West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
First followup: Remember the car stolen Saturday with a bridesmaid’s dress inside, the wedding hours away? WSB’er Patricia spotted it today. We’re not certain whether it was her tip or someone else’s that led police to it, but TW sent this followup:
My girlfriend’s car was found today on 17th and Elmgrove; everything inside was gone, including the bridesmaid’s dress and the car battery, but it’s otherwise in drivable condition, so that’s been a big relief. (And a replacement dress was found for the wedding, which went fine). We appreciate WSB and all its readers for keeping an eye out, and the SPD for being so helpful. Thanks!
Second: Chuck‘s ’94 Civic, stolen from 18th/Barton, also has been found – almost two weeks after it was reported here.
Third: A new stolen car to watch for. It’s a low blow from the criminal(s) who already hit David‘s house once (the burglary mentioned in last night’s Crime Watch):
My car was stolen in the early hours of this morning, Sep 15, from the corner of Hinds and Belvidere. Bright red 2002 Mazda Protégé 5 wagon. 858ZDC plates. Our home nearby was burglarized Sunday evening and this morning saw that the car was gone (extra keys stolen from the house).
If you see David’s car, call 911.
West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
TROUBLE AT SEA: Thanks to Wendy (who sent that photo), Erin, and Lynn for mentioning police activity on the water and on land off the Don Armeni/Anchor (Luna) Park area around sunset tonight. After hearing via the scanner that police were going to tow a boat downtown, we headed over in hopes of asking shoreside officers what was going on, but we just missed them. Via e-mail, we did get some information from Southwest Precinct Lt. Paul Leung, who says it involved “a disturbance between a male and a female. Officers boarded the boat. The female retracted her story but the male was arrested for several outstanding DV [domestic violence] warrants.”
MISSING FIRE PIT: James, near Lincoln Park, says the fire pit used for neighborhood gatherings all summer is suddenly missing.
(Saturday), my family and I went to Alki for lunch and then ran some errands. We’re sure the fire pit was out front when we left, but now it’s not. It was close to the street, but didn’t have a ‘Free’ sign or anything on it. I’d like to see if a nearby neighbor picked it up wondering if it was indeed abandoned. We live on a block with very light traffic (46th Ave SW between Kenyon & Austin) and don’t see many cars that don’t live close. It disappeared between noon and 4:30 on Saturday (yesterday).
The fire pit is black iron. The base is up on legs, and the fire is in a tray surrounded by an iron lattice. It’s probably 3 feet long on its longer side, and 2 feet wide. Can you see if anyone in the neighborhood took it thinking we were giving it away? No harm no foul if we get it back.
It has been reported to police just in case it WASN’T a mistake.
ADDED 1 AM – SUNDAY BURGLARY: Just missed a phone call from someone who reported being burglarized in Belvidere Sunday, coming home to find their home on 37th SW “trashed,” including jewelry left behind that didn’t belong to them.
P.S. No West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting this month, but WSCPC says it will reconvene in October (10/21, 7 pm, at the precinct).
12:59 AM: Police are in The Junction right now after a brazen act of vandalism – a witness tells us someone walking by smashed a window at Talarico’s. No reports of injuries, so far. Radio communication says staff ran after the vandal to try to catch him. We’re hearing about a possible suspect stopped on the west side of The Junction but not sure yet if it’s the same incident. You’ll recall that other business windows have been smashed in the area recently, most notably the nonprofit Discovery Shop, so that potentially raised the profile on this call. We’ll update with whatever else we find out.
1:11 AM: Added photos from WSB’s Katie Meyer, who was told at the scene by a staffer that the vandalism apparently resulted from a disgruntled patron so upset at being “cut off” that he picked up a nearby “no parking” sign and smashed it against the window. The staffer also confirmed someone was in custody.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from TW:
My girlfriend’s car, a red 1995 Subaru station wagon license plate 782 ZDF, was stolen sometime Fri night/Sat morning outside my apartment a block off of Westcrest Park in the Highland Park neighborhood. If anyone sees it, please call the Seattle Police. It’s bad timing; she’s part of a friend’s wedding this evening and her bridesmaid’s dress was in the car. If any of the readers of the West Seattle Blog can spot it, that would be a lifesaver. Thanks!
