West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(UPDATED WEDNESDAY MORNING with new information from police)
FIRST REPORT, 10:53 PM TUESDAY: An “assault with weapons” response is on the way to 25th/Findlay – and we’re hearing from several people who say they heard multiple gunshots. Per scanner, a male victim has a gunshot wound in his upper leg. Police say they’re finding shell casings. More to come.
11:09 PM: We’ve just arrived at Delridge and Findlay – while most of the SFD response has been dismissed, a private ambulance is here. We hope to find out more from police about scanner traffic suggesting this might be related to a robbery at Hamilton Viewpoint Park in Admiral.
11:28 PM: Police are still trying to sort out what exactly happened and why it all wound up here after starting at the park in Admiral. No one is in custody so far. The victim’s been taken to the hospital and his injuries are not life-threatening. The car he was in is here at Delridge/Findlay and police are talking to possible witnesses.
11:52 PM: As pointed out in comments, there are shell casings on 25th near Puget.
Police are here too and crime tape is up (so if you’re out driving or riding at this hour, 25th is blocked).
12:46 AM: We went by Hamilton Viewpoint Park – no police cruisers with lights on, but there appeared to be an officer with a flashlight; gates were closed and not close enough for us to reach safely, so we’ll have to verify in the morning what if anything was found there, as well as whatever other details police have determined.
SIDE NOTE: While there have been other incidents involving gunfire, this is the first time someone has been shot in West Seattle since this incident near 35th and Morgan more than four months ago. One person was “grazed” in the June road-rage incident that started under the bridge.
ADDED 10:52 AM WEDNESDAY: A few additional details are in what police just posted to SPD Blotter, including the victim’s age and confirmation that shots were fired at Hamilton Viewpoint as well as in North Delridge:
Police are investigating a robbery with shots fired that took place at Hamilton Viewpoint Park in West Seattle last night.
Two men arrived at the park at 10:45 PM to meet with some friends. One of the victims got out of his car and was immediately confronted by a suspect armed with a handgun. The suspect demanded the victim’s backpack and he complied. But when the suspect demanded the victim’s belt, the victim refused. As he started walking back to his car to leave the suspect fired several shots in his direction.
The suspect then ran to a silver or bronze BMW, that was being driven by another male, and drove off southbound from the park. The victims took off after the suspect vehicle and followed them until the 5000 block of 25 Avenue SW where the suspects fired more shots at the victims’ vehicle.
One of the victims, a 19-year-old man, was struck in the leg by a bullet. Medics responded to the scene and he was transported to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
(WSB photo of police examining ‘the victim vehicle’)
The victim vehicle also sustained damage from multiple bullets.Officers flooded the area but were unable to locate the suspect vehicle.
The Robbery Unit responded and processed the scene for evidence. Detectives are still working to gather more details about the suspects—the victim described them only as a Samoan male and a white or Hispanic male both in their early 20s. Police are also investigating the nature of the meeting between the suspects and victim.
Out of the WSB inbox this morning, from TW:
I discovered my car stolen from my apartment’s off-street parking last night near Westcrest Park. It’s a black 1996 Honda Accord, license plate ALM 8630, with some distinctive damage on the right rear end (corner dented above the tail light). Please let me know if you see it around anywhere; the last time a car got stolen, a WSB tipster led the police to it. Would be great if you guys could do the same again!
If you do see this or any other stolen vehicle, please call 911 first, and then an FYI here would indeed be great.
One year after 38-year-old Admiral resident Duane Atwood‘s arrest, he has pleaded guilty and been sentenced in one of the two cases against him – indecent exposure and failure to register as a sex offender. Making a periodic check of the files, we discovered Atwood was sentenced last Friday. He pleaded guilty in connection with an incident in July of last year on Beach Drive near Cormorant Cove Park, in which he called out a question to a woman who was walking by his vehicle, then exposed himself when she approached to reply. The victim got his license-plate number, which eventually led investigators to Atwood. They subsequently discovered he had moved back to the area four years earlier without re-registering as a sex offender as he was required to do because of a 2000 conviction in another West Seattle case, an arson/burglary incident found to have been committed with sexual motivation.
