8:09 PM: From the scanner – the man on whom police are focused is believed to have a gun.
8:18 PM: California/Andover and vicinity is blocked off by police, so if you have to get to/through this area, take the side streets to the west – this is all happening east of California. It does appear from our vantage point, though, that diverted traffic is traveling along 42nd, including a Metro bus.
8:33 PM: We’ve finally been able to obtain information on what started this. “Person in crisis” situation – armed person threatening self-harm, according to Det. Patrick Michaud with the media-relations unit, reached by phone.
9:05 PM: SWAT officers are arriving to assist. The new “mobile precinct” vehicle (photo above) has been in the area for a while, too.
9:43 PM: Officers are in contact with the man now. Awaiting word that he’s in custody. We have a crew at the scene as well and asking them to confirm. All indications from radio traffic is that the situation is now under control. An ambulance is being brought in and police are going in to “clear the residence.”
9:51 PM: Our crew confirms that the man is out of the apartment and this has been resolved peacefully. California is going to stay closed for a while, per scanner, but Andover will be reopened soon.
10:15 PM: Our crew has just talked with a sergeant at the scene. The man was in the apartment by himself all along. California SW is likely to reopen within half an hour – right now they’re waiting for the SWAT officers to pack up and clear out.
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: As a commenter points out, when stories involve suicide or threats of self-harm, we usually include info about the Crisis Clinic, which is always there to help, including a 24-hour hotline at 206-461-3222.
Sara sends this sad sign:
She writes, “Last night someone stole a SECOND Bumble from our yard (North Admiral). This was a replacement Bumble from the one I reported stolen on Dec. 2nd. We strapped this one down pretty good…but some a–holes brought scissors and cut him down.” Seen a Bumble suddenly show up in or near your house/apartment/garage/cave? He has to be somewhere.
We finally have some information on the assault case that brought police to 15th/16th/Elmgrove/Kenyon and vicinity this morning: The reader report is from Hilari:
Today just after 11 a.m., my nephew got on the 128 at South Seattle College to return home from classes. He sat in the back of the bus and noticed a man staring at him. He didn’t think much of it in the moment.
He exited the bus at 16th SW and Kenyon. The man who had been staring at him exited just after.
Once on the sidewalk, the man approached my nephew and asked him if he wanted to get “knocked out.” Before my nephew could respond, the man punched him hard across the face and then proceeded to walk briskly south on 16th SW.
A construction worker nearby called 911. Fire and police came. My nephew’s nose isn’t broken, but he was pretty freaked out by all of the blood. Police tried to find the suspect but were unsuccessful. A case # has been filed, and I am hoping that bus cameras will be used to identify the man exiting the bus.
He was African American, mid-20s, wearing a gray beanie and either a gray or navy hoodie. He was about 5’10” or 5’11”.
If you have any information for police, the case to refer to, per Tweets by Beat, is 16-008602.
(UPDATED midday Friday with police-report narrative)
11:20 PM: Advance alert that you might be hearing the Guardian One helicopter in Highland Park – police have been searching for a man who might have a gun, in the 8100 block of 11th SW. No injuries reported but a caller had reported a possible shot fired outside a house.
11:41 PM: As discussed in comments, the helicopter is still in the area. Per scanner, the possible shot was not confirmed, but the person who was the subject of the 911 call was reported to have a gun. Police have been tracking one person from the air; it’s not clear what’s happening on the ground.
12:19 AM: In case you haven’t seen this in comment discussion – police have made contact with the man and the situation is declared to be “under control.” Sounds like they are calling Seattle Fire to come check him out for possibly being under the influence of something.
12:25 AM: It also is reported that the person who is in custody – as noted in comments, not necessarily arrested, that depends on whether police believe a crime was committed – was armed. We will follow up later this morning to see what the investigation determines.
1 AM: Guardian One’s wrapup tweet:
Assisted @SeattlePD with an armed suspect near Elmgrove and 11 Ave SW. In custody.