Call 911 if you see this or any other stolen vehicle, police say.
The big beautiful flower baskets in The Junction are eye-catching – and thief-attracting. This Crime Watch reader report is from West Seattle Junction Association director Susan Melrose:
The West Seattle Junction Association is asking our community to help with neighborhood watch.
Each year our organization purchases and maintains almost 100 lovely flower baskets to bring beauty to our business district. Our vendor is a West Seattle company who creates unique arrangements and cares for them throughout the season. Taking place on multiple occasions during the last month, we’ve had a total of six of our baskets stolen. The most recent theft was last week, and we have cause to believe that all the baskets were taken by the same person. Since the stolen flower baskets are valued over $1000, an investigation has been opened and SPD is taking leads.
If you see, or have seen, a flower basket that you think may have been taken from The Junction, please report to our office and SPD will follow up. Please consider that these are very large flower baskets. They are not typically seen in residential areas and would probably stand out if displayed. It is also possible that the thief has been trying to sell them. Any information can be shared with Junction Association Director Susan Melrose at 206-935-0904 or susan@wsjunction.org. Thank you.
Police are investigating a new report of a man exposing himself outside a local school. This one was reported within the past hour near Holy Rosary School; police arrived quickly and were told that a child said a man described only as white, heavyset, and in his 30s “exposed himself to kids on the playground behind the school.” He was said to have been leaning against a vehicle described as a silver minivan. No suspects found yet, according to our followup conversation with SPD spokesperson Det. Drew Fowler. Holy Rosary already has sent an alert to parents; three have forwarded it to us (thank you):
Students reported that a man was seen in a parked silver vehicle (maybe a van). He stepped out and did not have any clothing on the bottom part of his body. He was not on our property. He was near the sidewalk by the big toy—— outside the fence. The police were immediately notified. Three squad cars and three other officers were here within six minutes of the report. Staff have circled the area a number of times. Staff will be out at the end of school, patrolling the area.
We did ask police, and so far they don’t have any further descriptive details such as hair or clothing color/style.
(Side note: No one’s ever been arrested in the two incidents there last September.)
ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: Another stolen car to watch for – this report arrived this morning from Patricia:
I would like to report that my car, a red Subaru station wagon plate number ARD 1430, was stolen sometime early Friday morning, September 5th. If anyone sees it, please call Seattle Police with incident number 14-296238. I was told that Subaru steals have been on the rise lately. I hope to find my car as I do a lot of volunteer work that requires me to haul things around. Police said it will probably be abandoned somewhere in West Seattle the next two weeks. It is red, with racing rims on it and might still have a cross hanging from the mirror. Thanks, West Seattle Blog, I have often seen cars returned through the good hearts and eagle eyes of the people who read this.
Indeed, thanks to everyone who keeps an eye out – one of the recent “reunions,” for example, was a car mentioned here and spotted by a reader in an odd spot in a large parking lot. Patricia’s car was taken from the 7900 block of 17th SW (map).
TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: Found!
My red Subaru that was stolen and reported on the blog yesterday was found. An hour and 1/2 after it was reported on the blog it was dropped off at a business in White Center. We tracked the time their truck vacated the spot and when they returned and the car was there. Could they have seen it on the blog? I like to think so; you and the people of West Seattle are making a difference in the amount of cars being returned.
That’s Athena and her UW Huskies fan banner. Brand new … and, now, stolen from her yard in the 5900 block of Beach Drive SW (map). “If anyone sees it, I would appreciate getting it back. … It’s about 8.5 ft tall and slender, looks exactly like this, still brand new.” Let police know if you have an idea about what happened to it.
Three more incidents your neighbors want you to know about – first, Bryan is hoping you might have seen his bike, stolen while he was in a Junction store for a few minutes:
I am sad to say my beloved Psy-Clo was stolen (Friday) around 4:00 pm from the bike rack (locked) in front of the True Value at Edmunds and 44th Ave, while I was in the store for about 5 minutes.