Last Friday, Superior Court Judge Judith Ramseyer sentenced Atwood to one year for the indecent exposure/failure-to-register case, as recommended by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Though he has already been in jail longer than that, he remains there because of an unrelated charge filed five months after his indecent-exposure arrest. We reported on that case last December, when he was charged with felony harassment, accused of repeatedly calling an acquaintance in the middle of the night in 2012 and 2013, progressing from sexual innuendo to threats of rape and murder. The online court docket says he was scheduled for trial in that case later this month, but the date’s been postponed to October.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports this morning:
ANOTHER STOLEN VAN: Both vans stolen last week and reported here were spotted and returned to their owners; maybe you’ll be the one to find the van taken from Staci‘s home:
Our gray 2004 Toyota Sienna was stolen last night from the street in front of our house, 21st & Roxbury, between the hours of 12:00 am – 8:00 am. License plate 660 XPY.
If you see it, call 911.
MORE STOLEN PATIO FURNITURE: From a Highland Park resident:
My Pier 1 Bird cage hanging chair with a beautiful flower woven into the back was stolen with the turquoise cushion attached last night around midnight. My dogs barked and they chased something that I thought was a raccoon. It must have been the people stealing the chair. It was out of view and I didn’t check around because I thought they were chasing an animal and called them back in. My house is on the 9000 block of 13th Ave SW.
That’s the second stolen-patio-furniture report we’ve published in recent days. Meantime, as we finished this, we just got word of this theft:
STOLEN BOAT: From Marlo:
*Stolen boat out of Jack Block Park.*
We last used it three weeks ago. It’s a 22-foot Four Winds. We were headed out today to volunteer our boat for a family camp in Olympia to give tubbing rides to the kids when my husband noticed it was not there.
In West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
POLICE INVESTIGATE GUNFIRE REPORTS: Thanks to those who texted us (206-293-6302, any time) about possible gunfire heard in the past hour in the Roxhill/Westwood area, and then the ensuing police response. We found officers investigating at 27th/Roxbury; they had not yet found any evidence of gunfire, such as shell casings or property damage, nor were any victims reported, so far. Witnesses reported a red car might have been involved, and police are investigating that. We’re continuing to check back on what if anything they’re finding.
From the WSB inbox:
STOLEN CAR: From Margaret in Highland Park:
Our car was stolen out of our driveway last night some time between 10 pm and 8 am on 13th Ave SW between Trenton and Henderson. It is a purple 2014 Honda CR-V AWD. South Carolina license plate KIR 919. Police report has been filed this morning.
Please call 911 if you see it.
ATTEMPTED CAR THEFT: From Todd and Amy in Seaview:
We know we are late to report but someone tried to steal our 2002 Dodge minivan last Wednesday night/Thursday morning. It was parked in the alley between 41st & 42nd Ave SW and Graham (just north of Morgan Junction). I came out Thursday morning 8/13 to find the car had been ransacked, the ignition switch lying on the floor and a hole in the steering column.
Looks like the anti-theft device did its job. Apparently they didn’t want our old cassette tapes, CDs or wetones. Why they wanted an old mom van is beyond me. This little incident is going to cost over $1500 bucks to repair. I suspect since they couldn’t get our car started they went and got Ray’s van instead (which sounds like it wasn’t too far away from ours). A police report was filed Thursday morning.
STOLEN BIKE, FOUND BIKES In addition to filing a police report if your bicycle is stolen, please let us know – lately we are receiving an increasing amount of reports of bicycles discovered, abandoned, and while we are advising the finders to report police know, you might be able to get it back sooner if there’s a match here. So far this weekend, we have a report of a bike theft at an apartment building in the 3000 block of 63rd SW in Alki, with another bicycle, a black Schwinn, abandoned nearby and tagging found on a railing; also a Schwinn bicycle (color unspecified) abandoned behind a building at Delridge/Andover; and a blue Trek bike found in an unspecified area of West Seattle.
