West Seattle, Washington
24 Wednesday
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes, both from Arbor Heights. First, from Lonjina:
Our silver 2007 Dodge Dakota was stolen from in front of our house between 1 am and 7 am this morning. We live in the Arbor Heights neighborhood on 105th St. behind AH Elementary. It is a 4-door with a rack and a large toolbox. Unfortunately it was stuffed with tools and fishing gear in preparation for a family outing today. License plate B18349G. Please keep an eye out for it!
And Al reports this incident from Wednesday night:
A UPS package was ripped open — the contents stolen — and the box was thrown on the front lawn of our home on the 10000th block of 37th Ave SW in Arbor Heights. In addition, the criminal burglarized our car and stole a jacket, a case of non-persishable food to be donated to a local school, personal items, and keys.
After Seattle Parks announced last week that thieves had stolen almost a quarter-mile of copper wiring from the Delridge Playfield lighting system, they thought it might take two weeks to repair. Instead, the lights are already back on, after a fix that took just days. After a couple reader tips, we followed up with Parks, and spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad told WSB today that “After discovering an electrical contractor could not do the work (there), our Electric Shop team put together a plan and worked straight through the weekend to restore lights by Monday night, just one week after the problem was reported. On Tuesday night, normal activities resumed.” No arrests reported yet.
We start with a followup: Last night’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup included 
a reader report from Ignacio, whose bicycle had been stolen from his Admiral District apartment building’s garage. Shortly after we published the report, he obtained the surveillance video, published it to YouTube, and we added it to the story. Today, we got a message from a Seattle Parks staffer that Ignacio’s bike had turned up at Lincoln Park and was awaiting him in a safe storage place there, and he’s making plans to get it back.
Second, an arrest: Our first word of this bike-theft story came in a tweet from Cheryl, who rides the West Seattle Water Taxi, asking about a big police presence near Seacrest yesterday. Nothing hit our radar at the time; when the call turned up on the police map later, it was labeled as “bicycle theft.” Wondering how that turned into a big response, we sought out the full report today, and here’s what we found out:
Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – first, from Beth, who wanted her neighbors to know about mail thieves at work:
This morning while I was out for a run, I noticed a bunch of mail in some bushes. It turns out it belonged to two of my neighbors. Most of it was fliers but there was one envelope that had been opened and discarded. We live on 37th between Andover and Dakota.
In the Admiral area, someone stole Ignacio‘s bike early Tuesday morning:
Element 42’s lower gated parking garage was cut open, thief pressed the interior button to open the garage door. He cut the bike lock cable with bolt cutters and stole my bike. It looks very similar to this bike. My apartment complex has the video. … It’s not the most expensive bike but it was a lot of money to me. (Police) reviewed the video and got a good look at the guy so I’m hopeful they’ll find a serial bike thief.
We told Ignacio we could add the video if it clearly shows the crime being committed – waiting to hear back.
Added 10:49 pm – here’s the video:
(The thief enters toward the start, then leaves at about 3:25.)
(Back to original report) And in Fauntleroy, Todd reports a car prowl in the 4500 block of SW Hemlock Way:
Sometime early Sunday 4/21 morning, someone went through my car, which I had stupidly left unlocked. They took a gym bag with a pair of shorts and gym shoes. They also took a black “laptop” style bag that is embroidered with “Kinect For Windows” in purple thread. I point this out because I work at Microsoft with the Kinect Team, so I would personally know anyone that had that particular bag. And my bowling shoes were in it, and I really liked them. The crook was apparently not the brightest, as he/she/it didn’t take the CD Box set of Frank Sinatra, which would have been easy cash, and way easier to pawn than size 11 Asic running shoes and bowling shoes. The other two cars in my driveway were locked, and untouched. So, make sure to lock up.
(WSB photos added 11:16 am: Sign posted on P-Patch shed)
Seattle Police are investigating a shed fire at Longfellow Creek P-Patch in Westwood this morning after it was determined to be arson. From Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kyle Moore:
Fire Investigators have determined a shed fire located at a West Seattle P-Patch is an incendiary fire.
