Following up on last month’s deadly rollover at Delridge/Kenyon: The allegedly drunk pickup driver, 43-year-old William K. Edmon, was in court today and pleaded not guilty to vehicular homicide and reckless-endangerment charges. Michael Fisher, also 43, died after being thrown from the back of the pickup Edmon was driving when it rolled after running a red light clipping an SUV late the night of July 27th. As reported here and elsewhere, Edmon was driving without a valid license – as had happened at least 13 times before, according to his long record, which also includes two DUI convictions. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says the judge is keeping Edmon’s bail at $1 million; his next hearing is tentatively scheduled for August 29th.

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch – two about thefts, with a request that you be on the lookout for the stolen items; third, what might have been a car-theft attempt.

First, from Becca:

We just had a bunch of stuff stolen from our house … and the most important things were a camera (Samsung) and two Apple Computers that had a lot of baby pictures from our child’s first year. I don’t care how they come back, but I would love to get the pics. I don’t even need the computers, but the pictures are really important to me.

If anyone buys a computer or camera from Craigslist or a pawn shop or anything like that, no questions asked, send it anonymously or however, but please consider giving me back my pics of my kid.

From Danielle:

My husband just recently bought a brand new Prodeco Genesis electric bike as a means of transportation to/from work (he is in the military). He locked it up Thursday night after work in the bike room of our secured access garage at our apartment complex. He didn’t need it for the rest of the weekend until (Monday) night when we went to the bike room to grab the bike (we had just gotten a new rack for our car) and noticed it was gone. He had secured and chained the bike in the bike room Thursday night and it was stolen at some point this past weekend. We are not sure if this was an act of someone in the apartment building or someone sneaking through the garage gate from the outside street while it was open letting a car in/out. Again, the bike is a brand new Prodeco Genesis electric bike (silver in color with black fenders). It may be easy to spot because of the large battery pack on the pack of the bike. He also had 2 stickers on the bike, one was from a band called “Being as an ocean” and the other from a band called “Heart to Heart.” The bike was stolen from the Residences at 3295 (intersection of Avalon Way and 35th Ave SW in West Seattle).

And from a Subaru Forester owner who didn’t want to be identified – they discovered a theft (or break-in) attempt that happened at 47th/Admiral early Saturday evening:

At 8:30 pm I went out to my car and saw that the driver’s-side lock had been what looked to me like drilled or hammered. There was a small scratch on the body. Must have been scared off by people, it was still light and kids playing at the house next door.

If you have information on any of the above – or any other crime – contact police.

(2:34 PM NOTE: Briefing’s over now. Will replace the screengrab below with archived video when available)

2:04 PM: City and county officials are presenting a briefing on this morning’s shooting incident downtown (see our earlier coverage here), and the live video above is courtesy of Seattle Channel. We’ll update this with new-info toplines as it goes. **Click the “play” button for the live video.**

County Executive Dow Constantine begins with “commend(ations)” for both drivers involved this morning. And: “Metro is safe,” he insists. “This was an isolated incident. It happened on a Metro bus but (it could have happened almost anywhere) … (and) there are a lot of people out there with guns who shouldn’t have them. The safety of our drivers and our passengers is always our first priority.” He says he met with the injured driver, who wasn’t only “awake and alert” but was “in good spirits … and asked almost immediately, ‘how are (his) passengers?’ That is the kind of dedicated public servant we so appreciate.” He also expresses appreciation for the second driver, the Route 120 driver, who dealt with the suspect trying to “commandeer his bus” before police intervened.

2:07 PM: Mayor McGinn speaks briefly and turns it over to Seattle Police Interim Chief Jim Pugel. He offers this chronology:
–At 8:48 am, the 1st bus was southbound on 3rd Avenue near Union/University. 3 people boarded, were asked to pay, 2 exited, 1 did not, “began pacing back and forth in bus, made his way up to the operator … then physically assaulted the driver and then shot him at least twice.” People were fleeing the bus yelling “He’s got a gun.” Two officers were nearby. One rushed to help, one rushed to seek the suspect, who still had a revolver in sight, and was on the run, and “according to witnesses, turned and pointed the gun at officers several times. … The suspect continued southbound on 2nd Avenue toward Seneca Street … tried to get into (two other vehicles) … eventually engaged a Metro bus that had passengers on it and was coming up the hill .. at SW corner of Seneca/2nd … somehow the door came open, the suspect got on the bus, several people got off …” Other officers, including an assistant chief, were in the area, gave verbal orders, the suspect raised his gun once, was shot, raised it again, was shot again. Seven minutes elapsed between the first call and the end of the incident, says Chief Pugel, “which is phenomenal.”

