West Seattle, Washington
05 Monday
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight:
STOLEN CAR: Rebecca‘s neighborhood in Gatewood has been hit again by car thieves. Her car was taken two months ago; we published her report, and an observant neighbor spotted the car nearby. Tonight, she says, two sisters visiting the neighborhood reported someone stole their car just feet from where Rebecca’s was taken in the 3900 block of SW Elmgrove [map]. It’s a 2009 Nissan Versa, baby blue, WA plate ending in 632, “trim near driver-side door hands loose near keyhole.” Call 911 if you see it.
DOORSTEP THEFT: In the 9000 block of 4th SW [map], Sheila reports a doorstep theft last night:
Our neighbor returned a car battery recharger he borrowed, left it on the front step at 10 pm. We have video of a man quickly walking up the front walk at about 11:20, grabbing the small pouch with the charger in it, and walking quickly away. I’ve reported to police. … The guy was wearing a hat so can’t see his face. Short, apparently dark hair is best we’ve been able to make out. Coat with bright tape (like safety jacket) and high-top sneakers.
P.S. Reminder – this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting is next Tuesday (June 21st), 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster; map).
P.P.S., ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: WSCPC president Richard Miller tells WSB that the guest on Tuesday will be SPD’s Chief Operating Officer Brian Maxey, who will be able to speak about the operations of the 911 Center, among other topics.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share this afternoon. First, posted by SPD Blotter‘s Jonah Spangenthal-Lee:
A complaint about a sleeping passenger on a shuttle bus Wednesday led police to arrest an armed felon with a stolen handgun.
Officers Michael Sudduth and Todd Wiebke boarded the bus in the 1600 block of Harbor Avenue Southwest around 3:15 PM, approached the slumbering suspect and asked him to leave. The man waved them off and went back to sleep.
Officer Wiebke once again tried to rouse the man, shaking his shoulder, but the man stirred only stirred enough to roll over onto his side, revealing a handgun in his waistband.
Officers quickly arrested the man and took his gun. Although someone had tried to destroy the gun’s serial number, officers were still able to decipher it, leading them to discover the weapon was reported stolen last year in Kent. Police also learned the suspect is a convicted felon, unable to legally possess firearms.
Police booked the man into the King County Jail for unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of stolen property.
The suspect, 28, is still in jail as of this hour; we’re checking to see if he has a bail hearing this afternoon, and will update with any additional information. (4:59 PM UPDATE: His bail is set at $75,000. His last known address, as listed on documents submitted for the hearing, was in White Center; the jail register shows this is his fourth booking in just under a year, following bookings for drug cases, an assault case, and at least one failure-to-appear warrant.)
Second, a followup to the case of the missing art, reported here last week – art that was supposed to be shipped back to local artist Rebecca Woodhouse after a California exhibit instead was labeled with someone else’s name; that person picked it up and did not respond to repeated inquiries, so police considered it theft (yes, state law says that can include misdelivered items).
Rebecca tells us finally heard from a relative of the man who picked up her art – and learned he’s been in jail since a week after the art was picked up on May 16th. This week, the detective on her case retrieved it and got it back to her; one box had been opened, she said, but the artwork was intact and undamaged.
10:03 AM: Thanks for the tips about a big police response at Cal-Mor Circle in the 6400 block of California SW. Officers responded to a report of a gunshot in the building. No reports about any victim(s) so far. But SPD confirms SWAT is being called out. We are at the scene and working to find out more.
10:16 AM: Some of the building’s residents have been evacuated. Also, police are closing off the California/Fauntleroy intersection.
10:29 AM: Avoid the area – California is blocked off between Holly and Graham, Fauntleroy about one block each side of California, and the side streets you’ll be detoured onto are mostly one lane because of parking on both sides.
By the way, if you’re seeing/hearing the helicopter, it’s TV, not law enforcement.
10:42 AM: To be clear (in response to questions in comments), there is no one “on the loose” or being sought here. Police have confirmed that the person they are focused on, who they believe fired a shot, and who they’ve apparently had contact with before, is in his apartment. Again, please stay away from California/Fauntleroy because police have it blocked off until this is resolved.
10:57 AM: The person is in custody. The roads will be reopened shortly. No injuries reported.
11:18 AM: Bus reroutes (128, C Line) also lifted. We’re still at the scene waiting to ask police a few more questions.