At 6:50 a.m., a delivery driver called 911 to report a shed fire located in the park in the 2400 block of SW Thistle Street. Engine 11 arrived to find a smoldering pile of combustibles in a wheelbarrow bucket.
The fire was quickly extinguished. There was also minor scorching to the shed.
The damage estimate is $500. The Seattle Police Department’s Arson Bomb Squad was notified of the fire and will investigate.
Anyone with information that can help solve this case is asked to call the Arson Hotline at 800-55-ARSON.
The garden area where this fire happened is alongside Longfellow Creek, just east of Chief Sealth International High School. According to the P-Patch’s city website, it has more than two dozen garden plots.
Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes this time around. First up, a “dog” stolen from a porch along 59th SW across from Alki Playfield:
That’s local guitar teacher Richie Jenkin and “Fire,” the big stuffed dog who has long been a fixture on his porch – till now:
I was out of town and upon my return I saw that my “dog” Fire, who sits on my porch 24/7 bringing moments of amusement and pleasure to many folks as they walk to and from the beach, had disappeared. I hope whoever took Fire is enjoying, yet I would somehow love to have Fire back if they care to return, no questions asked.
On the flip side, a suspected stolen item that’s been found – by Ted:
Folks should contact me – ted.ellis@gmail.com – for a Baby Trends stroller that appears was dumped in front of my house after a potential garage break in or something? Seems like whomever left it was using it to carry stuff they may had taken and decided to dump it. Any break-ins in Arbor heights or Shorewood – would probably have been where it came from.
Ted’s note came in earlier this weekend – so it wouldn’t be related to this, but we did want to note that police responded to at least one Arbor Heights burglary today: 3200 block of SW 100th, reported around 1 pm. No other details.
And from a WSB reader who didn’t want to be identified, a car-prowl report:
Just wanted to alert readers of West Seattle Blog that my car was broken into last night, near the corner of Murray Ave SW and Lincoln Park Way SW, just north of Lincoln Park. They pried my window open, rummaged through the glove-box and the other compartments of my car. Fortunately, I had nothing of value inside and so nothing was taken. I was half-expecting them to leave me $5 out of pity.
Another reminder that the next crime-prevention meeting is Tuesday night, all welcome at the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting, 6:30 pm, Southwest Precinct – details on the WSBWCN website.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share this morning, plus a followup with some good news, and a chance to get educated about crime prevention. First, a burglary reported by Sharon:
There was a break-in on the 6300 block of 50th Av SW (Thursday). A dark green or dark blue car that looks like a older-model Toyota Camry was seen canvassing the neighborhood earlier in the week and (Thursday) morning. The same description of a vehicle was seen in Arbor Heights the day a recent (burglary) took place. Please ask neighbors to make sure to lock their doors, windows, & remove belongings from their cars. And, importantly, to note the license plate number of any suspicious vehicles hanging around their street.
Next, a car prowl reported by Michael:
Just want to give my neighbors a heads-up: I’m in the 50xx block of Waite Street and sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, my Honda Odyssey minivan was broken into. The car was parked directly in front of my house and there were no signs of forced entry. My fear is that I left the doors unlocked. Not sure what they were looking for, but they made off with a few music cd’s, video dvd’s, a set of Rosetta Stone Italian Language disks, and the car’s owners manual folder. This last item is the most concerning as I had my car insurance and registration forms inside that folder too. They were discerning thieves though. I found a few of the dvd’s they didn’t want to keep thrown in my bushes a few yards away. I assume they don’t have children, because they didn’t keep the Magic School Bus or Saigwa dvd’s.
And we have some good news – Miranda and her husband have their moped back, and want to say a big public THANK YOU to the person who found it in the Alki area, not far from where it was stolen (as reported here Tuesday); after the finder matched it to the photo published here, a moped reunion ensued.