Two passengers on the second bus (the Route 120 bus) suffered minor injuries but no one besides the first driver and the suspect were hit by gunfire, says Chief Pugel.

“Today was a day when one of our drivers unfortunately met an individual who clearly should not have been there, with that weapon, and we at some point collectively failed to pick up that danger … It’s not a transit issue,” says Constantine now, reiterating, “It’s not a transit issue. Transit is safe … I hope next time you board a bus that you will take a moment to thank your Metro driver.”

2:15 PM: They’re taking Q/A now. Chief Pugel is not confirming one TV station’s ID of the suspect, who has a significant background, but not ruling it out either. He says Nick Metz is the assistant chief who was in the area and joined in the “chase.” What about security on buses? County Executive Constantine is asked. He recalls the 2010 assault on a Metro driver (a West Seattle resident) and talks about ways they worked with the transit union on safety procedures since then, and a resulting decline in assaults on drivers. (A union rep is at the briefing, but so far has not spoken.) “We safely deliver millions of people per week to their destinations without incident,” Constantine reiterates. A Transit Police (part of the King County Sheriff’s Office) rep comments on this too, saying that several of their personnel got there fast. Regarding the alleged fare refusal that preceded this, he says that drivers are asked to request fares – but not engage beyond that.

2:23 PM: Is there video from either bus? Potentially, says Chief Pugel. They’re checking people’s phone video, too. Next, Mayor McGinn is asked about the recent call for more police downtown because of other violence. He reiterates that two police officers were “right on the scene when this occurred,” but says they’re evaluating the overall situation. Executive Constantine says he’s not going public with the 64-year-old, 14-year-veteran shot driver’s name until hearing from the driver’s wife that enough of their family has been told, that it’s OK to go public. Back to driver safety, he notes the request for enclosing drivers, and says the drivers themselves considered them more of an impediment to their job than protection. The transit union rep, president Paul Bachtel, now speaks and says the enclosures were tested multiple times in the past, with 300 operators surveyed after testing 30 shields. The union executive board rejected them for reasons including glare, a change in relationship between drivers and passengers, feedback from other agencies that had tried them. He also reiterates that operators are told to only ask for the fare once, and some, if they feel it’s unsafe, don’t do that at all.

Executive Constantine repeats that drivers are all “a bit shaken up today … so your kind words will mean a lot to them.” And at 2:29 pm, the briefing is over.

2:34 PM NOTE: Though traffic conditions weren’t discussed in the briefing, the latest from Metro is: “Buses traveling into Seattle on NB Alaskan Way Viaduct rerouted via 3rd Ave w/ no stop on Seneca west of 3rd. SB viaduct buses are OK.” And: “Buses still rerouted off 2nd Ave between Stewart & Spring. Board/exit all 2nd Ave routes at regular stops N of Stewart, E of 3rd or S of Spring.”

3:01 PM UPDATE: And now from Metro: “Most transit service has resumed normal operations.” They will have additional updates here throughout the PM commute.

4:27 PM UPDATE: Just tweeted by SPD: “Streets reopened downtown. 2nd Ave still closed between Spring and University but should be opening shortly.”

4:53 PM UPDATE: SPD has now confirmed that the suspect has died. Also, the Seattle Times (WSB partner) has identified the injured driver as 64-year-old Deloy Dupuis, whom public records say lives in Burien.

(SCROLL DOWN for newest info – we’ll update this throughout the day)

(Photo from WSB reader KD: Route 120 bus with bullet holes in windshield)
9:15 AM: This is a developing story downtown, and it’s affecting traffic off the Viaduct, so we’ll be tracking it separately after a brief mention in traffic coverage: Police report a Metro bus driver was shot downtown; this is a multi-scene investigation, and one scene is near 2nd and Seneca.

(WSB reader photo: Part of the scene downtown, in the 2nd/3rd/Seneca/University area)
According to radio traffic, the shooting suspect then was shot by police. And an officer is also being treated for a minor injury, either from being grazed by a bullet, or from broken glass. Streets affected include 2nd/University/Seneca so far. More to come.