— KCSOAirsupport (@KCSOAirsupport) January 8, 2016
7:36 AM: The King County Jail register shows the 33-year-old man was booked for investigation of unlawful gun possession as well as for a Department of Corrections warrant related to an assault charge. Court records show he was declared ineligible for gun possession because of a domestic-violence assault conviction last fall. In that case, he was sentenced to time served in jail – 84 days – with an additional 364 days suspended. We’ll follow up to see what happens from here.
ADDED 11:12 AM: Here’s the police report narrative, which has a few more details about how this played out and what was found at the end, including a casing in the back yard of the original location, which is described as where the suspect lives. (Note: “C” stands for “complainant”; “S” is usually suspect but we also note one case in which it means subject – someone who was not a suspect, nor victim, nor complainant:
On 1-7-2016 I was working uniformed patrol as 3F33 in a marked patrol vehicle. At 2303 hours I was dispatched to a report of a shots fired at 81XX 11 Av SW. I arrived and made contact with C/XXXXXX who stated that his friend S/XXXXX who resides in a back room in his residence may have fired a gun in the back yard.
C/XXXXXX stated that he did not see S/XXXXX fire a gun he only heard the gun being fired. C/XXXXXX stated that he attempted to talk to S/XXXXX but he ran away from him across the street. He stated that S/XXXXX was mumbling something but it was unclear what he was saying. C/XXXXXX stated that he lost sight of S/XXXXX when he ran across the street.
C/XXXXXX stated that S/XXXXX then returned to the residence and that was when he observed S/XXXXX carrying a gun in his left hand. C/XXXXXX stated that was when S/XXXXX exited the residence and that was when he called 911.
When officers arrived we observed S/XXXXX walking from the rear of the residence. Officers yelled at S/XXXXX to try to get his attention, but he did not acknowledge us and walked away NB on 11 Av Sw. S/XXXXX continued to walk down the street and he went to several homes on 12 Av Sw. Officer continued to try and make contact with him, but he would not comply with any of the commands that were given. KC Guardian 1 monitored the suspect from the air and they were informing officers on the ground with updates and location of the suspect’s whereabouts. S/XXXXX was observed by Guardian 1 running NB down 12 Av SW with two dogs that were not on a leash. It was unsure what the suspect was doing with the two dogs.
Guardian 1 informed us that the suspect was walking to 79XX 12 Av SW and he was knocking on the door. They stated that the homeowner confronted the suspect through the door he stated that he was afraid that the suspect would break his glass door. The homeowner was advised to stay in his residence due to the fact that S/XXXXX may be armed with a firearm. While S/XXXXX was in the 7900 block of 12 Av SW the two dogs that were with S/XXXXX attempted to have sex or attack a dog that was walking with his owner, S/XXXX. S/ XXXX never made contact with S/XXXXX.
S/ XXXX stated that he was able to separate the dogs from fighting by kicking one of them. He stated that he was later contacted by Ofc. Heric # 7528 informed him of the incident that was going on in the area and was advised to avoid the area.
Guardian 1 stated that the suspect was just standing in front of the address knocking on the door. We were later informed that S/XXXXX was walking WB with the two dogs and we later discovered that he was actually walking EB towards 11 Av SW and SW Elmgrove where we were holding containment south of the complainant’s address.
S/XXXXX walked EB on SW Elmgrove until about mid-block and then we believed that he was behind a bush or a tree mid-block on SW Elmgrove because he was not seen by officers anymore. All of the officers at 11 Av SW and SW Elmgrove took cover and concealment while Ofc. Chang #4617 continued to give him commands to come to the intersection to talk with him.
S/XXXXX came back into view and he crossed the street and he continued walking EB towards officers on 11 Av SW and SW Elmgrove St. S/XXXXX was ordered to get on the ground, but he did not comply when officers were telling him to get on the ground. Approximately 2-3 minutes of giving S/XXXXX commands to get on the ground he finally complied and got on the ground.
