West Seattle, Washington
23 Saturday
A teenager walking in south Admiral late this afternoon managed to get away from this drive-up confrontation described by his parent:
My teenage son was a victim of an attempted robbery (4:15/4:20 pm) in the intersection of SW Hinds Street and 42nd Ave SW. He was walking home and had just turned east on SW Hinds Street from California Ave SW, when a driver in a black Prius stopped in the intersection and rolled down their window. The driver asked him to walk up to their car. My son started to walk toward home and the driver then asked him if he was a “gang banger.” When my son didn’t respond, the driver then said “stop playing around, I’ll get out of the car and beat your a–.” My son started to walk away and the driver then asked him “what type of phone do you have.” Again my son did not respond. At this time a white car approached the intersection and my son tried to get them to roll down their window to ask for a ride/help. The driver of the car did not respond and at this point another car (red Mazda) approaches the intersection so our son walks up to that car. At the same time he was walking to the red car, the black Prius drives around the traffic circle and hits the white car from the side. The back passengers of the red Mazda opened their door, which allowed my son to get in and they drove away and were able to drop him off at our house a few blocks away.
After my son got into the red car, the black Prius backs up and then pulls forward to hit the white car again and then pulls out and continues driving south on 42nd Ave SW.
The driver of the black Prius was a black male, late teens/early 20s, wearing a gray hoodie and black ski mask (he was not wearing the ski mask at first but pulled it up over his face after he was done talking to my son). The front passenger was a black female, with black “puffy hair/afro like” hair, late teens/early 20s, wearing a black puffer jacket or hoodie? The back seat passenger was a mid-teens black male wearing a blue hoodie.
Police have been contacted by us, the driver of the red Mazda, and the white car. We have spoken to the police and have an incident # 23-340914. They believe these are the same people who have done attempted robberies/robberies in the neighborhood for the past few months. They say that they have guns on them.
We want to thank the driver and passengers in the red Mazda for getting our son home safely.
Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
EMERALD WATER ANGLERS HIT AGAIN: The fly-fishing-focused shop at 4502 42nd SW in The Junction (WSB sponsor) is dealing with the aftermath of another crime. This time, says proprietor Dave McCoy, thieves dressed all in black swooped in, grabbed expensive jackets, and ran out. For now EWA is changing their open-door policy. The store is open (until 5 pm today), but you might have to knock.
DUMPED-LIKELY-STOLEN MOTORCYCLE: Sent by Jillian:
Looks like a stolen Kawasaki motorcycle was stripped early yesterday morning and left at the Duwamish trailhead at 14th Ave SW and SW Holly. Still there this morning.
CAR PROWLERS: Seen by Todd in the 1100 block of Alki late last night after his barking dog alerted him – “I looked out into the darkness and saw a short-ish woman with a pit bull checking the doors on several parked cars in front of the condos….across the street was a taller man wearing a full mask watching her…when she came back across the street they seemed to notice that I was watching them and they did a quick walk the other direction then came back to an older black toyota tacoma pickup and took off in the direction of Alki Beach.”
Police are searching the Morgan Junction area for a suspect in a shoplift-turned-armed-robbery – the thief brandished a weapon – at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor). The description so far is a white man in his mid-to-late 20s, 6′, medium build, shaved head, beard, neck tattoo, brown coat, blue jeans, with a gun in his waistband. He left with two cases of beer (Modelo and Corona), officers told dispatch, last seen southbound on foot – they’re not sure if he was headed for California or 42nd.
Right in the heart of an extra-busy season for the West Seattle Food Bank, they’re dealing with an extra expense and hassle. A reader who volunteers at WSFB tipped us that the food bank was down a van because of damage done by a gas thief. We asked the WSFB’s Breanna Bushaw for details:
Someone used a tool to cut a hole in the gas line and siphoned gas out of the van. This happened in our parking garage around 2:30 am on Sunday morning. This was not noticed until the van stopped running (Monday) during our food rescue runs. We know we have incurred towing and repair costs of at least $3,500 plus rental of a replacement until the van is back in action.
We rely on the WSFB vans to transport our food rescue donations from local stores, food drive pickups, mobile food bank deliveries and more. The van is at the auto shop for repairs; we hope to have our second van up and running soon.