9:24 AM UPDATE: We’re still awaiting word from Metro with details on the affected buses. One WSB reader has texted to say a Route 120 bus was involved and passengers are being held to give statements to police. Police say the driver, 67 years old, was shot at 3rd and Union; the suspect is reported to have then gotten on another bus and police shot him at 2nd and Seneca.

9:32 AM UPDATE: The 120 passenger we’re hearing from says it’s hard to recall what happened among “lots of chaos,” but “somebody was pounding on the front door” of their bus.

9:49 AM UPDATE: Thanks to KD for the photo of the Route 120 bus that was involved, added atop this story. Here’s what SPD Blotter has just posted, saying (as a commenter notes) that the driver was shot on a Route 27 bus. It appears the suspect was subsequently trying to get into the 120 bus, which would correlate with our earlier tipster’s report that “the driver saved (us).”

10:08 AM: Metro has sent an alert that Route 120 and RapidRide D (post-C) are having reroutes downtown because of this. Meantime, some links for citywide coverage:
Seattle Times (WSB partner)
KING5.com
KIROTV.com

10:37 AM: Ari G texted that many buses downtown are being rerouted onto 1st and you might find yourself having to flag one down. Meantime, SPD has just updated its report, including this information on conditions, including at least two more people reported hurt, and the latest on how the investigation is affecting things downtown:

The 67-year-old Metro driver’s injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

The suspect—who is in his 30′s or 40′s—is in critical condition and is being transported to Harborview.

A 32-year-old officer also sustained minor injuries in the incident, possibly from broken glass, and was taken to Harborview.

A second officer, who is in his 50s, was also taken to Harborview for treatment for a medical condition.

Finally, a female passenger sustained minor bruising while evacuating the second bus.
Police are actively working to process a very complicated series of crime scenes, and traffic throughout downtown will likely be significantly impacted today due to necessary street closures.
For downtown workers looking to get back in their offices: If your office is blocked off by police tape, please contact an officer near the police line, provide work ID if possible, and ask to pass through to your office.

11:29 AM UPDATE: First, the latest on the shot bus driver, via Twitter:

Executive Constantine says the injured bus driver wants everyone to know he is going to be OK. -Staff pic.twitter.com/xVnLVDOceP

— Dow Constantine (@kcexec) August 12, 2013

Also, police have clarified that the suspect did get aboard that second bus (the Route 120 coach pictured above) before they shot him – they have again updated their SPD Blotter story here.
12:59 PM UPDATE: County and city authorities (SPD, Metro, etc.) plan a 2 pm media briefing on all aspects of this situation. The county is hoping to make a live stream available. KING tells us they plan to stream it. Will link stream(s) here when links are available, and will update the info as it happens.

2:02 PM UPDATE: Go here for live coverage and briefing notes.

3:03 PM UPDATE: If you’re checking here for PM commute information: Metro says, “Most transit service has resumed normal operations.” If any changes to that, they’ll have it on their site.

4:27 PM UPDATE: Making note of this on all of our coverage pages related to this – just tweeted by SPD: “Streets reopened downtown. 2nd Ave still closed between Spring and University but should be opening shortly.”

5 PM UPDATE: SPD says the suspect has died. Meantime, police, SDOT and Metro all confirm streets/buses are back to normal.

Another stolen car to report from Saturday – and we’ve learned at least four cars were stolen in our area the same day. The car above belongs to Mary, and it was stolen from The Junction’s three-hour free-parking lot in the 4700 block of 44th SW while she was volunteering nearby at the West Seattle Lions Club‘s hot-dog booth during the Junction True Value (WSB sponsor) event. It’s a her 2003 silver Honda Pilot with a silver Thule cargo box, running boards, black front bumper guard and a dent in the driver’s side rear bumper cover. Call 911 if you see it.

Also reported stolen in West Seattle on Saturday: The Subaru taken in Gatewood that was reported here earlier in the day; another Subaru mentioned in comments on that story, taken from Highland Park Saturday night and recovered blocks away; and a vehicle reported stolen in the afternoon near California/Alaska in The Junction, per the police-report map (no description available).