P.S. Want to find out simple ways to prevent/reduce crime around your home/apartment? Come to the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting next Tuesday (April 23rd), 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct meeting room (off Webster just west of Delridge) to see Officer Jon Kiehn‘s renowned presentation on CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design). Here’s more info on the WSBWCN website.
(April 1 photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Two and a half weeks after two people shot each other during what police described as a robbery attempt, we’ve learned that the victim is out of the hospital. 27-year-old Rick Powell is the town-car driver found on Charlestown just off Avalon with life-threatening gunshot wounds late the night of April 1st; the man police say shot him during a robbery attempt, 19-year-old Juan Garcia-Mendez, was found with less-serious wounds about a mile away. In King County Superior Court today, Garcia-Mendez pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault; he remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail, with another hearing set for early June. Meantime, this online update says Powell was released from the hospital last Friday; as you can see on the right side of that page, friends are still raising money to help with his medical expenses. They also have set up a web page at rickrighteous.com – after his stage name as a musician – as a reference page for benefits, both one-time and ongoing.
We start this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup with an incident that brought several texts/calls tonight because of a big response:
Police responded to an assault call in the West Seattle Stadium area. According to Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Pierre Davis, a woman under the influence of the drug known as “ecstasy” attacked someone by hitting them with a skateboard. Lt. Davis says she’s in custody. The victim was taken to a hospital to be evaluated.
Also tonight, two reader reports. First one is about attempted burglaries (these came up at tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, too, and we’re working on the full report on everything discussed there). John in the 5000 block of 40th SW reports:
My back door was kicked in yesterday morning at 7 am, as was my next-door neighbor’s door. Nothing was stolen out of either house. My neighbor was home at the time, I was not. I understand a house two blocks from me had the same thing happen around 3 pm yesterday.
From Miranda, word of a stolen moped – the one in this montage:
She says it was stolen Sunday night or Monday near 59th/Alki: “The moped is a Motobecane; it has pedals but is missing it’s motor as we were working on updating it. The front wheel is bright turquoise and the back on is a maroon-ish color. It’s very unique so it’s hard to miss.” If you’ve seen it, call police.
(Photos courtesy Seattle Parks and Recreation)
Followup today on the huge copper-wire theft that has put Delridge Playfield out of commission for many events until further notice, as reported here last night. Today, Parks says its electricians estimate the repairs will cost up to $20,000 and take up to two weeks. They were at the parks today, as were police, trying to find out more about the theft of 1,200 feet of wire. An update from Parks today explains how it happened:
The copper wiring was accessed from the junction boxes under light poles around the perimeter of the field. After cutting the wires between each junction box, thieves brought in a vehicle (likely a truck), hooked up the wire to the vehicle and pulled out the wiring. Parks staff believe the theft was conceived and executed over several nights, as it appears other junction boxes with wire still inside were prepared for theft.
Parks’ update quotes acting superintendent Christopher Williams as saying, “This is a significant theft … and we want to catch the person or people who did it because this creates a needless expense for taxpayers and an unnecessary loss of playing time for park users. … We are asking anyone who is a neighbor to a Seattle Parks and Recreation ballfield to help us keep eyes on our parks. We need neighbors’ help to deter criminal activity.” Call Seattle Police if you have any information about the theft – or any time you spot suspicious activity. Parks also says you can report suspicious behavior to the Park Rangers’ office at 206-255-8325.
(One more reminder about crime concerns/trends in general – the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets at 7 tonight, Southwest Precinct meeting room, SW Webster just west of Delridge Way SW.)
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
9:07 PM: For the second time today, police are investigating a stabbing – this time, near Delridge/Thistle, with a female victim who is reported to have multiple stab wounds. Police are looking for a suspect who is reported to be someone she knows. They will be searching with a K-9. More to come.
9:15 PM: Radio exchanges indicate the victim was stabbed at least twice. Medics are taking care of her and will take her to Harborview Medical Center.
9:50 PM: No word of an arrest so far.