11:23 AM: The person who was taken into custody will be taken to Harborview Medical Center to be evaluated. Meantime, the building’s residents are being allowed back into their apartments. We don’t know yet if a gun was found.
1:44 PM: We just checked back with SPD. So far, no gun or related evidence found, but the incident “remains under investigation.” (Also, we’ve added a few more of our photos from this morning.)
Two incident reports from readers – first, from Libby:
(Saturday) at 1:45 pm, my husband, kids, and I were merging onto I-5 south from the West Seattle Bridge. We were in the merging lane when, seemingly out of nowhere, we saw a giant wooden doghouse fly out of the back of a navy blue pickup truck and bounce onto the freeway. The body of the house bounced up 8 feet into the air and then landed behind a semi truck in the middle lanes while the roof flew onto the freeway directly in front of our car. My husband attempted to swerve to avoid it but did not want to risk getting hit by oncoming traffic in other lane so was ultimately forced to drive right over the structure which caused tremendous damage to our white Subaru Outback. We pulled over at the next exit (Michigan exit) to call 911 about the debris and the possible aftermath. We were told a state trooper would call us back to get a statement. As of (late Saturday night), no call has come our way.
We never got a license plate of the driver of the truck and would like to know if anyone else witnessed this. It happened in just seconds and we weren’t fast enough to grab plates. There were several cars behind us coming off of the West Seattle bridge to merge onto I-5 south and if anyone at all has any information we would so appreciate it.
We can be reached at 206-782-9671 call/text (Jay) or by email at sivak.jason@gmail.com
From Bethany:
Highland Park resident here, wanted to shoot you guys a heads-up about a weird hit and run outside our home to our two cars on 13th between Elmgrove and Kenyon – one car had the side mirror removed (no other damage, and the mirror is nowhere to be found, so whomever removed the darn thing either ACTUALLY removed it, or hit it and cleaned up after themselves), and the other car was hit with such force it shoved the rear wheels up onto the curb. No other vehicles on the road seem to be damaged, but there’s suspiciously little debris in the street. No bueno.
That was reported on Saturday morning.
Just in from Seattle Police, via SPD Blotter:
Police arrested a 16-year-old Friday in West Seattle after he reportedly showed off a stolen handgun to his friends before trying to ditch it near a school.
Just before 9:30 AM, police received a report that the suspect was showing off a handgun to a group of teenagers in the 8600 block of 24th Avenue SW and SW Cloverdale. According to a 911 caller, the suspect had flashed a handgun in his waistband, pulled out the clip and then pulled the trigger of the empty weapon.
Police notified nearby Denny Middle School and Chief Sealth High School about the incident and began searching for the 16-year-old. Within nine minutes of the initial call, officers found the gun stashed in some bushes in the 8400 block of 26th Avenue SW and discovered it has been reported stolen in Snohomish County. Police found and arrested the 16-year-old minutes later and booked him into the King County Youth Service Center for unlawful possession of a firearm.
(UPDATED 5:04 PM with new information on burglary suspect)
In West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
BURGLARY SUSPECT ARRESTED, WITH DOG: A burglary suspect who neighbors believe is the door-trying “prowler with pooch” shown here in mid-May is due back in court today. After a tip that the suspect had been arrested Monday afternoon in the 9400 block of 24th SW, we followed up on the case: Police say a realtor found the 36-year-old woman and her dog inside a house listed for sale. Probable-cause documents say she appeared to be under the influence of drugs and begged officers not to take her dog; though she suggested someone who could come get it before she was taken to jail, that person was unreachable and the dog was taken to the shelter. The suspect, who gave a Burien address, has a long record of property crimes, including at least two featured here, but has never spent time in the state prison system (we checked to see if they had a mugshot, to compare to the “prowler with pooch” video). Her bail was set yesterday at $25,000 and we’ll be checking to see what happens today. According to the police report, the house on 24th SW had not been entered forcibly, and it hadn’t been determined whether anything was stolen.
ADDED 5:17 PM: The suspect is now charged with criminal trespass, so, per our policy, we can identify her: 36-year-old Jessica A. Detrick. Her bail is now $1,000; if still in custody, she is scheduled for arraignment tomorrow morning. Detrick figured into two cases we reported here in 2013, both with the same accomplice, Sean Jeardoe, who is currently in was recently released from prison: They were both arrested in a Morgan Junction parking lot in July 2013 after a WSB reader spotted him in a pickup truck reported here as stolen.