From King County online court documents, two followups of note tonight:

MURDER CHARGE REDUCED: A year and a half after 35-year-old Travis Hood was shot and killed just outside Morgan Junction Park, the charge faced by his suspected killer was reduced today to second-degree murder. Lovett Chambers, arrested at his Gatewood home shortly after the shooting in January 2012, originally was charged with first-degree murder. (Details of the alleged circumstances are in our original report published when that charge was filed.) Changes in charges often accompany plea bargains, but in this case, court documents indicate plans for a trial are still moving forward, though its start date was pushed back again, and is now penciled in as November 5th. The document noting the delay says more time is needed because, among other reasons, the defense is calling a witness specializing in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and self-defense, and prosecutors are preparing a response. The only reason given in documents for the reduced charge is that it “more accurately reflects the defendant’s conduct.” As soon as we found these documents, we put in a request for comment from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, but it was late in the day and we did not hear back, so we’ll ask again Monday.

CAR-RAMMING CASE: As first reported here Thursday night, the 23-year-old man suspected of stealing a pickup truck on Alki Tuesday and then ramming two other occupied cars – one, a Seattle Police car – was set free the day after his arrest. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office told us Thursday a judge (whom we have since confirmed through documents was District Court Judge Johanna Bender) did not find “probable cause” to keep him in custody until a decision on charges could be made. However, District Court files we found online today show that a $10,000 arrest warrant was issued for him that same day, because he hadn’t shown up for a court hearing on Monday related to a case involving an arrest July 13th in Seatac, with allegations of reckless driving and failure to comply with police. On July 15th, documents show, he was released on his own recognizance, despite a substantial criminal history.

Out of the WSB inbox, from a reader who doesn’t want to be identified – word of an apparent burglary attempt interrupted at 47th and Charlestown:

My 7 year old son was sitting on the couch and happened to look up to see 3 men staring in our living room window. Here is the description via my son: All three men had “tanned” skin, but not super dark and were wearing blue jean shorts. The oldest, possibly in his late 20s wore a blue shirt. The other two were late teens, one in an orange shirt and the other in a green shirt with a muscular build. When they saw my son, they looked very surprised and fled down our driveway. This all happened while I was in the shower downstairs on basement level. All I heard was our two dogs going nuts – which is pretty normal . I had a look around outside and it appears that they were attempting to break into my outbuilding, adjacent to our house. We presume there was a 4th person doing this. Police have been notified and are supposed to come take a report. Just wanted to make area neighbors aware and to be on the lookout.

The man arrested on Tuesday after a cross-peninsula series of incidents involving a stolen truck is out of jail, though not necessarily off the hook. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office confirmed to WSB today that a judge did not find probable cause to keep the 23-year-old suspect in jail when he appeared for a bail hearing on Wednesday. If you missed our coverage on Tuesday – the incident began with a truck full of landscaping equipment stolen from Alki Avenue SW next to Cactus; a citizen pursued the stolen truck, which reverse-rammed the citizen’s car at 53rd and Stevens; the truck continued on to Morgan Junction, where it did the same thing to a police car (photo at right, tweeted by Robert). Officers found the truck ditched shortly thereafter on Gatewood Hill, and found the suspect hiding under a deck at a home nearby; he was arrested and booked into King County Jail – where the jail register shows he was released hours later. Since he was not held, paperwork related to the hearing is not available – so far – but we are told that charges are still possible, as police continue to process and compile evidence. Court dockets show the suspect has a record with more than half a dozen felony convictions as a juvenile and one as an adult, a plea-bargained case three years ago in which he was found with a stolen car.

Tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch is a followup – we finally have details on the two street robberies mentioned in Monday’s report. Seattle Police public-affairs unit Det. Renée Witt says neither case has resulted in arrests so far, and they don’t know if they’re related – detectives are investigating but here are the basics of the two incidents we asked about:

Thursday night (8/1) – The victim (a South Seattle Community College [WSB sponsor] student, according to a safety bulletin from the college) was walking home when four or five people confronted him in the 5200 block of 16th SW, pushing him to the ground and taking his iPhone as well as $160 in cash. Det. Witt says the victim described the robbers as black males, one in a red shirt, one armed with a handgun, but could not provide any further description. The victim, she said, did not want medical attention.