We asked Breanna how the community can help – she replied, “Any donations from the community to help with repair costs would be tremendously appreciated – westseattlefoodbank.kindful.com.” Also, as noted yesterday, WSFB will receive all proceeds from tonight’s soft-open (4-9 pm) at GH Pasta & Pizza (7500 35th SW).
Many questions about an SFD and SPD response that tied up Avalon Way for a while about an hour and a half ago. This one was a bit complicated. Here’s what is reported to have happened, according to dispatchers, officers, and firefighters:
First, firefighters were in the area dealing with an alarm at an apartment building. Meantime, initially unrelated, a woman was reported to be threatening people aboard a northbound C Line bus with a “box cutter.” That would be King County Transit Police‘s jurisdiction, but they asked for SPD help, so officers headed that way. In the meantime, the woman got off the bus and was then reported to be climbing on it, “injuring herself.” Firefighters were treating her for those injuries when they reported that she started threatening them with violence, so they asked for reinforcements including police help. As police approached, she bolted. The search ensued from there. They did not find her and couldn’t get a K-9 team to join, so the search ended. They did circulate a photo taken from the bus’s security camera, but we don’t have access to that; the description announced multiple times over the radio is that she was a Black woman in her 30s, in a reddish or purplish jacket and sweat paints. The suspect was the only person injured so far as we’ve heard.
1:28 PM: Thanks for the tips. The police search in the Westwood Village/Roxhill Park this past half-hour followed a report of an armed robbery. We’re still catching up on details – more to come.
1:33 PM: Police at the scene tell us the victim was robbed in the park. The search has wrapped up; they lost the robber’s trail in the Westwood Village parking lot (which could mean he got away in a car). He was described initially as a Black man in his 20s, 6’1″, thin, red jacket, armed with a handgun.
Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch so far today:
STOLEN TACOMA: Carina‘s pickup truck is the second vehicle we’ve heard of this week that was taken just a moment after it was left running:
Stolen 2019 Toyota Tacoma from 51st and Charlestown at 7:20 am today. Car was running to warm up before taking son to day care; thieves must have been hanging out because they took it within one minute. License plate is C09904R. Truck bed has black cover. Car will likely be dumped around West Seattle. Keys were not in car so not sure how long it’ll run without them. Please call or text 206-859-1170 if you see it.
Police incident # is 23-336019.
WARRANT OPERATION ARRESTS TEENAGE SUSPECT: Thanks to the reader who sent this photo from 12th SW just north of Roxbury:
They said SWAT assisted; the operation was wrapping up when we got there to check, and all they would tell us was that it was related to a warrant. We’re still following up and will add anything more we find out.
1:40 PM UPDATE: SPD tells us, “The warrant service in the 9400 block of 12 Ave SW resulted in the arrest of a 16-year-old male juvenile who was the suspect in three armed carjackings and four armed robberies at gas stations. These crimes occurred in the South and Southwest Precinct communities in the city of Seattle.” We hope to find out more about this later.
MAILBOX PROWLER: This report is from Grant:
On Friday 11/17 at 4:00 pm, we chased off a skinny caucasian mail thief in a black hoodie driving a small dark gray or black car with a noisy muffler. The vehicle has a dark stripe on the bumper or rear/roof, and a taped-up / plastic-wrapped driver’s-side rear window. The person in this video damaged the neighbor’s locking mailbox by forcbly pulling it open and breaking the lock – so they know some mailbox locks can be easily defeated. We wanted to share this photo and video so other West Seattle residents could be alert if they see this vehicle in their neighborhood. Video (here). This occurred in the Morgan Junction / Pelly Place area.
Lauren reports her car was stolen from her garage in Gatewood just before 1:30 this afternoon: “It’s a black Subaru Crosstrek. License place is BWV1276; has a “life is good” magnet on the back. The incident # is 23-335354.”
UPDATE: Found – see comments.
Thomas reports, “My car got stolen this morning around 8:30 am. In front of my apartment, the address is 4208 Beach Dr. The stolen vehicle is the 2015 Lexus CT200, white with black top. Please help me find the car.” We’re still awaiting the plate and report #s and will add when we have them.