S/XXXXX was taken into custody. During a search for weapons a Taurus 9mm firearm was recovered along with .40 and .380 caliber ammo. After observation of S/XXXXX it appeared that he was under the influence of narcotics. A glass pipe did fall from S/XXXXX’s hand when he was attempting to go ground,but it was undetermined what the pipe was used for or what was inside of the pipe.
SFD E #11 responded to the scene to treat S/XXXXX. There was some blood located on S/XXXXX’s clothing, but SFD performed a body search and it was determined that blood was not from S/XXXXX, but was probably from one of the dogs that were involved in a dog fight on 12 Av SW with S/ XXXX dog.
S/XXXXX was transported to HMC by AMR. Ofc. Hancock # 7653 rode in the back of the AMR with the suspect. After searching the residence of where the shot was said to the fired we located a .9mm casing that had been fired. S/XXXXX is a convicted felon and it is illegal for him to have a firearm. After S/XXXXX was evaluated and released from HMC he was booked into KCJ for Inv. Of VUFA and the D.O.C felony warrant. I would also like to request charges for 12 A.14.071 aiming or discharging a firearm. Sgt. Trinh #5433 screened the arrest.
Four West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share:
OVERNIGHT BREAK-IN: Just received from Erik:
I live on 50th and Grayson and got a call from an elderly neighbor that someone broke in through her garage this morning at 1 am while she was sleeping. She woke up to them rummaging through her dresser drawers in the room she was sleeping in. She startled them and they ran out but they had some jewelry by then. She mentioned to the police how surprised she was, that she always has felt safe in our neighborhood and they responded that this is a new occurrence that has been moving in to the area and has been happening more frequently. The neighbor next door to her was prowled at 4 am the night before. In both cases they tried going through a garage or basement door that had cover from the street or light. Just wanted to bring this up to the neighborhood. Be safe!
BICYCLE STOLEN: Another reminder that crime can happen to anyone. Even a City Councilmember. West Seattle-residing at-large Councilmember Lorena González tweeted this last night:
Help find this racing bike stolen from our garage on Monday! Call Seattle Police if you see. Thx. pic.twitter.com/2x6zSqiwQQ
— M. Lorena Gonzalez (@MLorenaGonzalez) January 7, 2016
Thanks to Joe Szilagyi for pointing out the tweet from González, who lives in The Junction.
BICYCLE FOUND: Thanks to “Northwest” for reporting this apparently dumped (which tends to mean “stolen”) bicycle on the Ferry Avenue slope:
NW says, “Discovered this bicycle while out for a walk along the top of the eastern-facing hillside about 20 feet down from the street on Ferry Ave SW. it is a mountain bike, the brand Mongoose.”
CAR PROWLED: Another one in the area between Morgan Junction and Lincoln Park:
The other day, you reported that a neighbor up the street (6300 block of 47th Pl SW) had their car windshield broken for the second time, unfortunately. We just noticed (Tuesday) night that my car had been rifled through; since it’s currently parked along the street instead of in its usual place by our driveway to allow access for some water repairs, we may not have noticed right away, so I don’t know which night it happened. I also don’t know how they got in, since the car had been locked and there was no sign of damage.
Of course as a diligent reader of WSB, I know not to leave anything of value in the car. I’m thinking of just taping a big sign inside the window: “Dear thief, please don’t waste your time breaking into this car. I’ve already taken everything of value out of it.”
Thanks for sharing Crime Watch reports to inform your neighbors across the peninsula via a website that’s accessible by all, since crime unfortunately knows no neighborhood bounds. If you ever have anything to report, tell the police first and then please e-mail us, editor@westseattleblog.com – or if it’s happening now, aka breaking news, please text/call 206-293-6302.
Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
STOLEN CAR: Katie’s car was stolen from outside her home on Genesee Hill early today, near 49th SW/SW Dakota [map]. She describes it as “a metallic tan 1999 Chevy Tahoe, license plate AKZ1671.” Call 911 if you see it.
ROBBERY: We’re requesting the police report on what’s logged as an “armed robbery” in the 4000 block of 20th SW [map] overnight. Will add details here if/when we get them. (Early Wednesday update: Commenter said it involved a taxi passenger running out on a fare. While the report wasn’t in by day’s end, so we still don’t have the narrative, SPD did confirm that, adding that no one was hurt, but a suspect was arrested. … SECOND UPDATE Wed. am – the report is in, including:
On 1-5-15 at 0234 hours, officers responded to 40XX 20 AVE SW to investigate a theft of services. When officers arrived they located the yellow cab a block to the north. The cab driver, V/XXXXX explained that he had given S/ a ride from the Capitol Hill area to this location. When he arrived, S/ reached into the front seat area and grabbed his Garmin GPS unit and smashed it on the ground. S/ tried to grab V/’s cell phone away from him as well. V/ exited his cab as S/ exited the cab. S/ then chased V/ around the cab trying to hit him. V/ is a smaller man, S/ is a very large man. S/ stopped chasing him and went inside 40XX 20 AV SW. When V/ did not immediately leave, S/ came back outside and began chasing him around again trying to hit him again. V/ was able to avoid him and get into his cab and drive to the location where police contacted him.
Police went to the house in the 4000 block of 20th SW, where the owner invited them in, and they found the suspect in a bedroom. He went outside with the officers and was identified as the suspect, and arrested. Turns out he had a warrant for domestic-violence assault too.
REPEAT VANDALISM: From New Year’s weekend, a report of someone smashing a car’s rear windshield with a rock in the 6700 block of 47th Place SW [map], “second time that this has occurred in three months.”
‘LOOT IN THE FRONT YARD’: Also over the weekend, Cara discovered what looked like “loot” dumped in her yard south of the Charlestown water tower, sometime overnight Friday into Saturday – “a duffle-type bag (that) looks like it was ransacked and left … it still has some clothes and shoes in it. The bag itself looks homemade.” Please comment if this sounds familiar.
We hope you’ll never have anything to report in Crime Watch – but if you do, once you’ve reported it to police, let the rest of your West Seattle neighbors know what happened, by e-mailing the basics to editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you.
Dateline West Seattle: The coldest Cold Case from JaroslawMedia on Vimeo.
Before Seattle Police “cold case” Detective Michael Ciesynski retires soon, he’s making one more pitch to solve what’s believed to be our area’s coldest case of all: The September 1959 murder of 62-year-old widow Pearl Kongsle, outside her home near Lincoln Park. This is a bizarre case for many reasons. West Seattle videographer Mark Jaroslaw tells the story in five minutes, above, including interviews with Det. Ciesynski and writer Daryl McClary, who wrote about the case for HistoryLink.org. (We suggest, if you’re not familiar with the case, watch the video, then read the story – and read more about the detective here.)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 3:52 PM: Two more West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon. First: Stolen cars are sometimes abandoned nearby, sometimes driven many miles, so this could be anywhere. From Kimberly:
I woke up New Year’s morning to find my beloved 1996 Nissan 240SX (lic# AFC7216) stolen from the street along Erskine Way, just west of California Ave, south of the Alaska Junction. The loss of the car is bad enough but it also contained all of my ski gear.
My car is pictured (above), parked outside of Uptown Espresso at Edmunds and California. Mine is the car in front; both cars pictured are Nissan 240SXs (or similar model) and I would like to speak to the owner of the car parked behind mine. That car is a souped-up version which showed up in the neighborhood a week or two ago but which has not been around since. If you see either car please contact me by phone at 2O6-379-6OI4 (voice or txt). The skis are Salomon Siam 10s in a 149cm length, with Salomon Z10 Ti bindings, the boots are translucent orange Tecnica Diablo Race and the poles are a blue Swix Mach Carbon. … There were also other items such as helmet, goggles and gloves.
