(WSB photo – Jacob Kokko, defense lawyer, prosecutor in court)

1:10 PM: As first reported here last week, serial arsonist Jacob Kokko has pleaded guilty to three charges – one, reduced as part of a plea bargain – and is being sentenced today. We’re in the courtroom of King County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell and will chronicle the hearing live as it happens.

Kokko has been in jail since his arrest almost five months ago. The recommended sentence is for the time he has served – which is almost as long as the maximum possible penalty, given that he has no criminal record.

His lawyer told the judge, “He’s a good kid, you’re not going to see him again … He was crying for help, and he’s going to get the help that he needs.” His lawyer says Kokko will be responsible for getting that help.

He spoke briefly at the judge’s invitation and said this was a “turning point” in his life and that he is aware that this will affect the rest of his life. (We have his full statement on video and will add it when back at headquarters.) He said he would be going back to college, where he has two years’ credit and was majoring in psychology.

Judge Ramsdell is going along with the recommended sentencing so far, a suspended year – provided he stays out of trouble – in jail, plus as-yet-undetermined restitution, 50 hours of community service, and credit for jail time served otherwise (147 days total), meaning he will be going free shortly.

While details of the crimes were not discussed here in court, documents indicated Kokko, 22, had acknowledged setting four fires – outside the Senior Center and Hamm Building in The Junction on Halloween night, outside a house on his block in High Point earlier, and the 35th/Morgan bus-stop fire caught on the surveillance video that led to his arrest – but denied involvement in the others that were suspected to be part of the same spree.

1:26 PM: No one else has spoken at the hearing other than Kokko, the lawyers, and judge – no victims, no family members – and it’s now over (after many mostly silent moments of paperwork-signing), with the judge saying “Good luck to you, sir” and a deputy re-handcuffing Kokko to return to jail (processing for release usually takes at least a few hours).

Three reports in tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup:

CHURCH BURGLARY: Thanks for the tips. Another non-residential Junction break-in – what was on the Tweets by Beat log as a “commercial burglary” reported Tuesday morning in the 4100 block of 42nd SW was a break-in at Holy Rosary Church, according to police report details we were finally able to obtain today. The report says someone got in through a window and stole items including cash and credit cards, but left behind “evidence” that police have collected and are following up on.

TIRE SLASHING: John reports from North Delridge:

I just want to let you know that several cars including one of my own had their tires cut last night. All the cars were parked on 28th Ave SW across the street from The Dragonfly Pavilion Park Between Yancy and Nevada. I have heard this is a growing problem in West Seattle.

PROWLER ON VIDEO: From the Shorewood/Arbor Heights area:

I wanted to send you a video I caught (Tuesday) at my house of a prowler. We had numerous packages stolen last week and set up this camera.

Nothing was stolen (so far as) we can tell.

The area the man is seen walking into, and emerging from, leads to and from the house’s side yard and backyard. A police report is filed – #2016-108242 – if you have any information.

Thanks for the tips and reports – 206-293-6302 text/voice if urgent, editor@westseattleblog.com if not – as long as you have already called 911/SPD!

Four notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:

SEEN THIS STOLEN CAR? Susumu e-mailed Tuesday to say his silver 2-door 1997 Honda Civic stolen from the apartment parking lot at 6901 Delridge late March 19 or early March 20, plate AYL1636, is still missing. Call 911 if you see it.

SHOPLIFTING CASE #1: Two shoplifting suspects who police say had fled the RiteAid store south of The Junction wound up crashing at 41st and Brandon Tuesday evening.

At least one person was in custody – we had to break away from the scene to go to the 15th/Henderson crash so that’s all we know so far.

SHOPLIFTING CASE #2: Mike from Sound Advice (the Verizon store in The Junction) reports two iPhones were shoplifted on Tuesday while the store was full of customers. The two shoplifters were caught on HD video that is already in police hands, he says.

HIT-RUN: Shelly sent word of this last night:

Everyone keep a lookout for a red/maroon sedan with substantial front end damage. Saturday at about 6 am, it bumped into my neighbors cars, then smashed into my car and took off. They hit my car so hard it jumped the curb and caused substantial damage. The police have pieces of their car as well as descriptions of the people/car, but any leads would be super helpful. This happened on 30th between Myrtle and Othello.

Thanks for the tips and reports – 206-293-6302 text/voice if urgent, editor@westseattleblog.com if not – as long as you have already called 911/SPD!

Today’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup starts with a message to (and picture of) a toy thief:

TOYS TAKEN: The message accompanying that photo:

To the fine gentleman in the tan Kia Sorrento who stole all of my kids’ toys from my front porch on Atlas Place at 11:30 am on Sunday morning: Just a quick suggestion before you play with the red fire truck in particular – give it a good scrubbing. My neighbor’s pomeranian recently mistook it for a fire hydrant.”