Psy-Clo was a 2014 Cannondale CAAD-X, mariner blue with red and blue accents, black taped road bars, black ESA cranks (with some distinctive worn paint and scratches from when the crank fell off!), black clip in pedals, Cygolite Metro USB chargeable light (and Hotshot rear), a black rear rack, Novara under seat bag with red tool bag and orange seat cover, a black Brooks leather seat, Promax disc brakes (front adjuster is broken/loose), an RSVP top tube blue frame bag, a silver/black Zefal frame bike pump (strapped to the underside of the top tube), two black bottle holders with one white insulated Polar water bottle, and Schwalbe Marathon Plus Tires – plus a Seahawks car flag mounted under the rear seat!
I did notice an older gentleman with grayish hair and mustache sitting in a pickup truck (I think) parked along 44th right by the bike rack, who in retrospect appeared to be taking in interest in my bicycle – I figured he was just a Hawks fan! Anyway, I (have filed a police report) and have some hope the True Value surveillance camera could have some information, but would appreciate any information any passerbys/witnesses (including the C-Line bus that went by) might have.
Ahead – another “iPhone theft from outside the window” case, plus a tire slash that followed apparent “parking rage”:
Seattle Police have just gone public with that video from this morning’s shooting/robbery outside the South Delridge 7-11 (WSB early-morning coverage here). And they have new information. From the accompanying SPD Blotter post:
SPD Robbery detectives collected video surveillance from the scene of this morning’s shooting and are now working to identify a group of suspects.
In the video, the group of suspects can be seen circling through the parking lot of a West Seattle 7-11 in a gray or silver Buick early this morning, before they climb out of their car and confront several men and women standing outside the store.
During the confrontation, one of the suspects grabbed a man’s phone and demanded his watch before the suspects returned to their Buick.
As the group of suspects began to drive away, one of the victims lobbed something at the suspects’ car. The driver of the Buick then fired several shots out a car window — striking one man in the buttocks and a woman in both her legs — and sped away from the scene.
Witnesses described the gunman as a white male in his mid 20s, possibly with blonde hair, and said he was accompanied by three black males in their 20s and 30s.
If you recognize the suspects in the video or know anything about this case, please call the SPD Robbery Unit at (206) 684-5535.
Katy reports her street, 58th SW near Alki’s Whale Tail Park, has been hit hard by vehicle-related crime. Her 4-door Ford F250 was stolen early Thursday – beige, black hard cover for its bed, chrome wheels and rails, red Fx4 sticker on back 3/4 panel, WA plate B59699Y – call 911 if you have seen it. She adds, “In addition, our next-door neighbor got his work truck broken into last week, cleaned him out…and someone at the end of the block had their Lexus stolen.” We don’t have additional details on the latter theft so far but will add them if we find them; Katy’s truck is posted on SPD’s @getyourcarback feed.
(Photo added: South Delridge 7-11, at which police say this started)
4:38 AM: Police and fire have responded to the 9000 block of 20th SW for an assault-with-weapons call with two victims. Per emergency radio, both are in their 20s and both have gunshot wounds – one to the leg, one with a “grazing wound” behind her knees. The gunfire is believed to have come from someone in a car. More to come.
4:50 AM: According to radio communications, the person shot in the leg is a 29-year-old man who will be transported by SFD medic unit; the person with a grazing wound to her legs is an 18-year-old woman who’ll go to the hospital via private ambulance. The latest description of the vehicle is “gold,” with the shots believed to have been fired by a “white male,” with “three black males” also in the car.
Our crew at the scene is seeing one person being treated at the Montridge Arms Apartments (photo added above); police also are at the nearby 7-11.
4:55 AM: New possible description of the vehicle: Gray Taurus; police are still sorting it out.
5:01 AM: From our crew at the scene: Police say this might have started as a person-to-person theft at the 7-11, between the victims and the people in the car. The victims made it across the street to the apartment building under their own power. This is not affecting traffic on Delridge Way.
5:14 AM: More from what police said at the scene: They’re not certain whether the “grazing” injury suffered by the female victim were from bullets or “shrapnel.” Again, neither victim has a life-threatening injury. No one in custody so far. People in the area say they thought they heard five shots. Police are still talking to witnesses to sort things out, including the vehicle/suspect descriptions.