CAR PROWLS: Meaghan reports, “Up in Pigeon point on 21st Ave Sw, two of our neighbors had their windows smashed on their cars this morning. I’m not sure if anything was stolen.” We also had a comment earlier today from PSPS on the day’s first story, reporting what looked like the aftermath of car prowls on 40th SW north of The Junction; we couldn’t find anything obvious when we went to look, but if you were a victim, please let us know so we can include in Crime Watch coverage, editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you.
ADDED 5:57 PM: From Dawn in Highland Park:
Several neighbors report license plate theft on my block. Sometime in the past several nights, someone stole the license plate off my RV parked in my backyard (not fenced to alley access). Some neighbors said they were replacing plates with different plates. Mine was not. 12th & Henderson.
Two reader reports to share – first, from West Seattle Crime Watch, car vandalism:
Vera sent the photo and reports:
Upon leaving Westwood village (Friday night) … this is what I found my car to look like. Someone walked up over the hood onto my roof, footprints visible in the frost. Apparently no one saw this happen??? I was visiting Barnes & Noble on January 1 from eight until 10 PM. I was parked right outside of Barnes & Noble and someone walks up over top of my car and crashed my windshield; I’m wondering if they have any video footage or cameras outside of Barnes & Noble . I parked a mere 12 ft from the entrance.
We suggested checking with the store, for starters – if you have any other ideas, please comment.
Next – a backpack found in the 3400 block of Walnut SW at 7 am today. More often than not, these things turn out to have been stolen from someone somewhere, but as the finder observes, this might also have fallen off a vehicle:
My wife went for a walk early this morning and found a nice black backpack in the middle of our street containing snowboarding items (boots, goggles etc.). The pack was open – in the next block North of us she found a snowboard helmet and clothing. It appears to belong to boy, and must have fallen off the roof of a car…they may be having a very bad day at the slopes :( … If anyone knows who this belongs to, they can contact Brian at 303.396.9273. There is a name on the backpack and other identifying characteristics that we will ask to verify ownership.
Two more West Seattle Crime Watch package-theft reports just in, and both include visuals of the thieves:
GENESEE HILL THIEF: The photo and report are from Angela:
Around noon today, we drove around to retrieve a package from our neighbor’s house – they were out of town and had asked us to keep an eye out because they’d been informed the package was to arrive while they were gone. When we drove around to grab the package, we witnessed a tall white male, walking down the street with a similar package, and once we confirmed the package was no longer on their front porch, we drove up next to the individual and asked him where he was going with the package. He turned right back around and said he’d put it back. We got out of the car, took the package from him and he continued to walk toward SW Genesee – then headed west up Genesee Hill. We pulled around and confronted him, told him to leave the area, and took a picture of him. It’s likely that he’s still roaming the streets – he said he felt stupid and apologized, and would not attempt to do this again. We searched the area about 15 minutes later and couldn’t find him.
Description
White Male
Roughly 6′ 2″ tall
Wearing a paperboy-style hat – gray
Black flannel-material jacket
(Average) build
Blue water bottle in hand
Either blue or green eyes, not brown
Scruffy in look – probably early- to mid-30’s in age
If you know who this is, the police report to reference is 15-450056.
LINCOLN PARK THIEF: Near Lincoln Park, a Tuesday theft was caught on video shared by the victim:
That video starts with a blue car heading right to left; forward the video to 1:28, where you’ll see someone walking into the video from the left, going down stairs, running back up with packages, and hopping into that same car, which takes off. The package’s owner explains:
On Tuesday, December 29th, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, this video shows at around 2:25 pm a Blue CRV slowly drove past our house, looked at recently delivered packages and then dropped off a thief (out of view) who stole the packages from our porch and then jumped back in the Blue CRV. Be on the look out for this guy and the car around West Seattle! A police report has been filed and any information you may have, or if you see the car and/or the man in the video, please contact Officer Jenkins, referencing incident 15-449867.