ARE THESE YOURS? Sarah‘s car was prowled – and somebody else’s stuff was left behind:

Hi, I came home last night around midnight and found my car door open, with someone else’s black purse and a pair of shoes in the front seat. I assume I interrupted a car prowler who ran off when my uber pulled up. I’d like to try returning the items to their owners, I live on 24th and Cloverdale and assume they came from nearby.

Missing a purse and/or shoes? Let us know.

Also over the weekend:

7-11 ROBBED: Another armed robbery at the South Delridge 7-11. We just talked with SPD to get a few more details, after seeing it on the Tweets by Beat log. It happened around quarter till midnight on Saturday night; the clerk at the store was held up by a man and woman with a gun. They made off with cash and cigarettes. A K-9 team helped officers search but they didn’t find the robbers.

And a followup:

STOLEN CAR FOUND: A comment on our Friday report about a car theft in The Triangle says it was found over the weekend in Federal Way.

We hope you *never* have anything to share for Crime Watch – but if something does happen, once you have reported it to police (911 if it just happened or is happening now), please let us know so we can keep your neighbors all around the peninsula informed – police-report/scanner info is not as readily available as you’d think so you’re the best source – 206-293-6302, text/voice 24/7, or editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports today:

CAR STOLEN FROM THE GROVE: The photos above and below are from The Grove/West Seattle Inn, where the general manager’s vehicle was stolen around 6:45 this morning.

The missing vehicle is a “white ’89 Toyota 4Runner with gray graphics on the side. There are no major modifications or noticeable body damage. The license plate is Washington State and reads (B31-606V). The Police have been contacted and have made a report.” If you have any information about the whereabouts or knowledge of a possible suspect please call 911, and GM John at 760-709-0321.

ATTEMPTED BURGLARY AT MIDWIVES’ CLINIC: In addition to the burglaries we listed in last night’s Crime Watch, we’ve heard about one more, from the victims: Taylor at In Tandem Midwifery, 4522 44th SW, e-mailed to report: “Someone tried to break into our office the night before last. … Our incident occurred at our back door, from inside the secured apartment building. They didn’t get in, which is lucky for us as they would have been terribly disappointed and more likely to cause damage. … We don’t keep an patient data, meds or valuables in the office so we aren’t really sure why we were targeted.”

(Reader photo, courtesy Aaron: October arson outside Senior Center)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After 4 1/2 months in jail, West Seattle serial arsonist Jacob Kokko has pleaded guilty – and could go free as soon as he’s sentenced.

A plea bargain sent him to court on Thursday to admit to three crimes, one a lesser charge than the original ones filed, according to court documents we found during a routine check online early today.

(WSB photo: October arson outside Hamm Building)

Kokko, 22, was arrested last November and charged in connection with three October arsons – two in The Junction, outside the Senior Center and the historic Hamm Building (home to businesses including Easy Street Records, Twilight Gallery, and Alaska Street Tattoo Parlor), and one outside a house on the same block in High Point where he lives.

The charges at the time were second-degree arson (a Class B felony), and second-degree reckless burning and third-degree malicious mischief (both gross misdemeanors). In the plea bargain, the first charge – related to the Senior Center fire – was reduced to first-degree reckless burning (a Class C felony); the other two remained the same.

Kokko, who has no prior criminal record, was arrested after a series of arsons including those fires unnerved West Seattleites for weeks. He has never been charged in the other fires during that same time period – police say he confessed to one fire in which he was not charged, the bus-stop arson on Morgan south of 35th on October 12th (shown on the surveillance video that led to his arrest), but denied any involvement in the October 18th Sylvan Ridge car arsons, the October 19th High Point rental-office waste-bin fire that did more damage in a later flareup, or the October 21st 40th/Morgan recycling-bin fire.

As for the potential penalty:

The recommendation accompanying Kokko’s guilty pleas is for a sentence of “credit for time served” in jail, which will be almost five months by his scheduled sentencing date – that’s longer than the standard “up to 60 days” sentence for someone with no criminal record. Also recommended, a year in jail that will be suspended unless he fails to make it through a year of probation. He would also be recommended for 50 hours of community restitution work and to pay monetary restitution, determined at a future date, to the victims of the four fires to which he has confessed.

The documents give no further hint of a motive; last fall, Kokko was quoted as saying he set the fires because he needed help.

Kokko is scheduled to be sentenced at 1 pm April 1st by King County Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Ramsdell.

(WSB photo: Search area on SW Henderson)

12:26 AM: An “assault with weapons” response is headed for 17th and Henderson, where a man is reported to have been stabbed.

12:32 AM: The victim is being taken to Harborview Medical Center. No suspect in custody so far, nor do we have any information on the circumstances.