6:14 AM UPDATE: Police have just published a summary on SPD Blotter; they now confirm the man was shot, the woman hurt by “shrapnel.” The item at issue in the “theft” they told us about is now reported to have been a cell phone. The conflicting vehicle descriptions also are mentioned – either gold Buick or gray Taurus.
9 AM NOTE: We went by in the 7 am hour and noted that Robbery Unit detectives had joined other officers on scene, still behind the yellow tape.
Four reader reports to share – we’re not calling them all Crime Watch because the bicycles might not be stolen, but often when found in circumstances like these, they are. First, have you seen Nyle‘s stolen motorcycle?
My motorcycle was stolen out of apartment parking garage on upper Avalon Way between midnight and 8am on 9/3/14. 1999 Red Honda CBR 600 F4. Plate #690065. Police called and report filed. Keep your eyes open!
FOUND BICYCLE #1: Christine and Jeff both sent photos and word of this bicycle that’s been up against a signpost in Morgan Junction for a few days:
Christine described it as “a pink and purple Magna Misty bike with a few iridescent streamers on the handlebars.”
FOUND BICYCLE #2: Dana found this one, described as a purple girl’s Specialized Hotrock:
We’ve advised the bicycles’ finders to report them to police, but do comment if you know whose they are.
CAR PROWL: From Sarah:
My car was broken into again some time between 11:30 pm 9/2 and when I went out again this afternoon 12:30 pm 9/3. Police report has been filed, but I want to warn neighbors. My car was locked up tight abd all doors were unlocked, including the hatch, which requires a key, so I think they may have one of the Subaru dummy keys. It was an older Subaru Legacy Wagon (1992) and the only thing I noticed missing besides the cell phone charger was some loose change. This happened on the 7700 block of 31st Ave SW.
FIRST REPORT, 11:56 PM: Two calls initially dispatched as “assault with weapons” – we’re en route to both.
12:08 AM UPDATE, 7500 BLOCK 24TH: This is barely a block from the precinct, where, police tell us, they heard a shot and headed this way to investigate. Someone shot himself in the foot and is described by police as “not cooperative.”
We’re off to Cottage Grove Commons next.
12:37 AM UPDATE, 5444 DELRIDGE WAY SW: Police are inside the building investigating; all we have right now is word that someone was stabbed, and at least one person is in custody. We might not be able to find out more until later this morning.
10:40 AM UPDATE: We have just obtained the police report for the Cottage Grove Commons incident, as noted in comments, and will add a summary here shortly. The 24th SW shooting is one of two incidents (the other wasn’t in West Seattle) in this SPD Blotter post just published. It doesn’t mention what we were told at the scene – that it was believed to be self-inflicted – but does say the victim is 37 and that the injury was actually to the ankle.
11:24 AM UPDATE: Adding the summary of the aforementioned police report on the 5444 Delridge Way stabbing – click ahead if you’re reading from the main page:
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Another stolen car to watch for: Chuck says his car, a teal ’94 Honda Civic two-door, California plate 3GAE402, was stolen over the weekend near 18th SW/Barton (one of several recent auto thefts in the area, he says). It’s been reported to police – who tweeted it via @getyourcarback. Call 911 with any info.
(August 27 photo by BETTINA HANSEN/THE SEATTLE TIMES, republished by permission)
4:06 PM: The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has just filed charges against Estevan Sanchez, accused of stealing an SUV from outside the Seamart store in Highland Park last Wednesday, with its owner’s baby daughter in the back seat; the car was ditched in the middle of a street in Greenbridge, with the baby still inside. Sanchez, a 25-year-old Highland Park resident, is charged with second-degree kidnapping and theft of a motor vehicle. As first reported here the night of his arrest, he already had warrants out in connection with domestic-violence cases involving his longtime girlfriend – one relating to an incident this past June in which he allegedly stole her car. “His dangerous and callous actions demonstrate a total disregard for human life and the safety of the entire community,” prosecutors write in the charging documents. More to come.