1:06 AM UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams now confirms a man has been arrested and booked into the King County Jail; no word on the victim’s condition.
9:59 AM UPDATE: SPD Blotter reports on the incident this morning, with some additional information: The suspect is described as the woman’s ex-boyfriend; two children were in the apartment where it happened but were not injured.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
11:14 AM: A man has been stabbed six times in the 1700 block of SW Barton. More to come.
11:19 AM: Per SFD radio with medics, the victim is male and despite the half-dozen stab wounds, is conscious and alert. They’re taking him to Harborview Medical Center.
11:30 AM: The wounds are considered to be life-threatening, responders are saying.
11:53 PM: From WSB’s Christopher Boffoli at the scene: The victim is a 61-year-old man and a suspect is in custody, according to police, who describe the circumstances as an argument between friends.
Another car to be on the lookout for, reported by Katy:
I just wanted to warn others/inform loyal blog readers that my car was stolen from SW Lander St & 42 Ave SW by the Admiral Safeway, near the tennis courts, between 10:30 pm (4/9) and 8 am (4/10). The car stolen was a gold ’91 Lincoln Town Car with gold seats. The license plate is 879-WJD. There is also a USC sticker on the back windshield along with a few bumper stickers and a QA magnet on the back trunk. The car may also have a disabled placard up (it was in the car at the time of the theft) as the vehicle had belonged to my mother, a longterm Alki resident.
Police are looking for three men who they say kicked in the door of a Highland Park residence this morning, overpowered the woman who was asleep inside, and robbed her of items including her car. They say it happened around 7 am in the 7900 block of 9th SW (map). The robbers are described only as “three young black males, light-skinned”; they demanded the woman’s car keys and made off with her purse and some cash as well as her 2006 white 4-door Chevrolet Malibu, which has a magnetic cat’s-paw print on the passenger-side door. The robbers did not show a weapon, police say, and the victim was not seriously hurt, but did suffer a bloody nose because one of them put his hand over her face to keep her from screaming. She ran out of the house right after they left and saw them driving away in her car; police were nearby and say they arrived quickly but were not able to find it. If you see the car, call 911.
In this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup: First, we’ve already reported this on partner site White Center Now but wanted to make sure you knew too – Hung Pham is in jail; he’s the man charged with domestic-violence arson in the February house fire at 25th/Roxbury and with assault for attacking his girlfriend and another woman in South Delridge last month.
Next, reader reports. On Saturday afternoon, we tweeted a scanner call about an attempted auto theft. The next day, we heard from the car’s owner, Al:
Just wanted to let readers know that (Saturday) at 1430 hrs. in the 5900 block of Admiral Way, my car was broken into and they attempted to steal it. The 2 male suspects fled in a black 4-door car or crossover type vehicle with a bumper sticker northbound in the alley between 59th and 60th Ave SW (it was too far away to get a really good description as I ran into the alley). My car’s door was busted and the ignition/steering column lock was trashed. All of this, with a car alarm going off (ignition disabled). This was broad daylight on a Sat. The only thing they got away with was my radio faceplate, but damage is estimated at $800-1000. It has been reported to police, but in the meantime keep a lookout for suspicious activity. Summer’s coming, and with it is the increased activity of scum.
Be aware of your surroundings. Report suspicious activity. And, above all, make sure you and your family are safe.
And a holdover from Friday – a package-theft report from Kay:
I live on 29th Ave SW between Kenyon and Elmgrove and a package was delivered to my front porch at 4:15 (per tracking info); shortly thereafter my next-door neighbor emailed me saying she found packaging in her yard and saw “an empty box on my porch.” So someone must have spotted the UPS truck and tore through the package after he left (I checked mail at 3:45 then ran errands and was home by 6:30.
Five reader reports to share today in West Seattle Crime Watch: First, Stephanie‘s car was stolen overnight and she hopes you will watch for it:
I’d like to report a stolen Subaru Outback from Beach Drive SW near Me-Kwa-Mooks Park. The theft happened between 9 pm last night and 8 am this morning. It’s a dark red car, license AJT2684.