ADDED 2:41 PM – FOLLOWUP: Thanks to a reader for finding Ray‘s stolen van, reported in Crime Watch on Thursday night. She called 911 last night after reading the report here and connecting it to the van that had turned up on her street near Morgan Junction – and Ray confirms today that police contacted him last night to say it had been found. (The other stolen van in that CW roundup also was found, as updated there.)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 8:40 PM: Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports tonight:
STOLEN PICKUP TRUCK AND TRAILER: Stolen from 17th SW & SW Trenton in the past 24 hours, Jim reports: A 1-ton Dodge Ram Extended Van, white over gray, towing a square red trailer, “with a point in front and diamond plate and a drop door in the rear.” Call 911 if you see or have seen it.
(Friday morning update: Jim says the van and trailer have been found, not far from where they were stolen, with two appliances missing from the trailer. He also says thanks to everyone who helped look!)
CAR PROWLED, AGAIN: For the second time this week, Kerry‘s vehicle has been broken into, near 40th and Oregon, and at least one neighbor, too:
My Explorer was prowled again last night. Lost my work clogs, pants, emergency air pump, first aid kit and emergency food and water. (I know it seems silly to have all of these things in my vehicle but I’m on the road a lot for work.) It looks like they went in through the driver’s door. My neighbor also had his car prowled and we have both filed police reports. He heard the prowler at 2 am and chased him. He was able to give a good description and recover some of the items stolen from his vehicle.
ADDED 9:38 PM: Since we published this an hour ago, we’ve heard from Ray, who also is a victim of auto theft:
My white 1996 Plymouth Voyager was stolen from its off-street parking spot in Morgan Junction last night. Lic WA AON8275
Again, call 911 if you spot a stolen car – don’t get close to it, police advise, since there’s no way to know the thief/thieves’ whereabouts.
Two followups tonight on robberies covered in West Seattle Crime Watch over the past five days:
ROBBERY SUSPECT IN COURT: The 22-year-old man arrested Tuesday afternoon in connection with a robbery hours earlier remains in jail tonight; a judge set his bail at $15,000 during a hearing in a jailhouse courtroom this afternoon. Probable-cause documents say the robbery started as a shoplifting incident; the man allegedly walked out of the Charlestown/California 7-11 without paying for a container of Muscle Milk. A store employee, who told police the suspect is known as a “chronic shoplifter” at that 7-11 and two others, followed him out and confronted him a few blocks away, in the alley on the east side of California/Spokane, telling him to return the beverage. At that point, the employee told police, the suspect pulled out a fixed-blade knife and swung it at him, at which time the employee retreated and the suspect ran away. As we mentioned in Tuesday’s report, a surveillance photo was circulated to police, and about two hours after the incident, Officer Sara Mulloy spotted the suspect walking toward and into the West Seattle PCC; backups were called, and the suspect was arrested.
He’s due back in court Friday. The police report says his “last known address” was in Tukwila but that he is currently “living in his vehicle on the streets in West Seattle.”
SATURDAY BANK ROBBERY: We’ve finally obtained more details on Saturday’s robbery at Umpqua Bank in The Admiral District, the first bank robbery in West Seattle in more than a year. The incident report adds a little more to what we reported Saturday: The robber first came into the bank and said he wanted to open an account but had to wait for his wife. He sat down in the bank’s coffee area and made a call on his cell phone. After all the other customers in the bank were gone, he walked up to a teller and passed a note demanding money. The report says a customer came in and the robber, apparently startled, ran out, and was then seen, as we reported on Saturday, getting into a champagne-colored 4-door car; it was last seen headed southbound on 42nd SW. The robber is described in the report as a Samoan man in his 40s, heavy muscular build, full head of shaggy hair, gray goatee, tattoo on the left side of his neck, white shirt, jeans.
We’re still working on a followup to Tuesday’s robberies. In the meantime, reader reports on four overnight incidents:
DELRIDGE BURGLARY: We’ve received a few notes today about a 5 am-ish police search at West Ridge Park in the 7900 block of Delridge Way SW. A reader tells the story, and then some:
Tuesday morning at about 530 am, I walked to the recycling bin in our town home complex (Westridge Park Apartments) when we were walking out the door to go to work. I saw this guy come down the hill between the our building and the next building over. He gave me the creeps, so I walked faster back to the car. Our dog started barking from the window overhead. I didn’t reprimand her. I actually said, “good job.” My fiance and I headed to work and debated the whole way about whether we should have called the cops or not.
