West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
The police search in the mid-Beach Drive area is because of a reported burglary attempt upslope in the 5900 block of Atlas Drive. Someone is reported to have tried to break into a house there by breaking a window. Only a partial description so far – white man, heavy set, in a blue and green Seahawks sweatshirt and dark shorts, who fled on foot, toward the water. Any information, call 911.
Two reader reports involving stolen/tampered mail. From RP: “Found my neighbor’s mail on the ground around 10 o’clock (Thursday night) while I went to retrieve something from my car. About 10 pieces of mail . I live near Holy Family School on Roxbury. This is the second time this happened.” Also from Thursday night, Scott reports, “Someone opened mailboxes and scattered/took the contents on Glenridge SW in the Gatewood neighborhood.” You can report mail theft online, if it’s not happening right now (anything immediate should be called in to 911) – via SPD’s system, and via USPS’s system.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today:
GROCERY THEFT: From Heather:
So for the past two years, we have never had an issue with our front porch delivery for Amazon Fresh, but when I went out to gather our groceries this morning, all that remained was a 24 pack of water (presumably too heavy or not worth carting off). Delivery is normally made around 4 am, so someone got to our groceries between then and 7 am. We are at 34th/holly. Don’t know if anyone else in the area has had any similar issues, but wanted to put the word out.
5:13 PM – BICYCLE ‘THEFT’ UPDATE: The bicycle mentioned here when we originally published this less than half an hour ago turned up NOT stolen. Sorry for the false alarm!
P.S. If you haven’t already seen it, the Southwest/South Precincts’ Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon‘s newest newsletter includes scam/property-crime info, and the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network has published it on their website.
Just found during our periodic check of open case files: A plea bargain in a crime that drew regional attention one afternoon last August, after an SUV was stolen from outside a Highland Park mini-mart with a baby in the back seat.
(8/27/14 photo by BETTINA HANSEN/THE SEATTLE TIMES, republished by permission)
25-year-old Estevan L. Sanchez pleaded guilty last week to auto theft and unlawful imprisonment – reduced from second-degree kidnapping – for stealing the vehicle from outside the Sea-Mart store at 16th and Holden last August 27th with a 10-month-old girl in the back seat. According to court documents from the plea bargain and from the original charges, the baby’s father ran into the store with the vehicle’s engine running, but the SUV was supposed to be locked and unable to be shifted out of “park.” Instead, Sanchez got in and drove it away even as the baby’s father ran out of the store and yelled for him to stop. 15 minutes later, the vehicle was found abandoned in White Center’s Greenbridge neighborhood, with the baby safe inside; Sanchez, a Highland Park resident, was found within the hour at 17th and Roxbury.
He already was wanted on warrants from a domestic-violence case in which he injured his girlfriend and her 11-year-old son, attacking her with a stun gun and knocking him down just before stealing her car.. As part of this plea agreement, Sanchez has pleaded guilty to reduced domestic-violence charges in that case too. In all, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is recommending 19.5 months in prison – a little over a year and a half – for Sanchez, who has been in jail for seven months since his August arrest. King County Superior Court Judge Monica Benton is scheduled to sentence him on April 17th. .
Maybe it’s somewhere on YOUR block – or beyond:
STOLEN in last 48-72 hours, ’83 Mazda B2000 2-door p/u truck, license C15356B, silver color; rust painted over on back right side; small damage/rust front left fender. Rear of truck saws MAZDA in blue letters. Taken near Bartell Pharmacy in Admiral area. If you spot this truck, call 911 and tell police location of vehicle do not approach occupant, if any.
Two cars to show you in West Seattle Crime Watch. First:
SEEN IN HIGHLAND PARK: Laura sent us that photo, and before we got the chance to publish it, Gretchen sent a note about the same car, a Nissan Sentra GXE, abandoned at 18th and Cloverdale (map), described as “entire engine block … missing and had four spare tires. No license plates.” And a gutted interior. It’s been reported to SPD.
HIT-AND-RUN MYSTERY: This happened to Brian‘s car early today:
He writes:
I live at 48th SW and Oregon [map]. Last night right before 2:30 am, a red SUV with a black roof and chrome extended grill smashed into my car. I heard the collision and saw the SUV take off heading west on Oregon from my bedroom window but didn’t get the plate.