ADDED 4:24 PM: More from the charging papers’ narrative, signed by deputy prosecuting attorney Ian Ith:
Unpleasant surprise for a West Seattle couple whose SUV was stolen while they were away for the holiday weekend. But maybe you can help them get it back, if you see it. From Rebecca:
My boyfriend and I arrived home last night to discover his car stolen and we made a police report. According to our landlord, the car has been gone for a “couple days,” so we are guessing it was stolen Sat night after we left town. It is a dark blue ’90s Isuzu Rodeo and has a W. SEA sticker on the back window and his back license plate cover says “Patrick” on it. It also has some paint damage on the driver-side door. There was no glass on the ground in the area it was parked, so we are assuming none of the windows were busted out.
Please call 911 with any info on its whereabouts.
ADDED: Found – see comments.
It’s September, and the community groups that took all or part of the summer off would usually be getting back to their normal schedules. But two of them have a different plan for this month. Tonight, the first Tuesday, would usually be the regular meeting night for Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council, but here’s what’s on the schedule instead, as announced by Joe Szilagyi:
One more month of a slightly different WWRHAH schedule!
No meeting tonight as we’ve mentioned — the next one will be a joint meeting with the Highland Park Action Committee at their meeting space on Wednesday, September 24 at 630 pm. This meeting will be dedicated to and focusing on Seattle Police across our two areas and South Delridge. Bring your questions — we’ll have all the key staff from the Southwest Precinct there!
Meeting: HPAC & WWRHAH joint SPD meeting
Date: Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Time: 630 pm-830 pm
Location: Highland Park Improvement Club, 1116 SW HoldenHere’s the Facebook event if you want to join that or share it.
If you live in one of those areas and have concerns/questions for SPD, that meeting will be particularly crucial, as the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council has canceled its September meeting because of health challenges among its leadership.
(Added: WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:50 PM: Just a quick mention while we’re gathering details – two incidents involving police right now in south West Seattle, don’t know yet if they are at all related. There is a crash at 35th and Barton and a foot chase near the 8800 block of Delridge. More details as we get them. Both are likely to be affecting traffic on those major arterials.
(WSB photo by Tracy Record)
6:12 PM: The crash, involving police, is at 35th/Barton, and 35th is blocked north of the intersection. No injuries, we are told at scene. Meantime, a reportedly carjacked vehicle was abandoned in South Delridge, and that’s what the search is about.
6:47 PM: Back from both scenes.
Medics have now been called to 35th/Barton to check out an 11-year-old girl who was in the civilian car that collided with a police vehicle – she is reported to have neck pain.
(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
That car (above) is currently in the parking lot of Tony’s Market; 35th remains closed at that spot, just north of Barton.
(WSB photo by Tracy Record)
The stolen car (above) was abandoned blocks away in an alley. No arrest yet. Police told WSB’s Christopher Boffoli that it was stolen outside West Seattle.
7:09 PM: SPD has just confirmed that the officer involved in 35th/Barton collision was indeed headed to carjacker search, and that the 11-year-old has been taken to the hospital.
8:25 PM: Our partners at The Seattle Times have a bit more detail on exactly how the collision happened – quoting police as saying the officer was headed south in case the suspect being tracked on Delridge headed west, but then got word of a direction change, so was U-turning at 35th/Barton when the collision happened.
9 PM: 35th is still closed north of Barton while investigators work.
11:07 PM: Thanks to commenter “Hosedown” for the update that 35th is open again. Meantime, SPD Blotter has just published the full summary of how this happened, including details of the carjacking incident that started it all, and news that the driver who hit the SPD car at 35th/Barton is suspected of DUI:
A woman called 911 to report two men stole her car while she left it running in the 2700 block of 4th Ave. South.
Plainclothes officers in the area quickly located the car and requested marked patrol units to stop the car. When officers tried to pull the car over at 21st Ave. SW and SW Henderson St. the occupants jumped out and ran away on foot. Officers flooded the area, but were unable to capture either suspect.
An officer responding to the call for help made a U-turn at 35 Ave. SW and SW Barton St. using his lights and sirens stopping all traffic. The officer had completed his turn when a vehicle broadsided the police car on the passenger side.