Tuesday evening our neighbor told us to make sure we lock our doors because he was robbed that morning. A guy just walked in our neighbor’s back door and started taking things. Unplugged his phone next to his bed while he was sleeping. Made several trips in and out before our neighbor’s roommate woke up and gave chase. The robber dropped a good amount of loot but made off with a backpack full.
Today about 5 am we woke up to police in our backyard yelling at some guy in the back yard to “Get on the ground!” Apparently that guy, or his buddy, came back for round two and was on his way out with a new purse. There were 4 or 5 police vehicles in the front and some officers patrolling the back yard. I’m thankful for the SPD today.
EGGING SMASHES WINDOW: This photo and report are from Paula:
At about 4:55 am while my husband was getting for work, he heard a crash and ran into the living room to see a huge hole in our front bay window – it’s bigger than a basketball. Our son heard it as well and came running down stairs then outside to look for the culprit. They both were looking for a rock, but it turned out to be an egg. Our house is old (1911), so it’s single-pane glass, but it still had to be thrown with great force for the egg to travel right through the window, blinds, the living room and into the dining room. Anyone know a good furniture/area rug cleaner? That egg flew everywhere. I reported this to the SPD non-emergency line.
(Neighborhood not mentioned – we’re checking.)
Finally, two car prowls in the Junction vicinity, one to the south, one to the north:
CAR PROWL #1: “My car was prowled last night, 41st and Hudson. Nothing taken, but I filed a police report, called my insurance and credit card companies, just in case the information on my registration or insurance card is used for future ID theft.”
CAR PROWL #2: From Kerry at 40th SW & Oregon: “My 97 Ford Explorer was broken in to in the alley behind my home overnight. WA State Vehicle Registration, insurance card, Skittles and sunglasses stolen. I did file a police report. The vehicle was locked and it looks like they went in through the driver’s side door.”
ORIGINAL TUESDAY NIGHT REPORT: For the second time today, police are trying to solve a robbery. They’re reported to be looking for four boys, around 14 years old, who robbed the California/Andover mini-mart. One showed a gun. They were last seen southbound on California. No other description so far – more as we get it. (11:48 pm) No police left at the scene when we got there; at this point we won’t likely be able to find out more until morning.
ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: The narrative from this incident finally has appeared on the SPD website. From the report (“V” refers to the victim, the store staffer who was on duty):
V/ stated he was
working at the listed location when 4 juveniles entered the store. He described them as 2 black males and 2 Hispanic males, all of them approximately 15 years old. V/ described the juveniles as follows: Suspect 1/HM, 15yo, 4’10”, black hair, buzz cut, and wearing a jacket around his waist. Suspect 2/BM, 15yo, red hat, black T-shirt, black pants. Suspect 3/BM, 15yo (No additional information at this time). Suspect 4/HM, 15yo (No additional information at this time).V/ observed the suspects take several candy products off of shelves and place them inside their pockets and clothing. They then walked past the open pay counter and out the front door, without paying. As they did so, V/ approached the suspects and said “Hey, put back the candy”. As he said this, S/2 stood between V/ and the other suspects and pushed him out of the way. S/1 then reached towards his front waist and said, “We have a gun!”. V/ was afraid S/1 would use the weapon and disengaged from the suspects, letting them leave. As the suspects exited the store, S/1 told V/ he would shoot him “if he tried= something”. The suspects were last seen headed southbound on California Av SW.
The threat of a weapon (none was actually seen) is what turned this from shoplifting to robbery.