Any idea whose SUV that was? A report’s been filed with police – case #100658.
Today’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup starts with two incidents from last night:
SOUTHEAST SEATTLE SHOOTING SUSPECT FOUND IN WEST SEATTLE: Last night at 23rd SW/SW Brandon, police made a “felony stop” – guns drawn, as is SOP when someone in a pulled-over vehicle is suspected of a felony. We thought we heard, via scanner, the word “shooting,” but couldn’t find evidence of any West Seattle gunfire incidents last night, and couldn’t reach police for information.
After we contacted the Media Relations unit this morning, Det. Drew Fowler looked into this for us and discovered it was related to an incident in Southeast Seattle that was already on SPD Blotter; they’ve as a result just updated it to include the West Seattle angle: The original incident involved gunfire from three cars in the Rainier Beach area around 7:45 last night; nobody was hit. The car then pulled over at 23rd/Brandon matched the description of one vehicle seen speeding from the scene. Gang detectives arrested its 21-year-old driver, a Federal Way resident and convicted felon who police say they saw “ditching a gun at the original shooting scene,” for felony weapons possession, and booked him into jail. (The car was impounded.)
IF YOU HEARD GUARDIAN ONE OVER THE JUNCTION LAST NIGHT: It was NOT related to the incident above, so far as we know. They were in the area and helping SPD check out a report of “a large fight” in The Junction. The King County Air Support crew subsequently reported via Twitter that nothing was found.
ABANDONED, GUTTED TRUCK: Scott shared the photo, in case you recognize it:
An abandoned Chevy stepside pick up truck was discovered on SW 104th at 38th this morning next to AHES construction site. No plates, no engine, and the interior is gutted. City of Seattle notified through their Find it, Fix it app.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch followups tonight:
STORE BURGLARY ARREST: You might recall Wyatt’s Jewelers (WSB sponsor) in Westwood Village getting broken into twice in December, the first one hitting hours before their holiday open house, to which they responded defiantly with a bow over the plywood covering the smashed-in door:
Talking with the proprietors this week, we found out a suspect has been arrested and charged in that break-in. Police identified 38-year-old Ioane Sua of First Hill via a palm-print match and surveillance video. Once they knew who they were looking for, he wasn’t hard to find … he was already in the King County Jail, arrested on January 10th after being found driving a car that had been stolen on New Year’s Day from the Home Depot parking lot on Delridge. Prosecutors charged Sua with second-degree burglary in late January, and have since charged him in the stolen-car case too. He was scheduled to return to court today, but the hearing was postponed because a possible plea agreement is in the works, according to a document in the online files. He remains jailed in lieu of $30,000 bail, and has a lengthy criminal record.
STOLEN CAR FOUND: Speaking of stolen cars – the one reported here this morning has since been found, reports its owner:
They found my car in White Center with stolen plates on it. The inside was filled with garbage, food and a bag full of stolen mail that was all opened, from as far away as Sammamish, hence my full tank of gas depleted. My glovebox, console, trunk all emptied. Every part of the inside and parts of the outside wiped down with smelly, greasy cleaner to cover their tracks. The good news is that there’s no real damage. With case # in hand I drove home with no license plates, which I’ll have to replace tomorrow.
Four West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports this morning:
STOLEN BICYCLE: That bike’s owner says it was stolen last night around 9:45 pm:
My bike (which happens to be my primary means of transportation) was stolen on the 42XX block of Admiral Way. It was locked to a bike rack in front of Vidiot (a small bar). A report has been filed with the police who drove around for a bit in search of the property. I saw the man ride away but unfortunately could not keep up with him. He was wearing street clothes, had a backpack, and had medium length curly hair. … The police mentioned that stolen bikes are typically ditched after a joy ride or end up in a pawn shop. I’m hoping that if someone sees the bike they can alert the police.
