8:09 PM: In the past hour, a woman reported to police that her purse was stolen while she was at a bus stop in West Seattle. Exactly where, we’re not sure, as the call was first reported as California/Willow in Morgan Junction, but then the victim called police from the 7-11 in The Junction, and officers told dispatch the robbery happened at a bus stop “on Alaska.” We do know that the robber(s) were reported to have gotten away in a white 2020 Hyundai Elantra that matched up with a vehicle reported stolen somewhere outside the city. And a similar car, with two people wearing face coverings, was reportedly spotted at the California/Andover mini-mart a short time ago, so the robbers may still be in the area.

8:39 PM: Police are now talking with another woman who reported a street robbery, not far from California/Andover, with items taken including her grocery bag. So far the only descriptions mentioned are an “older white sedan” with three people in ski masks.

3:21 PM: We heard a bit about this in radio exchanges earlier but had not yet verified. Now we’ve heard from the witness who reported it to police:

I witnessed a purse-snatching at the corner of 42nd & College, right by the WS Library. A woman was walking her dog and a man came up, punched her in the face, grabbed her bag and then hopped in a car and sped off. I called it in to 911 and gave them all the details I had, and there were several other witnesses taking care of the victim (she was unhurt, but obviously shaken).

Then about an hour ago, the witness got a call from police who said they arrived at the scene but hadn’t found the victim, so the witness wondered if we could publish something “to let the victim know she should contact the police.” We are asking SPD if they ever heard from the victim – if not, she can call and refer to case 23-304246. As for robber description, the description originally given by dispatch was “unknown-race male, 5’9″-5’10”, all-black clothing, ski mask” and the getaway vehicle was initially described as a “blue sedan.”

3:35 PM: Police arrested a juvenile suspect a short time ago at Westwood Village (photo above, near Chase Bank) and tell us the suspect is potentially linked to this case. They recovered a gun that, according to dispatch, was reported stolen in Federal Way. A second suspect who was with this one got away, apparently in a vehicle.

Meantime, this may not have been the only purse-snatch robbery in Admiral today – we’ve heard mention of at least one other report – more info when we get it.

7:45 PM: We have no additional info from SPD and might not get any before Monday but we’re still trying. Meantime, the victim of the purse-snatch robbery at 42nd/College has told her story in this comment below.

8:29 PM: With the help of archived dispatch audio, we’ve sorted this out: There were two purse-snatch robberies in Admiral this afternoon. In addition to the one reported above, the second one – similar-sounding circumstances – happened around 2:30 pm at 45th/Stevens. The robber in this one also was described as having a covered face, dark clothes, and got away in a “blue sedan.”

1:57 PM: For the second time this week, a driver has been carjacked along the West Seattle waterfront. This morning it happened just before 1 am in the 1100 block of Alki SW. Three people, described as Black males in black and white masks, stole a black BMW M5 (with plates that start with CFU) at gunpoint. A stolen Audi that was traveling with them was found a short time later abandoned after a collision on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge, just past 99. Not long afterward, police found the victim’s phone tossed aside near Admiral and City View. This comes three days after a woman was carjacked on Harbor Avenue

8:46 PM: In comments below, Jr says they’re the parent of this morning’s victim, and explains what happened.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

CARJACKING: A woman lost her vehicle to carjackers early this morning near Seacrest/Don Armeni. Our information comes from both archived police/dispatch audio and a summary provided by SPD on request. The victim said three people surrounded her vehicle while she was in the driver seat, pointed a gun at her, pulled her out of the car – a 2022 beige Mercedes SUV with plates that started in CCP – and demanded that she hand over her keys. They got in and took off, with a “dark sedan,” possibly a Nissan, following, She was not hurt. The suspects were described only as teenagers in masks and dark hoodies. Officers subsequently spotted the stolen vehicle and “dark sedan” qt/near Roxbury Safeway; the audio has one officer requesting but not receiving permission to pursue. (We asked SPD about current department policy as pursuits, since state law was loosened earlier this year to allow more of them; an SPD spokesperson provided this link to the department’s own extensive policy.) The vehicles were reported to have been seen “blowing through lights” as they headed eastbound on Roxbury. Meantime, officers recovered some of the victim’s property that had been stolen with the car, apparently including her purse. (Added: The 911 call on this came in at about 3 am.)