(SUNDAY UPDATE: Stephanie reports her car’s been found – in Everett.)
(back to original Saturday report) Next – two reader-report links from the WSB Forums, in case you can help but haven’t seen them yet – the search for a hit-run driver, and the search for whomever owns a most-likely-stolen bike dumped in a local yard.
Finally, two car-prowl reports from earlier this week, which got lost in our queue while Crime Watch was overtaken for several days with high-profile incidents – read on:
For the past few hours, we’ve been working to get details about an Admiral-area arrest that several people tipped us to/asked about, and finally have just spoken with police. They arrested a man who allegedly was working a residential neighborhood, going door to door claiming to be selling magazines, possibly as a sports-team fundraiser. Finally, at one house, police say, a woman was asleep on the couch when repeated doorbell-ringing woke her up. She answered the door, and the man tried to claim he was a neighbor, started talking about baseball, and as she tried to close the door, he put his foot in the door to try to stop her. She pushed back and he left; police found him at 45th and Admiral. Since he didn’t actually break into the house, they ultimately could only book him into jail for investigation of criminal trespassing, but the sergeant with whom we spoke says the suspect did not have anything in his possession indicating he was a legitimate door-to-door solicitor.
3:26 PM: Police are responding to a reported armed robbery at Westwood Village – initial information indicates it was at Payless Shoe Source on the south side of the shopping center. Scanner traffic says the weapon was a knife. Police are questioning a possible suspect. More to come.
3:38 PM: No arrest reported – the search continues.
3:56 PM: Another possible suspect – this time spotted on a bus – is being questioned. (And minutes later – a witness says no, that’s not him.)
9:41 AM: That message in chalk in the 5400 block of California SW (map) is meant as a warning – a local woman reports being attacked while out running early this morning, and wants everyone to be careful. We got first word from a later passer-by who saw the message in chalk and e-mailed us about it; while researching to find out more, we got a call from the victim. She says the attacker came out of nowhere; she says she was not seriously hurt and did not need medical attention, but is concerned for everyone’s safety because police searching the area didn’t find her attacker. Here’s a wider view of the area:
We are following up with police, having called them even before hearing from the victim; they’re looking up the report, so we’ll add any additional information (including a description) if/when we get it.
10:09 AM UPDATE: Here’s what police say about the incident:
A woman was attacked this morning in West Seattle. Just shortly after 5:00 am, the victim was jogging Southbound on the East side-mid block in the 5400 block of California Av SW when the unknown suspect came out of the shadows and grabbed her. The man grabbed the victim’s waist, pulled her down into crouch position and fondled her genital area. The victim screamed and the suspect immediately let go and ran off Northbound and then turned East onto SW Brandon St.
The victim stated that during the attack the suspect did not say anything or react to anything she said to him. Officers arrived and canvassed the area for the suspect and any possible witnesses.
The victim declined medics.Suspect’s description- Unknown race male, 5’9, wearing a dark colored hoodie and dark pants.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 9-1-1. Anonymous tips are welcome.
10:29 PM: Police are investigating a report of gunshots fired toward or near a West Seattle home. No reports of any injuries, so far. We don’t have a hard and fast address for it yet, but one caller says it’s in the vicinity of 20th and Cloverdale (map), where similar incidents were reported recently. Per the scanner, witnesses reported a car resembling a gold Taurus headed northbound on 20th afterward.
WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: Not long after that report, police now say, they got a second one, just a few blocks west, in the 2400 block of SW Thistle. A man said someone fired a shot at him from a passing vehicle – details are in this SPD Blotter update, which also includes the latest on the 20th/Cloverdale gunfire report, though police say they are not sure if the two are related.