(added) STOLEN CAR: Got word of this just after we publishing this roundup, so we’re adding:
My car was stolen from in front of my house. On 40th Ave SW between Brandon and Findlay. 1994 Honda Accord LX, black with plates AFV7888. Has a sticker like this one on the right side back bumper, maybe a different color. I think I had a Sierra Club sticker in back window, or WTA sticker.
MAILBOX BREAK-IN: From a Highland Park resident:
I just wanted to let you know that we had our mailbox, which is a sturdy locked box, broken into. It looks like they used something to bend the metal, dislodging the locking mechanism. Mail was taken and discarded on the side of our property- I guess they didn’t want our medical bill or mortgage statement :) This happened this weekend while we were out of town. We live on the corner of 17th and Cloverdale.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON: In the 4400 block of 39th SW last night:
We had to call the police … At 10:00 pm, there was a man smoking either crack or meth on our front lawn. He knocked on my door and asked for water. When we asked him to leave, he danced and lit his pipe. We called 911. The police came but said they could not arrest him. They said they would monitor his activity.
ABOUT READER REPORTS: SPD does not routinely make public the detailed reports of most incidents – so unless we get a reader report or happen to cover an incident as it happens, we won’t hear about it, but it’s often helpful for your West Seattle neighbors to know what’s happening and where (not just your block – a stolen car, bike, etc., could turn up miles away). We hope you WON’T ever have anything to report, but if you do, editor@westseattleblog.com … provided you’ve already reported it to the police. For breaking news, 206-293-6302, text or voice, 24/7; thank you!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
When we first reported on Sunday about the early-morning shooting on Alki that left one person hurt, we had little information. We have since been contacted by a witness who recorded almost a minute of the chaos and gunfire and wanted to make it public, saying, “I believe that this will show many why we need more police and why our youth/young adults should be monitored closely at these hours of the night.”
ALERT: This is unedited phone video (except to fix it from vertical to horizontal fit) and you will hear lots of profanities in the audio **if you choose to play the clip.** The gunshots are audible and muzzle flashes are seen, but the person who was shot is not:
In a long text conversation with the witness who recorded that while at a restaurant/bar across the street, we agreed to keep them anonymous (we don’t even know their name). They had already shown the video to police, who, they say, showed up quickly, within “three or four minutes” of the gunfire.
From the witness’s view, it started as “a very large group of young adults yelling and using derogatory terms as well as throwing things at this vehicle, which led to a fistfight in the middle of the street.” Then, the witness says, one person kicked off the black car’s driver’s-side mirror, and another punched out a passenger side window, followed by shots from a passenger, and then toward the end, someone “returned fire” after the black car sped off westbound.
As noted in our Sunday report, there was no “assault with weapons” large Seattle Fire medic response, because police found no victim at the scene. Seattle Police say they were later contacted by Everett Police after a 17-year-old boy with a gunshot wound to the leg turned up at a hospital there. Police have since talked to the victim; on Sunday, they told us he was “uncooperative” with investigators. The incident also is now detailed on SPD Blotter.
As far as we can tell from WSB archives, this is the first incident in 2 1/2 years in which someone has been shot in the Alki area. Not the first case of gunfire, but the first case with a victim, since this case in August 2012.
Even before this, local police had promised more presence at the beach this year via both the new Southwest Precinct bicycle patrols and a new mobile-precinct vehicle that is on the way after the precinct went years without a replacement for the one SPD lost in an arson attack. That is what the lifelong West Seattleite who shared video of Sunday’s shooting is hoping for: “I hate that these hoodlums are ruining my neighborhood.”
ADDED 2:11 PM: A few additional details are in the Southwest Precinct summary of what happened, which we obtained from precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith:
On 3/22/15 at 0109 hour, Officers were dispatched to a fight disturbance/shots fired incident in the 2600 block of Alki Av SW (just west of Marine Av SW & Alki Av SW). Initial report to 911 has it that: two people were down and that someone has a leg wound.
Upon officers arriving in the area, the suspects involved in the fight/shots-fired were GOA [gone on arrival], possibly in vehicle/s. There was no “scene” other than the spot where the incident occurred. Officers checked the area and did not locate any evidence such as shell casings or blood to indicate that someone has been shot. A baseball cap was located and submitted into evidence. During a canvas of the bar across the street, an officer located a witness who had recorded the shots fired incident on his cell phone. The video was sent to the police and submitted into evidence.