They were not charged at the time, though he confessed to multiple burglaries, but he was charged after they were arrested on Vashon Island two months later. As we reported at the time, investigators believed they were “responsible for up to 22 burglaries, 4 gun thefts, 3 auto thefts, and other crimes.” He reached a plea deal and was sentenced to 4 1/2 years including mandatory drug treatment; court records do not show any evidence Detrick was ever charged. She does appear to have had some arrests in the ensuing two years, but no felony prosecutions. (Friday afternoon update: She’s been released from jail.)
(back to original report) GUNFIRE/CRASH FOLLOWUP: Since Monday, we’ve been trying to get the report narrative on the 10th/Roxbury incident we covered Saturday afternoon. We confirmed that while both Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s Office responded, the investigation is a KCSO case. Media-relations officer Sgt. Jason Houck talked with detectives, who are still looking for tips/witnesses, and provided this summary/update:
Two vehicles were involved in a running gun battle. Per witnesses, there were at least two people in each car. The car being chased, a gold-colored Buick, collided head-on with a car going west on Roxbury.
(WSB photo from Saturday)This led to several other collisions. The car following the Buick was described by a witness as a black Chevy Impala. It fled from the scene. The occupants of the Buick fled from the scene, but the driver returned a short time later. Several fired cartridge casings were recovered. Although there were several people injured during the collisions, no one has been found with gunshot wounds. No arrests have been made.
Anyone with information about this shooting can leave information by contacting 206-263-2090 – Major Crimes Unit
KCSO would not release the full report narrative, saying its policy is not to do so with open cases, even if a public-disclosure request is filed (which we did), so this is the entirety of what we have so far.
POSSIBLE GUNFIRE: Just in case you were wondering – we got one report late last night of possible shots, heard from 14th/Kenyon; when they called 911, they were told others had called in, too. Police responded but, according to Lt. Alan Williams, did not find any evidence of gunfire (shell casings, bullet holes, etc.) and didn’t find anyone who had seen someone firing a gun.
CAR PROWLS CONTINUE: We’ve reported before on car prowls in the garage at Spruce, the Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th building that houses apartments and LA Fitness. A frustrated gym employee contacted us today, saying break-ins are continuing there and on surrounding blocks, concerned that their employer is getting the blame but shouldn’t be. The employee says the garage does not have adequate security. The online police-report map does not not show a recent concentration of prowls there, but we’ve heard this anecdotally from multiple sources including this one (if your car is broken into, please report it, wherever it happens, even if nothing is taken).
HIT-RUN – SEE ANYTHING? From Daniel:
My 2010 Subaru Outback was side swiped the afternoon of Sunday, June 5th . It was sitting in front of my house, at the corner of 42nd Ave SW & Spokane St SW. No note was left. It was hit by a blue SUV or light truck. Damage is to passenger front and rear door (estimate of damage is $1756.00). A police report was filled with the Seattle Police (case #2016-200484).
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight. First one’s a followup, from Sarah:
Remember the Gibson guitar and Fender amp that were stolen out of my son’s car? They were recovered by the police after the robber tried to sell them this week at a Capitol Hill pawn shop! We had serial numbers that we had given to the police pawn shop squad (a very important step: make sure that happens so that they alert pawn shops). We are very happy and relieved! The broken car window was a $50 deductible, but all things considered, a good outcome to what had been a very no-good bad-day two weeks ago.
Second, recognize this potentially stolen-and-abandoned bicycle? Amy sent the photo:
She says it’s been parked on a sidewalk near EC Hughes Playground, and that it has a broken chain. If you recognize it, let us know – comments or editor@westseattleblog.com.
Third and final, a new round of safety advice from SPD, in the latest newsletter from Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon. Read it here as a two-page PDF.
4:54 PM: Eight months after kicking her boyfriend’s toddler son to death in their Morgan Junction apartment, 21-year-old Alicia Goemaat pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder. We just found that out after checking court files. Goemaat was arrested less than a week after 17-month-old Drue Lehto was found dead; investigators say she kicked him and then placed him in his crib, where he was found. She eventually was reported to have said she was mad at Drue for fighting with her own young child over a toy. Second-degree murder is the charge originally filed against Goemaat last fall; we have no other details of today’s hearing but will update with anything more we find out. Her sentencing is set for July 8th.