(Robbery report updated 4:40 pm with suspect being taken into custody)
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports this afternoon:
(Photo from Scott)
SEARCHING FOR A ROBBER – UPDATE – SUSPECT IN CUSTODY: (Original report, 2:16 pm) Thanks to the tipsters who texted about a police search that’s continuing right now in the California and Spokane area. SPD media relations confirms they’re looking for someone in connection with a street robbery. They don’t have details yet on the exact circumstances of the robbery, not even whether a weapon was involved, but we do have this description of the robber: White man, mid-20s, scruffy beard, black hat with white “insignia,” gray T-shirt, dark zip-up vest, dark pants, dark shoes. If you have any information, please call 911. We’ll update this with anything more we find out – we have a crew on the way to try to get more information. (2:56 pm – No other details so far.) …
3:55 PM UPDATE: A suspect has been located and is in custody – more details to come.
4:40 PM UPDATE: Just back from the arrest scene – the West Seattle PCC (WSB sponsor). The suspect was being cuffed in the parking lot as we arrived:
(WSB photo by Tracy Record)
What we’d heard on the scanner preceding this – A photo of the suspect, apparently from a surveillance camera, had been circulated. One officer spotted him in the PCC/WSHS vicinity. He went into the store. Police converged. They found him in a bathroom. We’re still working to find out more details of the original incident itself, and will also be checking on the suspect’s status.
(back to original report) Meantime, the robbery call came in just as we had finished writing a separate Crime Watch report about a burglary early today – so read on for that:
Thanks to a kindhearted WSB reader, little Corliss has a sign again.
Backstory: Last Thursday’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup included his dad’s report that someone made off with the street sign they’d bought from the city in his honor – and while the stolen sign is still out there somewhere, the family has a new sign, and reason to take heart. The photo and update are from Corliss’s dad Justin:
Thank you for posting our issue. A nice West Seattle-ite read the blog and came up with a new Corliss sign. His father passed away in January; while cleaning out the garage, he found a Corliss sign. It feels good to live in a community as kind as West Seattle!
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:
(WSB photo, April 2013)
VERDICT IN CHARLESTOWN/AVALON SHOOTING: More than two years after two men were shot in an exchange of gunfire during a robbery attempt at Charlestown and Avalon, the would-be robber has been found guilty of two charges, first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, according to King County Superior Court documents. Juan Garcia-Mendez was 19 years old when he shot, and was shot by, then-27-year-old Rick Powell, who he targeted while Powell was taking a break during a driving-for-hire shift. Garcia-Mendez had gotten out of prison in Yakima just four days earlier, and that fact represented “special circumstances” in the verdict. Powell was a musician as well as a driver, and friends and fans organized multiple benefits during and after the two-plus weeks he spent in the hospital. Garcia-Mendez is scheduled for sentencing on September 11th; he’s been in jail since the day after the shooting in April 2013. (Thanks to the tipster who let us know about the verdict; the case had so many delays over the two-plus years, it had fallen off our watch list.)
BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: Photo and report received via text (206-293-5302 any time) today:
As we were walking back in to our apartment building this morning, we noticed that the doorknob had been damaged and that there were fresh scratches on the metal guard. It looks like someone tried to pry their way into our building overnight. People in the area should make sure they’re keeping their doors/cars locked up! We are at Andover and California.
Yes, they reported it to police.
MISSING A BICYCLE? Photo and report e-mailed tonight by David:
Is this your bike? Abandoned on sidewalk in front of my property near the intersection of Frontenac and 47th…still there. Dropped off this morning by a sketchy looking individual.
12:27 PM: Police are investigating a bank robbery that happened a short time ago at the Umpqua Bank branch just north of Admiral Safeway. Scanner traffic indicates the robber gave tellers a note; no weapon was seen. We only have a partial description so far – dark shirt, jeans, multi-colored bag, last seen walking south on California SW, might have then gone on to a 4-door champagne-colored compact car. If you have any information, call 911.
1:07 PM: No word of an arrest yet; no additional descriptive information, either, but we’re trying. Checking our archives, this is the first West Seattle bank robbery in more than a year; last one was north of The Junction in May 2014.
From the WSB inbox: Jim hopes you will keep an eye out for his dark green 1995 Saab 900S, stolen in front of his house in the 4000 block of 47th SW Thursday morning around 1 am. Plate includes the letters YLC. If you see it, call 911.
Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
BAIL INCREASED FOR VANDALISM SUSPECT: We reported early Wednesday on 31-year-old Yonas Berhane, arrested near California/Raymond after allegedly vandalizing at least 10 vehicles and harassing/threatening people. At a hearing this morning in a King County Jail courtroom, Berhane’s bail was increased to $10,000, and additional charges were filed, according to the docket – he now faces two charges of harassment and eight charges of vandalism. He is due back in court on August 17th.
TODDLER’S STREET SIGN STOLEN: You wouldn’t expect to see a street sign for Corliss Avenue in West Seattle – it’s way up by Northgate. If you do, it might be the one Justin is looking for:
Last night, someone walked off with our decorative street sign (purchased from the city of Seattle). Our son shares the name.
It happened in the southeast Gatewood area. If you find/see it … let us, and police, know!
1:37 AM: Several people have asked about a police response in the California/Raymond vicinity. Here’s what we know so far: Police are investigating vandalism that damaged multiple cars. They were dispatched after what one texter described to us (similar to what was mentioned in the dispatching) as “yelling and smashing sounds.” They found multiple vehicles with damage including broken side mirrors, and were questioning one suspect at last report. We will follow up later this morning.
9:14 AM: We went down after it got light this morning to see if any of this damage was visible; above, two photos. We also are obtaining the report narrative from SPD and will add details when we have that.
9:54 AM: We now have that report, which notes at least 10 damaged vehicles, along California SW and in an apartment-building parking lot. The suspect is 31-year-old Yonas Berhane, who was arrested and cited – which means charged, in the Municipal Court system, which is why we are identifying him – with property destruction and harassment. As one commenter reports, the initial call to police said the vandalism was accompanied by yelling and screaming with threats to “murder people.” Police found Berhane walking northbound on California north of Raymond and say he appeared intoxicated. Someone told officers they had asked Berhane if he was OK and that he responded by threatening to shoot them and used both hands to “mimic … shooting guns, all the while shouting ‘blap blap blap’ (as in gunfire).” The King County Jail register shows he is still in custody, with initial bail at $2,000.
2:36 PM: Berhane is currently scheduled for a court appearance at the jail tomorrow morning. His record dating back to age 17 includes mostly misdemeanors, including theft and assault, but also a 2009 case that combined felony charges in multiple cases in South King County, including the theft of a car from a hotel parking lot near Sea-Tac; the car’s owners, according to the charging documents, had been staying at the hotel because their house burned down. He struck a plea bargain and was sentenced to two months.
Two quick West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
MAIL THEFT: Thanks to Leanne for reporting mail theft along 40th SW in Arbor Heights. “Neighbors found a couple envelopes and a birthday card in the ditch.”
RECOGNIZE THIS BICYCLE? Abandoned bicycles often turn out to have been stolen, so if you know someone missing a bike:
Katy sent the photo after spotting the bicycle in shrubbery along SW Thistle west of California SW in Gatewood, where it’s been for at least a day. (The only bicycle theft on the Seattle Police crime-reports map for the past week happened Saturday night in the 9200 block of 17th SW, but others could be in the online-reports queue and not showing up on the map yet.)
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight. First one is a reader report from Chris, who hopes that you will be on the lookout for these items stolen by car prowler(s):
At about 8:20 this (Sunday) morning, a purse was stolen from a car on 108th and 35th Ave SW. It had a wallet and a phone (white LG with cover). The purse was a gold cloth purse with a design and a shoulder strap. The wallet was a gold leather. If you see these in the bushes or somewhere, we would love to get them back.
The car prowl has been reported to police. According to the SPD crime-report map, seven car prowls were reported in West Seattle between Tuesday and Saturday (the most recent period mapped):
BURGLAR WHO LEFT A CARD BEHIND: This one is from a police report with narrative now accessible online, from a burglary in the 2600 block of 46th SW last Sunday.
Just published on SPD Blotter:
Detectives are asking for your help finding a man who attacked a girl late Wednesday night.