Based upon the on-scene investigation, it appears that at least 6 people were surrounding a vehicle. One of the 6 people kicked the vehicle’s left rear view mirror and damaged it. The front passenger from the vehicle fired at least 3 shots at the 6 people as the 6 people were surrounding it. The 6 people then scattered, running away. A white male is then seen getting into the driver’s seat of the vehicle and drove it away, on Alki Av SW.
At 0345 hour, Everett PD called SPD 911 and reported that they have a “victim” with a non-life threatening gunshot wound in the leg. The “victim” was uncooperative and was with his girlfriend. The Everett PD Officers will complete a report under their case number, DD 15-5308. This incident was screened by phone with our Homicide/Assault unit.
Lt. Smith, who is acting precinct commander, confirms that patrols, including officers on bicycles, will be increased. The mobile-precinct vehicle has not yet been delivered.
9:18 PM: Auto thieves have hit one family in Gatewood twice in the past three days. The vehicles taken from their driveway/carport are a taupe 2006 Volvo XC70, license plate AMR4548, stolen Friday morning, and a silver 2006 Nissan Frontier 4-door pickup, license plate B31289L, gone since early today. The vehicles’ owners say there was nothing about the first theft that facilitated the second – no key left in either car, for example. If you see either vehicle, please call 911.
9 AM MONDAY: The vehicles’ owner says they both were found in an apartment-building parking lot in the 6500 block of 35th SW, less than a mile away from where they were stolen: “Someone in the apartments called to report the Volvo as a suspicious vehicle. When we arrived, we saw the truck parked in another stall. The Volvo was driven more than 150 miles and contained a lot of drug and DNA evidence. Unfortunately, there were no clean prints. The truck had more of the same drug evidence, it wasn’t driven more than 20+ miles.”
1:19 PM SUNDAY: Finally just confirmed some information about a shooting on Alki early today. Usually, a shooting leads to an “assault with weapons” Seattle Fire callout and that’s our first hint; this one didn’t, and no texts had come in (206-293-6302 any time!), so we’ve been trying to reach police for info, after a couple of e-mail questions came in later in the morning. It happened around 1:30 am in the Alki SW/Marine vicinity. People heard gunfire, multiple shots, including uphill in Admiral. No victim was found at the scene – but hours later, we just confirmed with Seattle Police, they were notified by Everett Police that a victim had shown up at an Everett hospital with a leg wound. No other details of circumstances, so far.
11 AM MONDAY: SPD Blotter has just published an item about this. We have received video of the incident from a witness and will be publishing that shortly in a separate followup.
Reader report with an alert from an Arbor Heights resident who encountered an exposer this afternoon:
In the alley behind 100th between 37th and 39th, a 20-30-year-old white male (was) masturbating, watching me mow my lawn. I contacted SPD. Be aware of your surroundings!
That’s the only description given.
West Seattle Crime Watch reader report from JW:
Our dark blue 2009 Toyota Sienna minivan was stolen last night from Fauntlee Hills at 3:15 am, car seats and all! WA plates 909YUE. Please call 911 if you see it.
We woke up to the alarm and watched the taillights disappearing up the street. At least one other neighbor’s car alarm had gone off at around 2.30am as well. Prowlers?
P.S. If you missed our report on this week’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, published very early today – lots of quick updates on local police/crime.
After a bike-theft bust downtown, Seattle Police have photographed the dozens of bicycles they recovered, and posted photos on SPD Blotter. If you’re a bike-theft victim, check it out in case yours is among them.
From the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s meeting at the Southwest Precinct on Tuesday night:
No new commander announced for the precinct yet, one week after the news of now-Assistant Chief Steve Wilske‘s promotion, which came one year after his SWP arrival. Operations Lt. Ron Smith, who’s in charge of the precinct in the meantime, said he isn’t seeking the position.