6:18 PM: We now have information from KCPAO spokesperson Dan Donohoe regarding the sentencing recommendation: “The sentence range is 123 to 220 months in prison, and prosecutors will recommend 140 months.” (That’s 11 years, 8 months.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
It’s now up to the state Court of Appeals to decide whether to uphold the manslaughter conviction of Lovett Chambers for shooting and killing Travis Hood by Morgan Junction Park in January 2012.
Three Court of Appeals, Division 1 judges and two lawyers – neither of whom were on the original defense/prosecution teams – spent 21 minutes on the case in the COA’s Downtown Seattle chambers this morning.
Chambers was charged with murder while contending self-defense; a King County Superior Court jury found him guilty of the lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter in April 2014 (during which the file photo at left was taken – he was not at today’s hearing), and he is serving an 11 1/2-year sentence.
While his appeal brief (read it here) argues seven points, this morning’s arguments focused on just the first one: The claim that the jury should not have received an instruction about finding him guilty of manslaughter.
He shot to kill, his lawyer David B. Koch argued. Read More
After two years, it’s down to 20 minutes.
That’s the total amount of time allotted for both sides to make their respective cases tomorrow when they argue for and against the appeal of Lovett Chambers, the Gatewood man convicted two years ago of manslaughter for the Morgan Junction shooting death of Travis Hood.
Though the verdict itself was a charge reduced from the one with which Chambers, now 71, had been charged – second-degree murder – his appeal challenges it and six other points. The written arguments by Chambers’ lawyers say jurors shouldn’t have been instructed that manslaughter was an option, because there was no “factual basis for that charge.” They also argue that the search of Chambers’ home the night of the shooting was illegal.
Chambers has never denied killing Hood, who was 36, but contended that it was self-defense. He was sentenced to 11 1/2 years and has been behind bars now for 4 1/2 years, since the night of the shooting in January 2012. Tuesday’s oral arguments are on the morning docket for a three-judge panel of the State Court of Appeals meeting in Seattle.
In West Seattle Crime Watch today:
ART THEFT: Artist Rebecca Woodhouse is asking you to be on the lookout for her stolen artwork. It’s an unusual theft case: She shipped 4 boxes containing 6 linocut-paintings to Ventura, California, for an art show and included the return shipping labels. The gallery didn’t tell her the work had been shipped back, and when it arrived at a mailing center here, it had someone else’s name on the labels. She says the center called that person, who then picked up the items and signed for them. She has been trying to reach that person for more than a week and since the messages have not been returned, it’s now being treated as a theft. “I was trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt; he didn’t know what they were, took them home, works a lot, and didn’t prioritize calling the mailing center or the people who sent the boxes, but enough time went by, and with all the phone calls, it’s crossed the line to theft. The officer said it himself.” She says her name is on all of the art. We couldn’t post all the photos here so she has collected them on this page of her website as a gallery of stolen art. Let her and SPD know if you have information.
SEEN THIS MATH HOMEWORK? From another Rebecca, a car break-in report, with missing math homework:
Sometime between 5 pm Sunday and 6:45 this morning our car was broken into, and a blanket and 2 backpacks were taken from the back. One had school books, one had basic medical supplies in it (icy-hot spray and bandages for sports injuries). I am sure we left a back window open too far (it was hot!! we were tired). How they didn’t set off an alarm interests me, but so it goes.
Learning lesson, but also wishing there was a collection point for “oops, we stole some stuff that is of no use to us, so we can drop it here judgment free, since a semester of math homework probably means more to somone else than it sells for on the street.”
A police report is on file.
PACKAGE PROWLERS: The photo and report are from Patrick:
This is a photo of a package prowler I saw entering my neighbor’s yard as I was returning from work on Friday around 5:30 PM. This was on 34th between Webster and Holden in the Sunrise Heights neighborhood. The neighbor had packages and my wife had seen them driving slowly, stopping, and reversing back to the house. African American female driver, white tank top, African American male companion. Both late twenties to early forties. Car was a ’90s Chrysler or Dodge. Suspension completely blown, loud distinct rattle. Trunk appeared unlatched. Moments after posting this photo to the neighborhood FB page, another neighbor reported seeing the same car attempting to take a package before being confronted. It should be noted these people were doing this at 530, when most people are returning from work, with witnesses outside. Very brazen and most likely desperate. … Call 911 if you see suspicious behavior.