(Added 5:15 am: Photo of van being towed, sent by @WestSeaWX)
3:58 AM: Rush Hour, the Junction shop hit early Friday by crash-and-grab burglar(s) driving a stolen Silverado, has just been hit again. This time a Kia Sedona (registered in Kent, not yet confirmed stolen) was used – someone saw it lodged in the building, and called it in just after 3:30 am. Police are there now investigating. Dispatch told officers that there was a report of a gray SUV leaving the scene after the van was abandoned. Rush Hour already was planning a move to a new location in two weeks.
ADDED MONDAY NIGHT: As linked in comments, a crowdfunding campaign has launched to help Rush Hour recover.
Four reader reports via email and text:
EARLY MORNING CAR BREAK-IN: From an anonymous reader:
I would like to report a theft gang that worked our street early this morning
North Admiral, 1800 block of Sunset Ave SW
05:20 AM on 11/18/2023
2 pedestrians (one on sidewalk, one on the street) plus one white van driving slowly behind them
They broke into a car and stole items from the trunk.
HIT-RUN KIA: In case you saw the downed sign today and wondered what happened – here’s what a reader texted late last night:
We just saw and heard a white or silver Kia Soul swerving around; they hit and knocked down a pedestrian crossing sign at 37th SW and SW Brandon St. They were being closely followed by a dark-colored, older pickup truck and we could hear their tires squealing for quite a while down the road.
THREE STOLEN KIAS FOUND IN 1 PLACE: Stolen cars turn up in a wide variety of places. But here’s word of a hot spot: Two stolen Kias reported here this past week were found – with a third – near 17th and Barton. Both John (Kona) and Tina (Sedona) told us theirs were two of the three (and we’ve updated those stories).
ABANDONED-POSSIBLY-STOLEN BICYCLE: Sent by Karen:
Wondering if anyone is missing this bike or recognizes it? It was left behind the guardrail at the Dead End on SW Dawson and 36th Ave SW yesterday morning (11/17) around 11:25. A neighbor noticed a male kid/teenager leave it there, disappear from view briefly, then reappear and head away on a different bike (perhaps one that was stashed or stolen from nearby). I’ve shared the photo with our neighborhood and no one recognizes it.
Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning:
RUSH HOUR CRASH-AND-GRAB: Thanks for the tips and photos. Above is Jolene‘s photo of the stolen Chevrolet Silverado that was used in a crash-and-grab burglary at Rush Hour in The Junction (4448 California SW) just before 5 am. We just went to Rush Hour to find out more from the shop’s owners.
They told us the burglar(s) got away with some clothing, but not a major dollar amount – the damage was far more costly. Police told them the truck had been stolen in West Seattle (per incident audio, that happened in South Delridge, and the pickup’s owner wasn’t even aware yet). No description of the burglar(s) so far. Meantime, the shop owners are not sure yet whether they’ll be able to open today but promised an update. The shop has been in The Junction less than a year.
(3:07 PM UPDATE: Rush Hour IS open now after some repairs and will be until 8 pm tonight. We also asked them about their moving plans; they expect to open a permanent location in the ex-bike/ex-beauty storefront at 4517 California SW on December 2.)
STOLEN KONA: At least two other auto thefts in West Seattle this morning – first from John: “Reported to SPD a stolen white Hyundai Kona (with the anti-theft recall installed), License # BVL 7802. Stolen in North Admiral near the corner of SW College St and 44th Ave SW, between midnight and 4:30 am.” (Added: Police incident # 23-332133.) SATURDAY UPDATE: John says it was one of the three stolen Kias found near 17th and Barton, along with Tina’s, reported here on Tuesday.
STOLEN PICKUP: This just came in as we were writing this roundup – Jeff‘s black Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was stolen around 8 am:
I wanted to report a stolen truck, which was taken from directly in front of our house (North Admiral, due east of Hiawatha). I had started it to defrost the windows and warm it up, went inside to help get the kids out the door for school, and came back outside and it was gone. Keys were in the truck. I filed a police report, Incident #: 23-332193. The license plate is C92172X.
10:35 AM: Thanks for the tips. Shoppers tell us they were told to clear out of Westwood Village Target around 9:40 am, after a shoplifting suspect turned violent. Police arrested the suspect on Delridge Way a short time later. According to dispatch audio, the suspect was reported to have assaulted a store manager inside the fitting-room area. Shoppers at some point were told to evacuate the store (which has since returned to normal operation), and the suspect left the store too. Police searching the area made an arrest a few blocks away, at Delridge and Henderson. Medics were called for the injured employee; we’re following up with SFD.