CRIME TRENDS: Lt. Smith led the customary briefing. Auto theft is up; burglaries are down. And as has been widely reported, including here, strong-arm robberies are up – if you don’t know the definition, “no weapons implied or used, but that doesn’t make much difference to the victim,” as Lt. Smith put it. He also discussed how incidents get classified as robberies if they aren’t the stereotypical case of a criminal coming up to a victim and demanding something; in particular, the shoplift-turned-robbery type of case was discussed.
Community Police Team Officers Jon Flores and Erin Nicholson got up at that point to get into more detail.
According to our check of the police-report map, 20 car prowls have been reported in West Seattle in the past week:
That’s up from 15 during the same week last year. Car-prowl details aren’t posted by SPD – only where/when they happened – but we have details via two reader reports – first, from Jill:
Just wanted to inform the neighbors and also wondering if anyone saw anything:
The rear driver’s side window of my Subaru Outback was smashed in last night sometime between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm, at the West Seattle YMCA. It was parked in the gravel spaces on the north side of the building (along SW Oregon St). They rummaged through my really boring stuff in the backseat, but nothing was taken. I don’t think they even made their way to the front seats or the cargo area, as all the doors were still locked. If someone scared them off, I hope they can provide some description of the perp(s) to the police.
Earlier this week, Alex‘s car was ransacked in the Luna Park area:
My car was broken into (window smashed) and my backpack full of books and student papers ( I teach at a local college) was taken. I have a feeling that the backpack and its contents will be disposed of somewhere, as I can’t see them being helpful to anyone but me. Can you ask readers to keep their eyes peeled for a purple backpack full of ESL textbooks and papers?
These are the latest unfortunate reminders that even if you think what you left in your vehicle doesn’t look like something criminals would bother with – chances are, you’re wrong. Even a couple of canvas grocery bags strewn in the back of a car might look to a prowler like something worth checking out – possibly at the expense of the glass in your vehicle’s window.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
ASSAULT/ROBBERY ON THE ROOF: A teenager’s dad is hoping someone might be able to help solve the case of who beat and robbed his son. His son was skateboarding on the roof of Chief Sealth International High School on Saturday night. He says a security guard asked him to leave; he didn’t, and the guard returned 15 minutes later, he said, trailed by “three Samoan teens between 15 and 18, one wearing a green shirt with short hair, one wearing a red shirt with a pony tail, and the third with a black tank top and fairly long hair.” He says they claimed to be relatives of the guard and said that they were going to beat him up, so he ran, but they caught up with him, hit him in the head, and then when he broke away, chased him again, and caught him in a chokehold and pummeled him until he lost consciousness.
When he came to, the victim says, they were leaving, and taking his skateboard. He called 911; firefighters came and put a ladder up to the roof to find and treat him before his father took him to urgent care. The victim describes his injuries as a broken nose, a cut that needed five stitches, and swelling around his eye (his father showed photos backing this up). His father has been trying to see if the school had surveillance video but says he first was told the cameras weren’t working, then was told they were, but that no one was available to show him the video. (We have had an inquiry out with Seattle Public Schools on that but no resolution yet.) If you have any information that might help catch the attackers, please contact SPD. (added) Their report says two school-security employees who were present told police they hadn’t seen anyone else in the area.
STOLEN CAR: Maybe you’ve seen Monica‘s car, stolen this morning?
On March 17 between midnight and 8 am my 1993 Subaru Legacy Wagon was stolen from outside my residence between 40th and 41st Ave SW on Brandon St. The car is maroon in color, license plate 244-YZB, with an “Others Like Us” face sticker on the driver’s side window. Nothing of value inside or out, just a trusty old car.
A police report is filed.
Three notes and a reminder tonight:
BURGLARY: From Liz in Arbor Heights:
Our house at 100th and California Ave SW was burglarized this past Tuesday, March 10th, sometime between 7 and 10am. A Good Samaritan on Marine View Drive called SPD when she spotted the burglar tossing keys (stolen from a dresser in our home) into some shrubbery. SPD then traced the keys back to my husband.
We returned home from work to discover our house a mess, and that our laptops, iPads, and other miscellaneous items were stolen. The thief had climbed our fence and tossed a rock through a bedroom window to gain entry.