Seattle Fire Department medics responded and evaluated the officer, other driver, and her 11-year-old female passenger. The girl complained of a headache and nausea and was transported to Harborview Medical Center via ambulance. The officer was uninjured in the collision.
A Drug Recognition Expert was called to the scene to evaluate the driver, who was eventually arrested for driving under the influence.
Officers continue to search for the original carjacking suspects. They are described as a mid 30’s white male, 6 foot, 180 pounds and unshaven. The second suspect is described as a 30-year-old black male, 6 foot and 180 pounds.
Detectives are asking anyone with information to please call 911 and speak with officers.
Remember Nicholas Broughton, who crashed a stolen car through a fence near a relative’s home in The Junction back in January? Just days after he struck a plea bargain in that case and an earlier identity-theft case, it’s confirmed that he is the man police were looking for last night in the 35th/Myrtle area. Washington’s Most Wanted reports that Broughton, 33, and girlfriend Jennifer Lasky were the targets of the search. She was arrested and is in jail in connection with a $3,000 Pierce County warrant (for failure to appear in court in connection with a driving-with-suspended-license charge). He is still on the run.
Online records show Broughton was in court just last week to plead guilty to reduced charges in the two cases facing him. The first case involves that January night when he drove an SUV, stolen from Tacoma, through a fence near a relative’s home southwest of The Junction. The vehicle had come to police’s attention because it was equipped with LoJack. When charges were filed, Broughton was described as “an 11-time felon.”
Two weeks later, a judge let him out on bail; just weeks after that, Broughton was charged in a separate case, accused of identity theft related to credit/debit cards stolen in multiple car prowls, with at least one West Seattle victim.
After a failure to appear in court, a warrant was issued for him, and Broughton was re-arrested. He was in jail until mid-July, and was scheduled to go on trial this week, but the trial was canceled when he struck a plea bargain involving both aforementioned cases, and a reduction of charges. Documents show he was in court last Friday related to that, pleading guilty to the reduced charges – two counts of second-degree identity theft, one each of hit-and-run and possession of a stolen vehicle (a lesser charge than auto theft). The plea bargain also included a charge of criminal trespass, but documents say that is to be dismissed at his sentencing, which is scheduled for September 26th. It’s too soon to say how/whether this latest skirmish with police will affect that case. Meantime, WMW says there’s a reward out for him, and you can call 911 or 800-222-TIPS if you have information.
After questions about why the front window is boarded up at the nonprofit Discovery Shop in The Junction, we contacted volunteer Suzanne Rowe (who had just e-mailed us about some new features there), and she has just responded with the photo and report:
As the Discovery Shop was preparing to close at 4:30 on Wednesday afternoon, a person passing by on the street intentionally smashed our front window either with his foot or with his backpack. The police were called and they did take a report and interviewed witnesses. Luckily, no one in the store or other pedestrians was hurt when the giant sheet of glass broke. Those in the store said it sounded like gunfire when it happened.
What makes this event even more unfortunate is our insurance will not cover the costs of replacing the window. The Discovery Shop has to pay the entire cost and that means less money going to the American Cancer Society. We hope the community will still stop by and support our store as we work to replace the window. Again, according to witness accounts, this was done intentionally in broad daylight with people standing nearby, making for a potentially dangerous situation.
The shop at 4535 California SW is open today until 4:30 pm. According to its website, one way they’re hoping to raise window-repair money is via a special sale on pants tomorrow and Sunday.
If you heard/saw the big police response in southeast West Seattle, it was for a report of someone breaking into an occupied home (added: near 21st/Barton) … and police are reported to have a suspect in custody. More when we get it.
Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office: Bail is set at $500,000 for the 25-year-old man accused of stealing an SUV from outside Seamart in Highland Park, with a 10-month-old baby girl in the back seat, abandoning it (and her) in White Center. As added to our coverage last night after he was booked into jail, he also has warrants in connection with three domestic-violence-related cases, one of which also involved taking a vehicle; court documents list his address as less than a block away from the scene of yesterday’s crime. The documents include a short police narrative of how it unfolded; adding that in a moment.
ADDED: Transcribed from the “probable cause” section of the document:
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