(Added: WSB photos)
2:45 PM: Big police response right now in the 10th/Roxbury vicinity, where police have found “multiple shell casings” after a report of gunfire. No shooting victim(s) reported so far but a crash nearby might somehow be related.
Per the scanner, police say witnesses reported seeing at least one person shooting on the passenger side of a “black Impala,” described only as a “black male, bald, white shirt, firing out the window.”
3:05 PM: We are in the area; Roxbury is closed 9th to 12th for this investigation.
Our photographer says King County Sheriff’s Deputies (some units are Burien PD, which is part of KCSO) also are investigating; they and SPD are canvassing both sides of the street looking for witnesses.
4:05 PM: Photos added. We’re heading back over shortly to see if the street has reopened.
5:16 PM: Finally got back over to check. All clear and open.
(WSB photo)
Police investigated a report of gunfire at 15th and Roxbury after 5 pm tonight; we found out about it after a texter (thank you) reported multiple police cars heading south. Police say witnesses told them that two men exchanged words and “gang signs”; one fired a shot at a car, possibly an Acura, that subsequently took off. No injuries reported, and no arrests so far.
(Click for full-size PDF version)
That map shows confirmed shots-fired incidents around the city so far this year. We obtained it from Mayor Ed Murray‘s office in connection with this afternoon’s announcement that the city is again seeking “acoustic gunshot detection.” This comes four years after his predecessor announced a plan to budget for a gunfire-detection system – a plan that never came to fruition. Back then, part of West Seattle was suggested as ripe for such a system; today’s announcement focused more on other areas of the city including South Park – you can see the map above includes clusters there and in North Delridge.
The mayor was joined by Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole in making the announcement on Gun Violence Awareness Day. The announcement also says he will “work with the Seattle City Council to require that all surplus firearms from the Seattle Police Department are only sold to other law enforcement agencies.”
Regarding the potential detection technology, the announcement says:
Gunshot locators actively listen for gunshots and detect the exact location where guns are fired. Unlike reports from nearby residents who may be uncertain, these systems’ advanced technology reliably report when and where the shots were fired. A video camera attached to the system is activated to capture the incident. Law enforcement authorities are notified immediately and a police officer can be dispatched to the vicinity without delay. …
… Community feedback will be critical to designing the system, deciding where it is deployed, and defining how it functions. Working with the community, the City will to use its race and social justice toolkit during the assessment of the pilot program. The City will engage with civil liberties advocates and ensure that it complies with the City’s existing privacy policy.
A federal grant would pay for a pilot system, says the announcement, which you can read in its entirety here. It also says that while the number of confirmed shots-fired incidents to date this year is smaller than last year – 144 this year, 154 a year earlier – they’re deadlier, with five shooting deaths this year, two last year.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has issued a Request for Proposals to gather interest from potential contractors who could construct the system. The city says the system would be paid for with a federal grant.
That’s the clearest image of the truck shown on security video, entering and leaving South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) in a span of less than 10 minutes, before and after Tuesday morning’s smash-and-grab ATM theft at Brockey Center (here’s our original report; here’s our followup on the damage done). While tracking technology led police to the ATM safe in an Arbor Heights backyard within a few hours, they have not yet found the truck or made arrests. SSC provided the video to WSB – here are the two sections showing the truck arriving and departing (at a time when the main-campus entrances on 16th SW are gated):
SPD describes the truck as a “white Chevrolet pickup truck with a crew cab” and asks that anyone with information about it, and/or anything else related to the theft, call the Southwest Precinct burglary unit at 206-233-2623.
DRIVE-BY CAR PROWLING: Shaun reports:
At roughly 1:28 am my wife witnessed this van driving down our street and stopping and opening car doors. Driver didn’t get out of van, just reached out of window to check if doors were open. We called it in, and followed at a distance. Once it stopped we got a picture of the van.
The License plate is: 01508 or 10508 – it was a specialty plate.
Shaun didn’t mention what part of West Seattle this happened in – we’re following up. (Update – Shaun says this was in Morgan Junction, and that they’ve since been told by police that the van was found and impounded, but no arrests so far.)