Though Seattle Police are not formally commenting on last night’s two shootings beyond what was on SPD Blotter (same things linked in our overnight coverage), here’s what we have found out today:
Investigators returned to the Avalon/Charlestown scene this afternoon – the first place a shooting victim was reported, after people in the area heard gunshots around 11:30 last night. The investigators there today were spotted and photographed both by WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams (who took the photo above) and by your co-publishers, a short time apart while heading back to our respective HQ’s after coverage of the “Bertha” arrival. As you see in Nick’s photo, investigators were using a dog to look for evidence. It’s the same area of Charlestown as shown in WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli‘s photo from overnight:
Meantime, a friend of one of the two men who were shot tells WSB that it all started as a robbery attempt and that his friend shot the other man in self-defense. The friend asked to be anonymous, and since we don’t have official identification on either of the men who were shot, we are not using our source’s friend’s name yet either.
According to the friend, the victim was working last night, driving a car for hire – he’s also a musician – and was taking a break when the other man approached him, and the exchange of gunfire ensued. No other details of the circumstances; the friend has visited the victim in the hospital and says he is able to nod his head in response to questions but that’s about it. He says the victim is in stable condition with three gunshot wounds and is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. (The other man also is reported to still be in the hospital.) We will continue to follow up with police to see when they will be ready to say more about the case.
Thanks to Seattle Parks for sharing the “after” photos – their graffiti team was indeed able to clean the paint off tagger-defaced trees at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park. We reported on the vandalism yesterday, with a photo shared by Jason, who discovered the vandalism as well as a litter-covered picnic spot. Today, as promised, Parks workers went to the scene and got the tags off the trees.
(Avalon Way photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
11:33 PM: Police and fire are at the scene of a shooting reported in the Charlestown/Avalon area of the Luna Park business district. We heard the first police call on the scanner – someone reporting possible gunshots or fireworks – then came the word someone had been shot, and after that, there was word of a silver car possibly speeding away from the scene. Initial description of the shooting victim sounded like multiple, potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds, with CPR being done. The victim is being taken to Harborview Medical Center. More to come.
11:43 PM: Police are searching the area.
Still no word of any suspect(s) in custody.
11:49 PM: From the scanner, more information on the possible car involved – gray or silver, windows with heavy tint, possibly a late 90s four door sedan.
11:51 PM: Now there is a second scene – police and fire responding to a report there might be another shooting victim in a car in the 5600 block of Delridge (map). We’re sending one crew that way. There is word the car at this scene might be the one that reportedly left the Avalon Way scene.
(Delridge Way photo by Patrick Sand)
MIDNIGHT: We have one crew at each scene. At Delridge (above), our crew says traffic is blocked at Findlay, on the south edge of the small business district there. The victim at this scene is being attended to in the middle of the street.
12:08 AM: Because this is suspected to have been an “exchange” of gunfire, police have been checking with area hospitals for any other possible victims, per scanner traffic. Meantime, the victim found on Delridge also is described as having multiple gunshot wounds, but has been stabilized.
Crime tape is now up across Delridge in the 5600 block.
12:42 AM: We still have crews at both scenes (Christopher Boffoli on Avalon, Patrick Sand on Delridge) but no new information – police are carefully searching both scenes.
SPD Blotter, meantime, has put up something, but it only mentions the first victim – with a bit of new information, describing him as 27 years old, with life-threatening injuries.
12:55 AM: A second SPD Blotter item is now up, saying that the two incidents have not definitively been linked (though what we’ve heard/seen at scenes and via radio suggested there wasn’t much doubt), and saying the Delridge victim is a 19-year-old man, with non-life-threatening injuries.
1:20 AM: CSI team members are at both scenes gathering evidence, our crews say.
3:09 AM: Adding more photos to the story from both scenes, including the one above, of a gun lying at the Avalon scene. No new information yet from police. We have a note from one person who was in the area where the first victim was found, and says, “I heard approximately 5 to 6 gunshots … I didn’t hear any voices prior to the gunshots, but heard a man yell ‘let’s go’ about ten seconds after the shots.” (That corroborates what we heard in early scanner traffic.)
TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: No arrests reported so far.
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