We have reported the incident to SPD, along with the description of a suspicious person we noticed that morning. Just a day and a half after this occurred, our next-door neighbor reported that someone had broken into her car!
Neighbors, please be on the alert. We are new to Arbor Heights (just bought our home 6 months ago) and have been very dismayed at this recent rash of issues across the neighborhood.
MISSING MAIL? From Dotti tonight:
Just wanting to let you know we just spotted a man trying to get into our bank of mailboxes on 25th between Findlay and Juneau. I reported it and do have a description if anyone is missing their mail today.
STOLEN? OR LOST? Christine spotted these items by the 37th/Findlay staircase and shared a photo, wondering if perhaps they were stolen and dumped:
If you find something of value, you can always notify police, who can store it in evidence (maybe there’ll even be a “reunion”).
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: Your monthly chance to hear from and talk with local police is during the WSCPC‘s monthly meeting next Tuesday (March 17th), 7 pm, Southwest Precinct (Webster/Delridge).
(Family photo of Greggette Guy during a hike, 2004)
Admiring the beauty of Puget Sound from Beach Drive the other night, it occurred to us that a sad and unsettling anniversary was near, and indeed, an archive check confirmed that today marks exactly three years since 51-year-old Greggette Guy was found dead in the water near Cormorant Cove Park. Police believed she was killed sometime the night before, after traveling here to take a walk at/near Emma Schmitz Overlook, where her car was found:
Mrs. Guy was a Kent resident and a former West Seattleite, remembered for her devotion to Girl Scouting; one year after her murder, she was remembered at a ceremony dedicating a memorial plaque by a totem pole at a Girl Scout camp in east King County. Three days after her body was found, she was officially declared a victim of homicide; the cause of her death was not immediately revealed, but eventually was described as “severe wounds to her neck.”
We checked today with SPD to ask if they had anything new to say about the case – no details have emerged since our six-months-later followup in September 2012; in October 2014, Chief Kathleen O’Toole’s first official report to the City Council mentioned unsolved murders including this one, saying:
The Criminal Investigations Bureau Chief and Violent Crimes Captain have conducted a thorough review of all unsolved homicides twice during 2014. While I cannot discuss specifics of those open investigations in this report, I can tell you that the cases that remain unsolved have either problems with the integrity of evidence or a lack of cooperation from witnesses. I hope that we can develop greater trust and communication with our community so that individuals with information about these cases or other unsolved crimes will come forward.
That hope is echoed today in the response to our inquiry; Det. Patrick Michaud said, “The case is still open, active and ongoing. However, we still need the public’s help. If (you) know anything, call (206) 233-5000.”
West Seattle Crime Watch incidents to report, plus related reminders:
STREET ROBBERY SEARCH: The search is happening right now near Delridge/Juneau – a woman told police that she was “jumped” a short time ago and robbed by a female attacker who was on a northbound bus with her and followed her off in that area. She’s getting medical treatment for injuries; the robber is described, so far as we’ve heard via scanner, as black, with black/brown braided hair, pink sweatshirt, whitewashed skinny jeans. If you have any info, call 911.
INDECENT EXPOSURE VIA PHOTO: Via e-mail – this happened Monday: “My teenage daughter was on the 128 in the early evening, going down 16th, and a man seated next to her, late 20s-early 30s, Caucasian, dark hair, dark rectangular glasses, exposed her to an explicit, full-frontal nude photograph of himself. She told us when she got home and we contacted the police and filed a report.”
Relevant to that, and recent incidents:
STUDENT SAFETY INFO: One week from tonight, the Madison Middle School PTSA is presenting a student-safety program during its PTSA meeting – 7 pm March 18th – with police, Parks, and school reps; full details on the PTSA website. (45th/Spokane)
STOLEN CAR: Maria‘s car was last seen Saturday night near 42nd/Graham. It’s a 1991 red/maroon Honda Accord, plate ALM0283. Maria says, “The car is pretty run down, but I have had it for almost ten years and is my daily commuter!” She’s reported it to police; please let them know if you see it. (And remember that sometimes plates are swapped or removed, so if you see what looks like an abandoned red/maroon Accord, even without that #, could be it.)