BROKEN WINDOW: In Admiral, two people reported seeing a broken window on a Jeep parked in the PCC Natural Markets-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) parking lot this morning, and “some contents” strewn outside.
And in the day’s biggest broken-glass incident:
ATM-THEFT AFTERMATH: We followed up with South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) about the considerable damage done by the ATM theft early this morning. SSC spokesperson Ty Swenson told WSB that the thief/thieves “seriously damaged” an external and internal set of entrance doorways made of glass. The north entrance of the Jerry Brockey Student Center was closed for several hours, and the missing sections of glass and door frame were boarded up:
By late morning, Swenson said they “were able to open the undamaged set of doors at the north entrance, so people can access the Brockey Center from the north. Load bearing pillars at the entrance were not damaged. Our facilities department is currently assessing the damage and working with a local glass supplier to get a bid. We do not have a solid timeline on the repair or cost at this time.” While they don’t have surveillance video of the actual theft, he said, they do have video of the truck that was involved, and we hope to have that for a Crime Watch update tomorrow.
(UPDATED 11:38 AM with new info from SPD)
(WSB photos. Added: ATM-theft scene outside SSC’s Brockey Center)
5:19 AM: As day breaks, police are following the trail of a stolen ATM. The cash machine was taken from South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge a few hours ago.
5:29 AM: The investigation has led police to a north Arbor Heights neighborhood where they have just recovered it.
5:45 AM: Police have pointed us to the backyard of a house at 39th SW and SW 97th, regarding where it was recovered – they say it’s the large white item in the background of our photo. And if you’re in AH, that’s a TV helicopter. No arrest(s) reported so far.
6:09 AM: Just talked to SPD spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson, who says officers are waiting on a search warrant before going in and actually taking possession of the stolen ATM. He says he can’t yet confirm what led police to the house; discussion we’d been monitoring for hours via scanner indicated it was a satellite tracking device, relatively new technology developed as ATM theft started to spike.
6:53 AM: Apparently at least one TV helicopter also has been over the theft scene on Puget Ridge, too. We expect a bit more information from police later this morning and will update when that’s in.
11:38 AM: And here’s that information! Just posted to SPD Blotter by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee:
Police recovered a stolen ATM from the backyard of a West Seattle home Tuesday after a thief in a pickup truck smashed his way into a college building and made off with a safe filled with cash.
Officers responded to South Seattle College in the 6000 block of 16th Avenue Southwest just before 2 AM after receiving reports of a break-in. At the scene, they found someone had broken through locked gate and driven a pickup truck through a glass door on campus to get to an ATM. After dismantling the cash machine, the thief loaded the ATM’s heavy-duty cash safe into their truck and fled.
Police found the unopened safe in the yard of a home in the 3900 block of Southwest 97th Street, where robbery detectives later detained and interviewed one male resident. Detectives released the man and continue to investigate the case.
Detectives are still looking for a white Chevrolet pickup truck with a crew cab, believed to have been used in the break-in at the college.
If you have any information about this case, please contact the SPD Southwest Precinct Burglary Unit at 206-233-2623.
Here’s a closer look at the item in the yard that we now know was the ATM’s safe:
1:21 PM: Police are in North Delridge right now, investigating reported gunfire. A texter told us about it just after 1 pm, saying they had called 911 and were told others had too. No victim reported, but police have been searching an alley west of Delridge Way, between Edmunds and Hudson, and other nearby areas including a stairway along Genesee.
1:54 PM: We went to the area in hopes of finding officers to ask what if anything they’d found, but they apparently had moved on. However, we did talk to a lieutenant here at Forest Lawn, where the Memorial Day ceremony is about to start; he says the initial report was someone with a revolver, in which case no shell casings would have been left behind.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports so far this weekend:
HIT-AND-RUN ON VIDEO: Multiple angles of surveillance video sent by a reader show a pickup truck sideswiping at least one vehicle at 16th/Henderson around 3:10 pm. (The last angle shows it most clearly.) If you have any information, the SPD incident number, as shown at the start of the video, is 2016-188993.
MAILBOX VANDALISM: A texter sent three photos of multiple-unit mailboxes hit by tagging vandalism in the 5900 block of California SW. All three were different styles, sizes, words, and colors. As we replied, police suggest photographing tagging/graffiti vandalism and uploading the photos with an online report – as explained here – or you can use the Find It Fix It app.