“I can’t stand that this is happening in my neighborhood. We have kids walking around. Screw these guys.” So wrote Colton Lloyd in the WSB comment that informed us he had uploaded that surveillance video to YouTube, showing the December 15th gunfire outside Seamart at 16th and Holden in Highland Park. We reported on the incident that day, while police were searching; they found shell casings outside the store, and found a possible suspect vehicle in White Center, but we had few other details until now. After seeing the surveillance video that Colton, an employee, posted, we followed up with SPD and obtained the official report, which has more details, including what officers found at the scene besides casings:
Thanks to the West Seattleite who just shared this story. They can be very convincing, or intimidating – as learned by the person whose story we published last May – but some may not be aware of this:
I thought that the residents of West Seattle might like to know that there are phone scammers (identity thieves) a’ trolling.
Around 3:30 this afternoon I received a call from someone who claimed that he was a lieutenant with the Seattle police department. He alleged that there was a warrant for my arrest, because (are you ready?) I had failed to show up for jury duty on 15 December after having been mailed a summons on December 2, 2015.
This miscreant tried to get me to give him my credit card number to pay the $800 “fine” which he informed me would be refunded to me when I appeared in court tomorrow at 3:00 PM.
Additionally, he informed me that if I failed to pay today, I would be arrested on the warrant when I appeared AND I would have to spend the New Year’s holiday in jail!
I said that I’d be sure to bring my toothbrush when I appeared tomorrow.
I was, by this time, screaming and profane. “Lt. Fred Burns” then informed me that I was failing to follow a direct order by an officer and that I could be arrested for that and because I was being so uncooperative he was going to send a squad car and the deputies would be executing the warrant immediately.
I said, “Please go for it! I’m going to go get dressed properly for my impending incarceration!” I then hung up on him!
The King County Sheriff’s Office issued a warning back in September, too.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:
RECOGNIZE THOSE BENCHES? If you do – you might be able to solve a case of illegal dumping that happened around 10:30 pm Saturday night in Westwood, on 24th SW near Thistle. Dumping is a problem in more than a few spots around West Seattle, but this time a surveillance camera caught it happening:
The camera’s owner says, “I’ve reported a lot of dumping and graffiti in the neighborhood but first time we recorded dumping live. … It’s about the 4th time dumping has occurred in that exact spot on our lot in the last 9 years.” If you have any information that might help track down the dumpers – the video’s been provided to police, too – contact them and refer to case #15-447815.
Also from the WSB inbox:
CAR PROWL: From Jeremiah in Gatewood, at 39th SW and SW Orchard:
Our Honda Element which we leave virtually empty and unlocked was gone through last night. The glove box was left open and papers were everywhere. Nothing of value is ever left in the car. It looks like several other cars on the block were hit.
STOLEN ITEMS RECOVERED: One night earlier, Collin‘s cargo trailer was broken into in the 5400 block of 48th SW, and tools were stolen. Hours later, they got some of them back, and he says this is how it happened: His wife Amber mentioned the theft on Facebook, and got a message that tools resembling theirs were spotted on OfferUp – someone in Burien was trying to sell them. Collin and Amber went to a Burien Police station and in the meantime managed to arrange to meet the sellers to see if they could identify their tools before officers moved in – Collin says they wanted to meet up in a public place but the sellers invited them to their house instead. With police following, they headed over. Almost instantly, he was shown his own pressure washer – which even had his surname written on the bottom. He relayed a message to his wife outside to have police move in, and they did. He’s not sure whether they made arrests or are compiling evidence for a wider investigation, “but all in all we recovered more than probably 99.9% of the people ever burglarized.”
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