SHOPLIFT-TURNED-ROBBERY: This happened in the past hour, according to 911 dispatch. Four teenagers were reported to have stolen liquor from the Westwood Village QFC and punched an employee on their way out, which is what makes it a robbery. Four suspects were spotted at a bus stop on Delridge, “unloading” the suspected stolen property; according to an exchange between dispatch and officers, the store only wanted the suspects “identified and trespassed,” rather than arrested. The employee apparently did not require medical attention, as there is no evidence of an SFD dispatch to that location.

Just received the report and photo from Lisa:

Stolen from West Seattle – police report #23-298094

1998 Nissan Sentra XE
4-door sedan
No hubcaps
Washington license plate: BVA9630

Two West Seattle Crime Watch incidents, one under investigation right now:

SOUTH DELRIDGE GUNFIRE: Multiple 911 callers reported gunfire about 15 minutes ago, including one person who said a bullet went through their apartment wall. Police have confirmed that and found other “spent rounds,” at 17th/Henderson, and they currently have Henderson blocked off while they look for other evidence. No reports of injuries. Here’s the partial description of the shooter that’s been broadcast so far – Black, male, fired the shots, then got into a white Chrysler SUV and left the scene.

CRASH-AND-GRAB ATTEMPT: Thanks to Chuck for sending the tip on this tonight – it was logged as “property damage” so that didn’t catch our eye in looking at the early-early-morning log. The door at the 76 station/minimart at 4001 California SW is damaged after a would-be crash and grab burglar drove into it around 3 am:

What the would-be burglar(s) didn’t count on is that the manager was still there, and he chased the would-be burglar(s) away; they took off without taking anything.

The man charged with a North Delridge murder and South Delridge shooting in one night last year has been found guilty by a King County Superior Court jury. 44-year-old Jaycee C. Thompson was arrested and charged days after the crimes. In June 2022, he shot and killed 56-year-old Anthony “Gonzo” Gonzalez, described as a “friend,” at an encampment at 26th/Juneau, hours after shooting and wounding a 35-year-old man at 16th/Barton. Charging documents said Thompson shot Mr. Gonzalez dead after forcing a man, at gunpoint, to take him to the structure in which the victim lived, where he reportedly first said something like “Where’s the money and drugs?” before opening fire. Thompson, a convicted felon, had been released from jail one week before the shootings, over prosecutors’ objections, as explained in our original story on his arrest. The jury in this case found him guilty of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted robbery, and first-degree kidnapping, as well as “special verdicts” that he committed crimes while armed with a gun. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 26th; we’re awaiting information from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on the potential sentencing range.

Thanks to Joan for the photo and tip. The standalone Bank of America ATM in Morgan Junction (between West Seattle Thriftway [WSB sponsor] and Ezell’s Famous Chicken) is out of service after a break-in attempt early this morning. 911 was called just before 3 am by someone who reported two people using “hammers and crowbars” to try to get into the ATM. When police arrived, they were gone – leaving a tool behind that officers described to dispatch as “Jaws of Life,” apparently stolen from King County Fire District 2 (Burien and vicinity).

ADDED FRIDAY: Thanks to JB for providing this photo in a comment below:

ADDED SATURDAY: SPD released a short summary of the incident today, saying that the two people actually fled just as police arrived – in a blue Hyundai with no plates, “at a high rate of speed.”

Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

DELRIDGE PLAYFIELD WIRE THEFT: Thanks for the tips. Days after resurfaced Delridge Playfield reopened, local sports programs discovered they couldn’t use the field at night because the lights weren’t working, apparently because of wire theft. We inquired with Seattle Parks and got their response this morning, confirming the theft: “The wiring was stolen during the final leg of the field-replacement project. It will be replaced in a couple of weeks and will be secured to reduce theft.”

EASY STREET VANDALISM: We followed up today on a snippet of police-radio traffic late last night about vandalism at California/Alaska. Someone broke this window on the south side of Easy Street Records:

It was not described as a burglary attempt and store staff told us nothing was missing.