In West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – that’s Susie‘s stolen silver 1996 Honda Civic, plate AYL2446. She says it was taken from 48th/Hinds [map] Wednesday night. As the SPD @getyourcarback tweet says, call 911 if you see it.
P.S. Auto-theft-deterrence advice, courtesy of the King County Sheriff’s Office, is up right now on our partner site White Center Now.
Car prowls, car prowls, car prowls – that’s what Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith just told the Highland Park Action Committee is that neighborhood’s biggest crime problem – like most other West Seattle neighborhoods: 145 in this area so far this year, compared to 46 in the same period last year. HP’s Westcrest Park is a hot spot, though not as much as Lincoln Park; Lt. Smith hailed the vigilant citizens who have stepped up keeping eyes on the park, and he encouraged people to keep reporting them, even if nothing was taken: “We need to report these crimes,” even if that means a jump in stats because more people are reporting what happens.
Also up this year over last: Robberies, especially along the southernmost boundary of Highland Park (SW Roxbury) – about a fourth of them were “shoplifting (incidents) gone bad.” Residential burglary is happening at about the same rate has last year, and “we’ve arrested one prolific burglar/car prowler recently, so hopefully we’ll see a reduction,” Lt. Smith noted, adding that non-residential burglary is down by more than half.
Still to come at HPAC, in our next report – city reps are here with their draft recommendation for what should be done with the city-owned Myers Way Parcels; we’ll have the details later tonight.
Gunfire and car prowls are West Seattle’s two biggest crime problems right now, police told the WS Block Watch Captains Network last night. And that’s what’s in our Crime Watch roundup this afternoon:
GUNFIRE NEAR LINCOLN PARK: A resident near the bottom of the Thistle stairway just east of Lincoln Park asked us this morning about gunshots overnight. On Tweets by Beat (which you can review any time on our Crime Watch page), the classification was “person with a gun.” We obtained the police-report narrative, which says officers checked out the reported gunfire after multiple 911 calls around quarter past 2, and found eight shell casings in the intersection of 46th SW/SW Thistle [map] – which is at the bottom of the aforementioned stairway. One caller heard a vehicle “speeding away northbound”; another saw “two males running through (a) backyard,” but there were no signs of property damage, and no gunshot victim(s) turned up anywhere. The police report says, “The shell casings were all marked GFL (Giulio Fiocchi) 9mm Luger.”
CAR PROWL NEAR GATEWOOD ELEMENTARY: From Sarah:
Our car, the one my 17-year-old son drives (an old 2000 Volvo station wagon) was broken into last night and two valuable items stolen. They smashed the rear passenger side cargo window.
The items stolen were very special to him. A Gibson Les Paul guitar with a purple paisley strap, and a Fender Twin Reverb Amp (’68 Custom). I’ve attached stock images of the items.
He’s learned a painful and expensive lesson: never leave valuables in the car!
And just as we were about to publish this report with the two items above, this came in:
JUNCTION CAR BREAK-INS: From Stacy:
Just an FYI – When I arrived at LA Fitness yesterday around 5:45 pm, there was a cop investigating the parking lot as at least three car windows were smashed and broken into. He was walking around telling everyone who parked what had just happened but since so many people work out there at different times- wanted to share with you guys to hopefully share with everyone. Remember if there is nothing in your car to steal, they won’t break in (coming from someone who had her car broken into no less than 3 times on the East Coast).
Advice from police modifies that somewhat – make sure it doesn’t even LOOK like something might be in the car (we’ve heard of car prowlers going through grocery bags that might have contained something).
During our periodic check of court files in cases we’re following, we just found out that a West Seattleite arrested and charged with murder in a shooting death near Sea-Tac has pleaded guilty to a reduced charge. We reported in December on the arrest of 39-year-old Aaron Parypa at his Junction-area home; he was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault for a deadly shooting in October that prosecutors said was preceded by an attempted marijuana sale. According to court documents, Parypa, who had no previous criminal history, pleaded guilty last Friday to the reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter. In a written statement accompanying his plea, he wrote, “Although I do not believe I am guilty of manslaughter because I acted in self-defense, I want to plead guilty to the charge to take advantage of the reduction of the charge and the prosecutor’s recommendation.” The same document lists the standard sentencing range as 21 to 27 months.
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