12:36 AM: Medical radio communications describe the victim as a 35-year-old man with a single stab wound to the upper chest.

1:11 AM: Police are still searching for the attacker at last report – possibly a woman in her 30s.

1:29 AM: Police confirm they’re looking for a female suspect and describe this as a case of domestic violence.

8:09 AM: SPD has just announced that the victim died at Harborview Medical Center. That makes this the first homicide case of the year in West Seattle. Via SPD Blotter, police have these additional details:

On March 25th, at approximately 12:20 am, officers responded to a 911 call of a domestic disturbance in the 9000 block of 17th Avenue SW. When officers arrived, they found the victim in his car parked in the alley suffering from a stab wound to his chest. Seattle Fire Department Medics rushed the victim to Harborview, where he died from his injury.

A witness told investigators that the victim and his girlfriend had been involved in a physical altercation inside their residence prior to the victim being stabbed. The suspect fled before officers arrived.

This is an active and ongoing homicide investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Seattle Police at (206) 233-5000.

The last homicide investigation in West Seattle was a shooting death in Delridge five months ago; an arrest was made but the suspect was released and to date has never been charged. A month before that, a toddler was kicked to death in a Morgan Junction apartment and his father’s girlfriend, Alicia Goemaat, was charged with murder; she remains in jail and her case continues proceeding through the system. That September 2015 homicide case was at the time the first in WS in almost two years, since the still-unsolved New Year’s Eve 2013 shooting death of Stephen Jeffries, Jr.

ADDED 11:03 AM: As noted in comments, the SPD Blotter item has been updated with this:

SPD detectives are seeking any information that could help them locate a woman involved in this morning’s fatal domestic violence incident in Delridge. Police believe Beverly Carr, 35, is six-months pregnant and may have sustained injuries during this morning’s incident. Detectives would like to get her medical attention and obtain her statement about the circumstances surrounding the incident. If you have any information about Carr’s whereabouts, please contact Seattle police at 684-5550 or call 911.

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – we’re looking at burglaries.

GATEWOOD BREAK-IN: A burglary in the 8200 block of California SW on Thursday afternoon is reported to have been associated with this pickup truck:

The witness who reported it says “two young girls” were in the truck and appeared to have cased other houses in the neighborhood before the break-in just after 2:30 pm. If you have any information, the incident number is 16-102310.

WHERE BURGLARS ARE STRIKING: We checked the SPD police-report map to see where else in West Seattle burglaries have been reported this week – this is a screengrab of the map, sorted for burglaries only (it shows many other categories of crime if you look at it unsorted):

North to south, the icons shown correspond with these reported burglaries:
*Saturday afternoon, 2700 block Belvidere
*Monday night, 4400 block 35th SW
*Last Friday morning, 4500 block California SW
*Sunday afternoon, 4800 block Delridge Way
*Last Friday morning, 7100 block Delridge Way
*Tuesday morning, 8400 block 41st SW (reader report here)
*Saturday morning, 8800 block 30th SW
*Monday night, 9400 block 22nd SW (noted here)

ABOUT THAT HELICOPTER EARLY THURSDAY: Didn’t get a chance to mention it in the middle of the power-outage coverage, but the helicopter heard briefly over West Seattle early Thursday was Guardian One, tweeting afterward that they were checking for a Fauntleroy prowler but didn’t find anything.

Another unique stolen item to watch for: Linda Sabee‘s Little Free Library:

Linda is the proprietor of The Junction boutique Carmilia’s, and the stolen LFL (shown in her photo from its time outside her Alki-area home) has sentimental value:

My dad and son built it in honor of my mom, who was an elementary school teacher and sadly died in 2007. She was a lover of education and a huge supporter of reading, book,s and literacy.

About a year and a half ago, when I did a freshening-up of the shop, I decided to put the free library in front of Carmilia’s. It was very wel- used and a fun addition to the ‘hood and my shop.

About two weeks ago it was vandalized; someone tore it off its base. I left it on the sidewalk where it continued to be used. My dad will be returning from his snowbirding soon and I figured he and my son could fix it. Unfortunately, it was stolen last week. It really sickens me that people would treat any piece of personal property with such disrespect, but such a sentimental piece confounds me all the more.

Contact police if you have info – or Linda, who can be reached via her shop (4528 California SW).

Four reader reports in tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch:

UPPER FAUNTLEROY BURGLARY: M & K report this from 41st and Thistle:

Basement windows broken to gain access to the outside entry basement. Bedroom window forced open to gain access to main area of the house, sometime between 10 am and 3 pm today.

Our house was ransacked, drawers emptied, jewelry, silverware and electronics stolen.

Neighbors described a man in his late 50’s walking back and forth behind our house along the 42nd street side while talking on a cell phone midday.

We are also speaking with neighbors who have security cameras for footage. If anyone reports seeing something, please contact us or SPD.