Early Saturday (8/3) – This actually happened at 30th and Myrtle, Det. Witt explained – the 34th/Willow address on the report is apparently the home of a friend of the victim, to which he went to report the robbery. The report says the victim was walking when confronted by three people who demanded all his money; he refused, and one struck his face with a handgun, knocking him to the ground. The robbers – described only as black men about 18 to 22 years old, one wearing a green shirt – took the victim’s wallet and iPhone. After he got to a friend’s home, she called police, though, the report says, the victim “did not want to report the incident because he didn’t think anything would happen to the suspects.”

ADDED 10:54 PM: As noted in comments, SPD now says via this SPD Blotter update that it’s looking for a group of robbers who have struck around the city, and one of the aforementioned incidents is believed to be part of their rampage – the one on 16th SW last Thursday night. While the Saturday incident on 30th is NOT mentioned, SPD mentions an additional West Seattle incident – saying that on Saturday, “just after noon, one of the suspects ran up to a 13-year-old girl and stole an iPhone out of her hands near 60th Ave SW and Alki Ave SW.” That incident was not on our radar, as it’s not shown as a robbery on the crime-report map, it’s listed as “theft-other.”

We start this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup with two incidents we’re still working to find out more about – two gunpoint street robberies in the past four nights. We requested the details from Seattle Police today but did not receive them; reports with narratives are unfortunately not usually available online for up to a week, if at all. Anyway, what little we do know: The most recent one happened at 34th and Myrtle early Saturday, just after midnight, and neighbors saw police searching the area; the one before that was late Thursday night in the 5200 block of 16th SW, and we know a few details because a safety bulletin was subsequently circulated over the weekend by South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) – someone with ties to the school forwarded it to us. It noted that the robbery happened off-campus: “A student was reportedly robbed at gunpoint by four individuals at approximately 11:30 pm on Thursday, August 1. The student was uninjured but shaken up; the robbers reportedly stole the student’s iPhone and approximately $150 in cash.” Again, we are still trying to get the detailed reports on these two street holdups and will publish more information in Crime Watch when we get it.

Ahead, a burglary today, and a suspicious person spotted Sunday night:

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Thanks to a WSB’er for the tip on this: Convicted kidnapper/rapist Donald Randolph Hooper is out of prison, after a ruling by the Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board.

Longtime West Seattleites might recognize the name. In December 1982, at which time he happened to be working for Washington State Ferries on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route, Hooper kidnapped a 14-year-old girl at gunpoint from a bus stop in West Seattle. She survived an ordeal that also included molestation and rape, at multiple locations in King and Kitsap Counties, before Hooper dumped her in the water of Hood Canal after binding her hands and partially binding her feet. She managed to struggle to shore after he left, and found someone who called police.

Hooper also was eventually convicted of a separate incident that had happened weeks earlier, involving raping a hitchhiker at gunpoint, though that conviction was reversed on appeal because of a technicality; ISRB documents say he admitted he committed the crime.

His sentence for the West Seattle kidnapping and Kitsap County rape was life in prison. But because Hooper’s conviction and sentencing predated our state’s mid-’80s fixed-sentence laws, Hooper was eligible for the equivalent of parole, which is granted by the aforementioned ISRB.

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43-year-old William Kelly Edmon is now charged with vehicular homicide and reckless endangerment in connection with last Saturday night’s deadly crash at Delridge and Kenyon. Prosecutors say he was allegedly under the influence while driving the 1988 Chevy S-10 truck that ran a red light at a witness-estimated 50-60 mph, collided with a Honda CR-V, and rolled over, ejecting 43-year-old Michael Fisher, who had been riding in the back of the pickup, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other people were hurt in the crash, as we reported Saturday night; one was the CR-V’s 55-year-old driver, the other a 40-year-old riding in the pickup’s passenger seat.

Edmon’s bail remains set at $1 million, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which says his arraignment is set for August 14th. As noted in our Monday followup, Edmon has a record including DUI arrests. More details when we get the full paperwork on this shortly.

ADDED 5:31 PM: The court documents say the bail request is because Edmon is considered a “grave danger to the community and a flight risk.” His record includes 13 instances of driving with a suspended license, dating back to 1990; he was convicted of DUI in 1998 and 2010, with an amended DUI in 2007; other cases listed on the court documents include inattentive driving, ignition-interlock violation, reckless driving, property destruction, harassment, hit-and-run, malicious mischief, and several “failure to appear” charges along the way. Regarding the license suspension, the charging document says, “The defendant’s privilege to drive has been suspended for quite some time.”