5:26 PM: We’ve since also checked with SPD and jail/court records. First, SFD says the 36-year-old assault victim was treated for “minor injuries” and did not want to be taken to a hospital. Second, SPD says the 33-year-old suspect was booked for investigation of robbery – they say he still had stolen property in his possession when he attacked the store employee, so that turned the shoplift into a robbery. According to jail/court records, this is his fourth time in the King County Jail this year – the other three were on misdemeanor cases, one day in jail in June, three days in July, two weeks in September/October. He had five felony cases in King County Superior Court between 2008 – when he was 18 – and 2015, including auto theft, drugs, and gun possession. He’ll likely have a bail hearing tomorrow, so we’ll follow up.
FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE: We’ve been waiting for prosecutors to send a document so we could do a detailed followup, but in the meantime, the jail roster shows bail was set for the suspect today at $150,000.
Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch so far today:
CAR WASH BURGLARIZED: Thanks for the tip on this. The coin machines at Car Wash Palace (35th/Graham) were stolen early today. According to archived dispatch audio, police were sent there around quarter till 6 am because of an alarm, and discovered the machines missing. Our tipster says that left the car wash closed for business this morning, but we haven’t been able to verify that yet.
SALON CARD READER THEFT/FRAUD: According to SPD report narrative, Tram’s Salon on the north edge of The Junction was hit by a card-reader thief and fraudster Monday afternoon:
At approximately (1:30 pm), the (thief) walked into the establishment and claimed he wanted to prepay for his services. The (victim) handed the suspect a small device used for processing card information for payment. Unknown to the (victim), the (thief) somehow used his card to refund himself $2,500. According to the (victim), he then ran out of the store with the … payment device. There is a possibility the money could have been taken after he stole the machine … later in the day, (the victim) received notification from the establishment’s bank.
The thief was described as a Black man in his mid-20s, 6 feet tall, thin, in a hoodie and mask.
STOLEN VAN: Tina sent the report and photo:
Our 2017 Kia Sedona was stolen from in front of our house last night, near 35th & Holden. It is brown with a U-Haul hitch installed. Washington License plate # BGU7189. Would appreciate if folks could keep an eye out.
SATURDAY UPDATE: Tina emailed to report, “Our minivan was recovered along with two other stolen vehicles. They were parked next to an abandoned apartment building on the 1700 block of SW Barton.”
The report and photo are from Beth:
I’m hoping the WSB community can help identify a hit and run car/driver.
Last night our houseguest’s car was hit around 9 pm by a hit and run driver.
We heard the loud noise but didn’t know what it was until this morning when we looked outside.
They hit the front of the car and the rear view mirror of our guest’s car and left the casing for their own rear view mirror behind.
Please be on the lookout for a vehicle (likely an SUV or minivan) with driver’s-side damage in the front and missing the casing for the driver’s rear-view mirror.
We live in the Genesee neighborhood on a street without a lot of through traffic so I’m hoping the car is seen nearby.
Police report number pending.
Please email if seen: hitandrunwestseattle@gmail.com
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports this morning:
STOLEN CAR: Jennifer sent word of her stolen car: “2017 silver Hyundai Veloster, license BOT1064, stolen off 34 Ave SW across from West Seattle Elementary School. Police report # 23-326342.”
STOLEN PACKAGE: Annie says this happened this morning on Barton between 30th and 31st:
We were sitting at our dining room table directly in front of our front door. A forest green (with gray bottom) 2000 Dodge truck with a lot of large items in the back (looked like a lawn mower and random appliances) pulled up; a white man, shaved head, over 6’2″, in a faded black T-shirt, jogged up, grabbed a package off our porch and ran to the truck.
The driver pulled away as he was getting in.
The photo and report are from Sean in Admiral:
My truck was stolen again. It’s been seen several times in West Seattle. The driver won’t stop so there’s nothing police can do. If someone sees it parked, please call police. It was stolen on Tuesday and reported same day. 1992 Nissan pickup B27758P. Police report number – 23-322544.
The photo and report are from a reader who wanted to be anonymous:
Approximately 11 am (today) the mail truck parked at Raymond and 37th was broken into. Trays of mail loaded onto pick-up truck. Man in nearby truck witnessed and got identification of car and license plate number. Same location where 2 stolen cars were abandoned November 6-7th.