EITHER OF THESE CARS YOURS? Mindi noticed two cars Monday night near California/Spokane, both with broken windows. Police told her reports had to be filed by the victims; she knocked on nearby doors to look for the cars’ owners but couldn’t find anyone. Here’s hoping the damage has been reported by now; if not, and if you have a car parked there (red Ford, gray Subaru), check it out. (Photos of the cars also were tweeted – here and here.)
CARS PROWLED IN ARBOR HEIGHTS, HOUSE VANDALIZED: Twice in the past five days, near 42nd/100th, nothing stolen, happened around 6 in the morning. Someone also broke a window on a nearby house, though there’s no sign of entry beyond that.
PACKAGE THEFT: Just out of the inbox, “3800 block of 20th Ave SW – UPS package delivered Tuesday 03/10/2015 at 3:20 pm and by 6 pm was gone.”
TAX-SEASON SCAM REMINDERS: First – This WSB Forums post is a reminder that scam calls are still being made. Second – We have also obtained two police reports from February – one in which an Admiral woman was bilked for almost $5,000 because of an elaborate series of realistic-sounding demands from callers who said they were from the IRS and SPD. The demands included wiring money and purchasing reloadable cash cards. Meantime, the second case involved a surprise check for almost $10,000 received by a Genesee couple, supposedly a tax refund check – but the couple had not filed their taxes yet and were expecting to owe money, not to get any back. The issuing bank said they sent the check because there was a problem with electronic-funds transfer. The victim told police they were trying to sort it out with SPD. Here’s the IRS’s official page about all the different kinds of fraud and scams to watch out for, especially at this time of year.
ONE MORE REMINDER … Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole returns to West Seattle tonight to “continue the conversation,” 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of WS (Oregon/California). We expect to hear more about what’s next for Southwest Precinct leadership after this morning’s announcement that Capt. Steve Wilske is now headed downtown as an assistant chief (updated WSB coverage here).
(WSB photo from Monday afternoon)
11:09 AM: We asked Seattle Police this morning for the full followup report on the Monday afternoon Westwood robbery/Morgan arrests case (original WSB report here). They’ve just published the details to SPD Blotter:
Police arrested five teens Monday in West Seattle for attacking a 55-year-old grocery store clerk, after he confronted them about an earlier shoplifting incident.
The victim had been working at the Westwood QFC earlier in the day, when he witnessed the group of teens stealing shrimp, hot dogs and barbecue sauce from the store. After leaving work, around 4 PM, the man found himself standing next to the same group of suspects at a bus stop near the 2800 block of SW. Barton St. There, the man confronted the teens about the theft, and warned them not to come back to the store.
In response, a 19-year-old female in the group doused the victim in pepper spray, sending him tumbling to the ground. The rest of the teens punched and kicked the man as he lay on the concrete, and a 17-year-old male grabbed the victim’s iPhone before the group boarded a Metro bus.
Officers were able to track down the bus a short distance away and arrest the group of teens, who are all between 14 and 19 years old. Police booked three of the teens into the Youth Services Center, while the two others were booked into King County Jail.
The “short distance away,” as you know from our Monday report, was north of Morgan Junction.
1:14 PM: We’ve received the report from SPD. One key point that will answer some commenters’ questions: After the attack, the report says, “all involved parties fled south through Roxhill Park” – so apparently they did not immediately board bus(es).
4:31 PM: Police are just north of Morgan Junction looking for the second of two suspects in an apparent shoplift/robbery. It happened at the Westwood QFC, we’re told, and the robbers got away by bus. One is in custody, one being sought.
4:41 PM: Still piecing together information from scanner plus what police told us at the arrest scene by the northbound California/Fauntleroy RapidRide stop alongside Cal-Mor Circle (photo above). The robbery is reported to have involved pepper-spraying, which has become an all-too-familiar MO in cases like this.
TUESDAY MORNING NOTE: As we also posted in a comment, there’s a followup now – read it here. Toplines: SPD says 5 suspects were arrested, and explains that the robbery happened hours after the shoplifting, and happened at the bus stop itself, not the store (though that was the shoplifting location).
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