How fast do criminals move? This fast, reports Rich, sharing that surveillance photo with the subject line we used in the headline – car break-in (followed by) purse theft (and) shopping spree:

My wife’s car was broken into this morning around 8:00 am in front of the Link Building in The Triangle, and the thief made off with her purse. In the time it took to notify all of the authorities, she and her male accomplice had already run up thousands of dollars in charges in Westwood and White Center businesses. She and her partner hit Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Staples, O’Reilly Auto Parts and the Safeway on Roxbury, each time buying several hundred dollars in gift cards and other items (computers, seat covers, floor mats, Kindle covers, framed art…)

The thief is a white female, mid to late 20’s, about 5’5″, with straight shoulder length auburn hair. She’s wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a black hoodie sweatshirt. The most distinguishing item the store clerks have mentioned, because it’s so out of place, is the expensive handbag she’s carrying (my wife’s stolen bag), which is a large brown leather Michael Kors. The male accomplice appears to be late 30’s to early 40’s, balding, with what looks like a beard. He’s wearing jeans and a gray short sleeve collared shirt.

If you have any information on these reprobates, please contact the Police Department at 206-233-2623, and reference case number 2013-272983.

We asked Rich how he got the surveillance images so fast: “When we were shutting down the cards, the credit card companies were telling us where they were active. I found out 25 minutes after they hit O’Reilly, and contacted the manager there. He jumped right on it and found the perps.” He says video from two other stores confirms it, too. P.S. Besides the number he gave – if you see these people, you can also call 911, if it’s a current sighting.

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning, starting with the case of the stolen unicycle, reported by Jenn:

We were on 35th and Brandon. Sunday between 5:30 and 7:30, the red unicycle was stolen from the bed of our pickup. It was a birthday gift from my daughter’s grandpa. She is taking it well, but it sucks that someone thought it should be theirs just because it didn’t have a lock on it. It’s not worth much, and I called a few pawn shops, but they don’t seem to be interested in unicycles. So, I am hoping that it will turn up in the bushes somewhere!

On Saturday, Ari woke up to discover a bicycle thief had struck:

We heard some noise around 11pm (Friday night) but hadn’t paid it much mind. On the intersection of 29th Ave SW & SW Othello st. It was a vintage green Fairway Flyer.

Finally, a car theft thwarted early today – around midnight – by a Highland Park resident who doesn’t want to be identified:

Someone just broke into and tried to steal my ’96 Honda Accord from my driveway. They weren’t scared off by the flood lights, but ran when they saw me look out the window. Kudos to the cops for quick response, but my ignition is destroyed. This was on the 7500 block of Dumar Way SW, just up the hill from Home Depot. This is only a couple of blocks from where a car was stolen on 18th and Holden.

Yet another reminder: Night Out block parties, one week from tonight – sign up ASAP! And please let us know if you’re having one.

(WSB photo from Saturday night; pickup is behind tape in upper left, CR-V in foreground)
3:50 PM: Bail is set at $1 million for the Highland Park man jailed in connection with the deadly Saturday night crash at Delridge and Kenyon. That’s according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which says the 43-year-old man admitted to police that he had been drinking earlier in the evening before taking the wheel of the Chevrolet pickup truck that rolled after colliding with a Honda CR-V. The victim was riding in the back of the pickup and died after being ejected during the crash. Probable-cause documents say the driver was behind the wheel despite having a license suspended for unpaid tickets, including one for violating an order to have an ignition interlock, and had been arrested for alleged DUI in Island County, with the charges eventually reduced. He is due back in court on Wednesday, which is the deadline for prosecutors to file charges. His record includes two days in the King County Jail this past February on a charge of domestic-violence assault.

ADDED TUESDAY: There have been a few questions about circumstances. Here is the entirety, transcribed, of the police-written narrative contained in the probable-cause documents (with names omitted); we’re likely to get something longer if charges are filed tomorrow:

I responded to a traffic collision in the 7900 block Delridge Way Southwest where one person had been killed as a result. I learned from one driver identified as [CR-V driver] he was driving east on SW Kenyon St. behind another vehicle and they both had a green signal in their favor. Another vehicle apparently being operated by [suspect’s name] was southbound, failed to stop for a red signal and they collided. [Officer] reported that the [suspect’s] vehicle rolled over and a person riding in the back was ejected and killed. [Suspect] was transported to Harborview Hospital and the officer guarding him received information from a Seattle Firefighter that [suspect] appeared to have been drinking alcohol. I secured a sample of [suspect’s] blood under authority of a search warrant. The results of the analysis are pending. I met with [suspect] and advised him of his constitutional rights. In response to my questions, [suspect] admitted to drinking alcohol earlier tonight and is a marijuana user but had not used any tonight. [Suspect] had no memory of the collision or what led up to it. According to Washington Department of Licensing (his) driver’s license is suspended 3rd degree for unpaid tickets, one of which is for a conviction of Ignition Interlock Restriction in Seattle Municipal Court. Also (he) has one DUI charge that was reduced to Negligent Driving 1st degree from Island County. While I spoke with (him), I detected foul breath but no odor of alcohol. His speech was slurred and thick tongued and eyes watery and bloodshot. He was also crying.

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By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

This morning, a case we’ve been checking on since last fall is resolved: The hate-crime case against 35-year-old Ryan J. Cox has ended with a guilty plea, and he is out of jail after sentencing last Friday.

This case dates back to last October, when Cox was charged with malicious harassment (hate crime) and third-degree assault after hitting a man four times with a baseball bat as they exited a bus on Avalon Way, with Cox shouting homophobic slurs because of his perception of the man’s sexual orientation.

Police arrested Cox the next day at Solstice Park northeast of Lincoln Park, an area he has been known to frequent since his previous involvement in high-profile cases.

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Four reader reports to share in West Seattle Crime Watch, starting with a stolen car to watch for:
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Two quick West Seattle Crime Watch notes to share. First, from Sue in Gatewood:

My house was (burglarized) in broad daylight (Wednesday) between 9:30-11 AM. I live on SW Elmgrove between California and 41st. They entered through a side window using a screwdriver and left through the front door. I have 2 large dogs who bark a lot but aren’t vicious who were unharmed. They took mostly jewelry, 2 cameras, iPod, small amount of cash.

And from Erika:

Last week, my boyfriend and myself had someone siphon gas and take our gas caps some time during the night on Alki Avenue. We live next to Anchor Park.

SIDE NOTE: We’re pitching it again – hurry up and register your Night Out block party for August 6th – and if it’s OK for us to possibly stop by for a photo, send the location (and who to ask for) to editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

Five reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight.

First, from Paul in the 4100 block of 48th SW, where his motorcycle was stolen from in front of his home:

It was a (red) 2003 Honda RVT1000R, AKA an RC51. … I’ve spoken with all my neighbors and nobody saw anything.

Paul was awaiting police when he e-mailed us, so a report will be in the system soon.

In Fairmount Springs, a resident who doesn’t want to be identified is the victim of the type of theft we’ve never heard of in our years of West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

I wanted to let you know that we had an unfortunate and bizarre event take place last night (between Mon-Tue). Someone(s) had stolen the whole freakin’ windshield of our old 1989 Suburban truck. I couldn’t believe my eyes but indeed, the whole windshield was gone gone gone!!! We are on the 5900 block of 42nd Avenue, between Raymond and Juneau.

I had just moved the truck yesterday afternoon, so instead of being parked in an open space with great visibility on all sides it was parked under the neighbor’s cherry tree and lots of shrubbery around. We had tools inside the truck but nothing else was taken. Doors were still locked and nothing else had been touched as far as we can tell. Someone obviously needed an old Suburban windshield with a crack in it! Our neighborhood will be on the lookout moving forward, and let’s warn other owners of old Suburbans that someone is prowling for parts!

And Dave reports a case of package theft and vandalism in North Delridge:

We live on the 50xx block of 26th and we had a package stolen off our porch today between 2p and 330p. Adding insult to injury, some inflatable kids toys were popped.

Now two found items that might be stolen property – first, a bicycle found by Vanessa in Highland Park:

It turned up in front of her home overnight earlier this week, near the south side of Henderson/13th SW.

And a backpack, found by Zach, who has been trying to turn it in to police:

I found the Nike backpack on SW Brandon in the grass on the side of the road outside the golf course near the gate for Camp Long. The backpack has some light blue basket shoes, a leopard purse, and some other small items. In the backpack was a student ID; however, the wallet was completely empty when I found it at 6:30 am on the 22nd of July. … I’m going to try and drop it off at the police station again tomorrow morning.