GUN-WIELDING SHOPLIFTER: This happened Sunday but the police-report summary wasn’t available until a few days later. The address is at Westwood Village, but the business was not identified in the summary:

At 10:45 (am), the suspect walked inside a business in the 2500 block of Southwest Barton Street. The suspect grabbed merchandise and started walking out. It was reported to police that a customer inside the store hinted to the suspect where the line to pay was located. The suspect then pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the customer. The suspect exited the business and left the location in a silver truck. The suspect was not located.

Two reader reports tonight:

ANOTHER HYUNDAI TAKEN: Texter reports:

My light blue Hyundai Elantra was stolen off Glenn Way SW last night. Plate BJY4666. Police report # 23-295212.

PACKAGE THEFT: The photo and report are from Lance:

Had a package stolen off my porch this afternoon @ 2:37 pm.

8400 block of 36th Ave SW.

Two Crime Watch notes tonight:

(Monday photo: Memorial for bus-shooting victim)

BUS-SHOOTING VICTIM IDENTIFIED: “M.W.” are the initials seen at the memorial along 15th SW for the man shot to death aboard a Metro bus there one week ago tonight. When we photographed the memorial yesterday, we didn’t know what the initials stood for – but tonight we do. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the victim as 21-year-old Marcell D. Wagner, saying he died from “multiple gunshot wounds.” Still no word of an arrest, and no update since what we published Thursday night; we’ll check again with the King County Sheriff’s Office tomorrow.

DAMAGED, POSSIBLY DUMPED, CAR: Caren sent the photo and report:

Reported this abandoned car to Find It Fix It app. Car appears to be abandoned or stolen. Showed up sometime early AM this morning, Tuesday, Oct 10th. Obvious damage to rear window and driver’s side windows. Car is a Toyota Scion, unknown year. License plate is BNE9467.

It’s along a residential street in North Delridge. We’ll divulge the location if we hear from its owner. (Caren also is trying to report it to police but hasn’t had luck with that yet.)

This happened around 6:30 pm Sunday in Morgan Junction, Christine reported via email:

I witnessed a purse snatch on Fauntleroy 1 block west of Starbucks. Suspect is white male wearing all black/ski mask and drove off in red/orange small Kia. Cops were called, issued case number, and little old lady is okay.

Police audio from the incident doesn’t have much to add – noting two juveniles possibly involved. SPD incident # is 23-292032.

Four reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

MINI-MART BURGLARIZED AGAIN, REPEATEDLY: Thanks for the tips. Customers report that the mini-mart at the Exxon station in Morgan Junction was burglarized not once, not twice, but three times overnight. Archived police audio and the incident log confirms the multiple burglaries reported in the 2 and 3 am hours. One partial description: Man in his 30s, dark complexion, black ski mask, khaki boots. Items stolen reportedly included cigarettes and lottery scratch tickets.

KIA BREAK-IN: This report and photos were sent by Hunter:

I wanted to report a car break-in at the intersection of Lander and 42nd Ave (next to the tennis courts at Hiawatha). I’ve been driving a rental for work this week. Parked it for the weekend and when I returned this morning I noticed the driver’s side window had been smashed in.

Nothing was stolen (nothing was in the vehicle).

Police report has already been filed but I wanted to let the community know as well! The incident most likely occurred sometime last night.

ANYBODY MISSING THIS CAR? Bill sent this report and photo:

Likely stolen car dumped on Avalon. Plates are spray painted. Damage to front right fender. Reported via Find It Fix It.

BIKE-THEFT FOLLOWUP: We published Dan‘s bike-theft report on Friday. This afternoon, he emailed this update:

Great news, I found my bike! I was walking to the bus on Saturday night in front of Westwood Village and someone was walking down the street with it. It was not the same person from my ring video footage and I talked to them and they said they had purchased it earlier that day. After explaining that it had been stolen from me and calling the police, they gave it back to me with very little resistance.