A 15-year-old female was walking along 14 Ave. SW approaching SW Cambridge St. at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday when a Hispanic male in his mid 40s grabbed her from behind, tried to cover her mouth, and began pulling her toward a parked SUV.
The girl screamed, alerting two witnesses who stopped to help. The suspect fled to his waiting blue SUV, possibly a newer Jeep, with a plate beginning in “A,” and sped off, leaving the girl behind.
Detectives are now requesting your assistance in finding the suspect. Witnesses said the suspect is heavyset, five foot eleven, and was wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt. If you have any information in this case, please call (206)625-5011 and speak with officers.
Just found out about this via a late-night note from the victim, who is an 18-year-old employee at a Westwood Village business. She says this happened outside the WWV Starbucks:
While I was on a 10-minute break, having a cigarette, a man who was also smoking slowly approached me and sat down on the bench I was sitting on. He made small talk, i.e. how are you, “it’s smoke:30 huh?”. I responded politely and then looked away from him and paid attention to my phone. I was sitting there for about 5 minutes when he leaned down, put out his cigarette, turned to me and said, “Have a nice day.” I turned to respond to him and immediately saw that he was holding his completely exposed penis in his hand. He then got up and walked away immediately while adjusting himself. I went inside and the incident was reported to both Westwood security and the SPD.
The man was probably in his 30s, a white male with short brown hair of average height and build – probably around 5’9″ or so. He had been wearing a yellow button-up shirt and shorts; his eyes were covered by dark sunglasses. I had never seen him before and am obviously in the area often. I assume he had planned this out due to his clothing and sunglasses.
I just want to get the word out because there are many young people who spend time in Westwood Village and I don’t doubt that this man would do this again.
She didn’t say what time this happened so we’re following up to ask, and will add that information when we have it. SPD’s Tweets by Beat (which you can browse on our Crime Watch page) show a lewd-conduct report in the area, time-stamped 10:45 pm, but that might only indicate the time the report was processed.
7:27 AM UPDATE: It happened around 7:30 pm Friday.
A West Seattle Crime Watch reader report from “North Admiral Resident“:
I came from vacation to find my home had been broken into. They stole all my jewelry and my ex-husband’s old wallet, otherwise nothing else seemed to be disturbed.
Just a note, ladies – make sure you increase the amount for your jewelry or itemize and take out separate policies with your homeowners insurance.
Vintage pieces from my grandmother, filigree white gold and diamond rings, a yellow gold and amethyst necklace and a scarab bracelet, were among the things stolen. While not the most expensive pieces, they are the ones that tear at my heart.
This happened sometime between July 20-28th. If anyone has any clues, please comment.
The Seattle Police online crime-report map shows nine burglaries reported in West Seattle in the past week – including three each in the greater Admiral and Fauntleroy areas:
Jeff lives in north Gatewood and has found car-prowl loot discarded near his house before. He’s been able to reunite items with their owners before … but this time he’s not having luck and asking if you know whose things these are:
I found some things hidden behind a bush off of the alley behind my house that I believe are unwanted items from a car prowl. The items include some clothing, a drawing book, and a CD case that must have 20 or 30 CDs in it.
The book and the clothing probably aren’t worth much but the CDs would have some value. Judging from the drawing book I am guessing that it is all from a young person. There is a name in the drawing book … I could not find a person by that name in West Seattle but then a young person might not show up. There are also some dates from March and then the 4th of July so the items are probably from a recent event. I would like to return the items to the owner if they want them.
We advised him to notify police, but in the meantime, if the owner comes forward, he’d still be able to return the items.
Six recent reader reports in this round of West Seattle Crime Watch. First, if you heard any of Friday night’s loud “booms,” here’s the result of one:
MAILBOX BLOWN UP: When we got a text asking about an explosion heard in Seaview Friday night, we had just heard the same thing at HQ east of Lincoln Park. Sounded like the typical summertime illegal “firework” explosive. Saturday morning, our tipster went out and found the remains of a mailbox along 45th SW and sent the photo.
Ahead, two more vandalism reports, a package thief and shoplifter caught on camera, and a case of suspected casing:
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