PRESCHOOL BURGLARY: Who steals from a preschool? Somebody, apparently: The Community School of West Seattle 22nd/Roxbury) was broken into overnight, according to a note sent to its families. We haven’t yet procured the report nor school permission to quote the note forwarded to us by a parent, so we hope to have more on this tomorrow.

CAR BREAK-IN, SPORTS GEAR STOLEN: Kristin is asking that you be on the lookout for what was stolen in this car prowl:

My daughter’s car was broken into parked on 27th Ave SW by Chief Sealth HS today between 1:15 pm and 3:10 pm. She is certain the doors were locked, but it’s an older car, and not difficult to get into with the right tools. Stolen from the trunk were a navy blue duffel bag with her volleyball gear (shoes, knee pads, spandex, etc) and a black backpack with softball gear (new glove, cleats, batting gloves, Under Armor, face mask, etc). I would assume these items have no street value, and may have been dumped somewhere in the surrounding neighborhood. If they are found, we would be happy to know and come retrieve. It’s already cost us almost $250 just to replace the necessities to get through this week’s high school softball games.

A report is filed with police.

PROWL ATTEMPT CAUGHT ON CAMERA: From a Sunrise Heights apartment garage, a would-be prowler caught on camera:

Here we have a prime example of ‪‎Prowlus Interruptus‬, a sub-species that clings to the bottom rungs of society and attempts survival by taking things that do not belong to them.

Thankfully, I came down into the garage just in time to scare them off. Police have been notified and a case is open. Please keep your eyes open for this white Jeep in the neighborhood.

We believe this was a targeted attempt to prowl one of our residents, but there was definitely some casing of the garage going on as well.

THANKS … for sharing the reports – our peninsula is one community and crime crosses neighborhood borders; a thief who strikes in Admiral could strike next in Arbor Heights … editor@westseattleblog.com or, if it’s happening now, text/call 206-293-6302 – once you’ve called 911, of course!

P.S. We covered tonight’s well-attended West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting and will have the story up around 10 if breaking news doesn’t interrupt.

In West Seattle Crime Watch, the newest reader reports start with a stolen classic car:

STOLEN 240Z: The 45-year-old car at right has been stolen. Nick says it’s “a dark blue 1971 Datsun 240z, pretty hard to miss. It was last seen at Dere automotive at 9201 35th Ave SW. It disappeared sometime last night before dawn. I appreciate any leads I can get, and any info should be reported to SPD, it is in the system.” The car has “collector plates,” #35707.

ANOTHER CAR WINDOW: We had two Crime Watch reports over the weekend with more than a few car-window-vandalism incidents (here and here – and see the comments for more reports). We’ve since received two more reports – first, from Brian:

Just a heads up for those in Gatewood. On Saturday night/early Sunday morning, someone broke the driver’s side window of our neighbors’ vehicle on California Ave at Holden [map]. It was an older Ford Explorer.

And from Elizabeth, also in Gatewood, noticed today: “Car window smashed on Thistle Street between 37th and 39th. [map] No theft, looks like window just smashed.”

FOLLOWUP – WHAT VANDALISM CAN COST: And if you think window-breaking sounds like a petty crime, consider the note we received from the first person to report his window and car were hit more than a month ago (yet another Gatewood victim): “We finally got the car back from the body shop and the repairs were about $3600 and three weeks with a rental car, so the total cost is approaching $5,000. Did the police ever find the person responsible for this?” Not so far as we’ve heard; we have an inquiry out to the precinct, too, but haven’t yet received a reply.

BURGLARY: Artur e-mailed us today about a burglary at his home last week, 7100 block of 34th SW [map]:

I had left my door unlocked and woke up to my dog barking at somebody who had opened my door and was standing at the doorway. By the time the cops came (10 mins), the man had left. Reminder to keep doors locked even if you’re at home.

CAR PROWL: Jenny reports spotting a car prowler in progress at 36th and Brandon [map] early today. Police responded but the suspect had fled in this case, too.

NEXT CRIME/SAFETY MEETING: As previewed here earlier today, the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meets tomorrow (Tuesday) night at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), 6:30 pm. All welcome – hear from (and bring your questions/concerns to) precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis and special guest City Councilmember Lisa Herbold.

Just got another car-window vandalism report – from Stacie on Puget Ridge:

Our car window and one of our neighbors’ car window were busted out this evening. 3-19 between 7:30 and 9:20.

We are on 16th Ave SW not too far from the college. We have filed a police report but also thought it would be good to let our community know.

This follows multiple reports from Admiral and points just south, published in Crime Watch this morning, plus secondhand mentions from Sunrise Heights and North Delridge. Call 911 fast if you see/hear something happen, to increase the chances whomever’s doing this will be caught before somebody gets hurt.

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.