5:50 PM: Police are responding right now to the Admiral Safeway gas station after a report of an attempted robbery. According to dispatch, the caller reported at least two would-be robbers, one described as a white man in his early 20s with a black ski mask, the other a Black man his 20s driving a car described as a dark blue Hyundai Elantra with a dent on the driver-side door, no plates, last seen headed eastbound on Admiral after a staff member “chased them away.”

6:11 PM: Officers investigating that incident mentioned that it sounded like an “earlier robbery.” The call log now shows a “purse snatch” investigated about 15 minutes earlier in the 4100 block of California SW. We’ll be working to get details on that.

8:30 PM: Per commenters and archived police-radio audio, the purse-snatch robbery happened by Tram’s Salon, and was reported to involve two men, one in a ski mask, who grabbed the victim’s purse, briefly dragged her, then got away in a black Kia, no plates.

Five reports in West Seattle Crime Watch – the first four are from police summaries made public today.

STREET ROBBERY ATTEMPT: This happened Wednesday night but was not reported to police until Thursday afternoon, according to a summary made public today. The victim told police that he had left a restaurant in the 2600 block of Alki SW around 10 pm Wednesday and started walking away when two people “jumped out, pointed a handgun at him, and demanded his items.” But, the summary continues, “The victim screamed, which caused the suspects to flee and leave the area in a vehicle” without stealing anything. Neither the would-be robbers nor the vehicle were described in the summary, so we asked SPD. Det. Judinna Galpan responded: “Suspects: Two Black males in their mid – late teens. Wearing all black. One had a black bandana covering his face and the other possibly a red or black bandana. Vehicle: Tan or white sedan-type vehicle with no license plates.” If you have any information, the incident # is 23-288630.

These three other Wednesday incidents were also revealed in summaries made public today>

EARLY MORNING GUNFIRE: This was reported in the 6900 block of Delridge Way SW around 5 am Wednesday. 911 callers reported hearing “several shots”; officers “arrived and located evidence” of gunfire. No injuries. One person told officers a “blue sedan” might have been involved.

GUN STRUGGLE: At 1:45 pm Wednesday, officers were waved down in the 2400 block of SW Webster – just west of the Southwest Precinct – because two people were fighting. At some point, somebody “produced a handgun” and the two “struggled over it,” with the person who brought out the gun pistol-whipping the other person. Police say they recovered the gun and booked the person into jail for assault.

SHOT IN THE AIR: Then at 11 pm Wednesday, officers responded to a theft report at Westwood Village. Security at the business – not identified in the summary – told police that three people fled in a vehicle and that one of them fired a shot into the air as they drove off. Officers did not find evidence of gunfire aside from the witness report.

Also tonight, a reader report:

BICYCLE THEFT: This happened quickly, around 8:45 am today, when Dan went into his home for just a moment:

It was taken off my car when I ran into my house on Barton and 31st. It’s a pretty unique-looking bike and it looks like it was someone who just happened to be walking past in the 2 min I was in my house so I am assuming they are local. I got pretty clear footage of the person who took it.

The police incident # is 23-289429.

Catching up on reader reports:

CARS VANDALIZED: Sent by Susan:

[Tuesday] night between 5:30 pm and 9:45 pm, several cars including my own were keyed while parked on 34th Avenue SW between SW Barton St and SW Cambridge St. No leads, but a police report has been made.

APPARENTLY ABANDONED KIAS: Kyle reports, “Two Kias dumped on 12th between Holden/Austin overnight [Tuesday/Wednesday]. Both reported.”

Before the night is out, three more Crime Watch incidents we need to tell you about:

ROBBERY/ASSAULT IN GROCERY-STORE LOT: We just got a call from a longtime reader who wanted to be anonymous, a woman in her 60s who was robbed and assaulted in the Admiral Safeway lot tonight. She says it happened so fast – she was parked in the middle of the lot, around 9:30 pm, and a 4-door white sedan pulled up, with a man getting out of the back seat on the driver’s side, running up and grabbing her purse off her shoulder. He knocked her down, and she fell and hit her head, also banging up a previously injured elbow and replaced hip. The robber got back in the car, and they left via the 42nd SW exit. Her purse – a black Lesac – contained her phone and a red cardholder with her ID as well as debit and credit cards, which she says the robber quickly tried to use at gas stations and a fast-food restaurant. She says she only got a partial description – her glasses were knocked off when she was knocked down – 6′ tall, light to medium complexion, slender, light hoodie, dark pants. She says she screamed and someone called 911; police responded and SFD treated her at the scene. She says police also helped her get home safely and brought her a steering-wheel lock in case the robber came for her car (which is manual transmission, so they likely wouldn’t get far). If you have any information, the incident number is 23-286790.

NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR-CARJACKING. This one also was brought to our attention late tonight. It was caught on video that was provided to us by the camera’s owner, though he wasn’t the near-victim. He says it happened in North Delridge around 3:45 pm Tuesday, on 26th SW between Hudson and Alaska – a delivery driver left his car running when a passerby ran over and jumped in, jumping back out when the driver’s wife – in the car with their baby – screamed:

The camera’s owner says he provided the video to the driver, but didn’t know if the driver had subsequently reported this to police.

STOLEN WHITE PICKUP: Nathaniel reported this to us Tuesday afternoon:

I had my vehicle stolen on 42nd Ave in front of Nikko Teriyaki in the early morning of 9/29/23. It’s a white 1999 Chevy S-10, License plate # C78386Y. Incident # 23-282047

Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

MAN SHOT: A man was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound after an incident that spanned two jurisdictions. SPD heard from King County Sheriff’s Deputies around 9:30 pm last night that they were dealing with a man who said he was shot near the Delridge 7-11. They found him near a fire station in White Center. Police tell WSB the victim was “uncooperative” but with what little information he did give them, they searched the area in South Delridge for evidence of gunfire, but didn’t find it. He was taken to a hospital. If you have any information on this, the incident # is 23-285758.

SUSPECTED GUNFIRE: Multiple people called 911 after hearing this near Lincoln Park late last night – an area resident sent the video/audio this morning:

At the time, police responded, but we didn’t hear any report suggesting they found evidence of gunfire. We have an inquiry out now to see if that changed later.

TEENAGER ASSAULTED: We asked police about this first thing this morning after hearing from a parent late last night that this was being discussed by other parents. A 14-year-old boy was treated by SFD medics after getting punched in the face Monday afternoon, according to SFD dispatch audio. Here’s what SPD told us when we inquired this morning:

Police responded to a report of an assault in the 3000 block of California AV SW around 4:00 p.m. yesterday. Officers arrived and contacted a 14-year-old male who was walking southbound on California when a red Kia pulled up next to him. The suspect driver, described as a Black teenage male in his teens with black cornrows and wearing a black hoodie, threatened to assault the victim. The vehicle then came to a stop and a passenger described as a White teenage male with red hair exited the vehicle and assaulted the victim. After the assault, the White male suspect returned to the vehicle and it drove off. The victim reported possibly seeing a total of four suspects in the vehicle. Officers spoke with others in the area about the red Kia and the possible suspects. Police obtained evidence of the vehicle, which was not reported stolen. SFD responded to the scene to provide aid. Police did not locate the vehicle or the possible suspects.

(3000 California SW is the address for West Seattle High School.) The parent who contacted us said students reported seeing guns during the incident but police say there’s nothing about that in their report. If you have any information on this, the incident # is 23-285519.

Multiple incidents of car prowls and/or vandalism were reported in Admiral and North Admiral early today.

First, we have two photos from Timothy, who reported:

I’m sorry to report that 2 cars had smashed windows from vandalism last night on Walnut Ave SW between Hanford and Lander. It happened around midnight, when I heard my car alarm go off. Nothing stolen from my car. It would be interesting to see if others were impacted and if anyone has video of the area. I have submitted a police report.

Checking archived dispatch audio and SPD’s Twitter/X call log, we noted multiple car break-in/vandalism reports checked out by police early this morning, including at least four different addresses in North Admiral. We asked SPD whether final reports indicated that some or all of the incidents were connected, and spokesperson Officer Shawn Weismiller said he couldn’t confirm that: “This in an open and on-oing investigation and detectives will be looking to determine if the incidents are related.”