According to recorded dispatch audio, the license and description checked to a stolen tan GMC Sierra. If you have any information on the break-in/mail theft, the SPD incident # i 23-324534.
(Reader photo, October 20th)
The man arrested after a standoff in an Arbor Heights yard has pleaded not guilty to two felony charges filed against him. 41-year-old Kenan D. Brown drove a stolen car into a tree in the 10200 block of 31st SW on October 20th but wouldn’t get out of the car, in which police noted he had a gun and a reportedly “aggressive” dog. Officers eventually got the gun and dog out, then took Brown into custody and to jail. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office subsequently charged Brown with first-degree unlawful gun possession – since he’s a convicted felon already – and “physical control while under the influence,” a type of DUI charge resulting from suspicion that he was under the influence of marijuana at the time. (The car had been stolen in Tacoma, and had a plate stolen in Auburn.) Court documents say he has 20 convictions on his record dating back to age 17. At his arraignment, King County Superior Court Judge Johanna Bender reduced his bail from $75,000 to $15,000, and ordered that if he does make bail, he needs to be on electronic home monitoring while awaiting trial. He’s still in jail tonight, in lieu of $30,000 total bail, also counting $15,000 for another case in which he is charged but not yet tried.
Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN BOAT: The report and photo are from Lea:
Stolen boat and trailer out of West Seattle on October 11th.
Seattle police report number 23-294888
The trailer: License plate AT0056 with brown color, fiberglass boat on top
ATTEMPTED CAR THEFT: Matthew reports this happened Monday night:
Unfortunately someone tried to steal my 2013 Kia Rio. It was parked on the street in front of my house on 34th and Manning. The lock was pulled out of the driver’s side, but I had a club on the wheel, so I think they thought it was more trouble than it was worth. I had nothing in the car to steal, so nothing seemed missing. So frustrating to have this happen, but I’m glad I still have my car!
SUSPECTED PROWLER: Dianne reports this happened Tuesday afternoon: “About 3:19 pm, our neighbor saw a possible prowler coming down our private drive (near 31st/Findlay), which has no outlet. We live on a dead-end street down a private drive. My next-door neighbor texted us when she saw him walk down our easement. He had a duffle bag and a plastic bag full of goods.”
(WSB photo, October 3)
The King County Sheriff’s Office has announced that 17-year-old White Center bus-murder suspect Miguel Rivera Dominguez is in custody. Here’s the entirety of the announcement:
This morning, November 6, 2023, at 9:55 AM, homicide suspect Miguel Rivera Dominguez turned himself into the King County Sheriff’s Office without incident. Rivera Dominguez was named as the suspect in the shooting of 21-year-old Marcel Da’jon Wagner, who was fatally shot while riding on a King County Metro Transit Bus in White Center on October 3rd.
We want to thank our neighboring law enforcement agencies and community members for their assistance, tips, and support during this extensive investigation. Together, we are working to make our community safer.
According to a WSB tipster, he surrendered at the KCSO precinct in Burien, the city in which he had been residing. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Rivera Dominguez as an adult with first-degree murder last week, saying video from the bus suggested he shot and killed Wagner – who may have been asleep – without provocation or any sort of confrontation, without even saying a word. He’ll be held in lieu of $3 million bail.
6:30 PM: Police are investigating a reported purse-snatching robbery in the Admiral District in the past half-hour. We haven’t heard the exact location – the victim was to meet officers in a “parking lot … near the bank” by Admiral/California (which has four banks in the vicinity). The robbers were reported to have pushed the victim down and stolen her purse. (So far, no SFD dispatches for medical assistance.) The robbers have been described so far as two Asian males, one Asian female, all in masks, dark clothing, around 18 years old, fleeing in a “4-door black or blue sedan.”
7:50 PM: As noted in comments, the call log puts this report in the 2600 block of California, which suggests the Safeway lot (which has both Chase and Umpqua banks on its west side).
Police are at the Harbor Avenue 7-11 right now, investigating an armed robbery reported just after 3 am. So far all they’ve learned is that there were four robbers – at least one with a “long gun” – who held up the clerk, pointing a gun at his head, and got away in a “white sedan.” All were wearing masks. This is the third West Seattle 7-11 robbery in less than two weeks, after Avalon on October 24th and California/Charlestown on October 28th.
| 57 COMMENTS