In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight – one new car-theft report, and word that a stolen truck and stolen motorcycle reported here recently have both been recovered. First, the stolen car – it’s the one in the photo above, and the one in this tweet from the Seattle Police Department‘s @getyourcarback feed:
COLOR:GRAY YR: 2009 MAKE: AUDIMODEL: Q7BODY: 4 DRLIC: AIU6581 ST: WA***DO NOT MAKE CONTACT CALL 911***
What that doesn’t say is that the 2009 gray Audi Q7, bought just three months ago by someone who moved to West Seattle just three months before that, was stolen from Highland Park, 5th and Cloverdale. Call police if you see it.
Meantime, the last two stolen vehicles reported in Crime Watch coverage have both been recovered. One week ago tonight, we published Sean‘s report about his stolen truck; he says it was found “in a public parking lot off 42nd.” And Ryan‘s motorcycle, mentioned here on Thursday, has turned up too: He says, “It was reported by a neighbor a few blocks from where I am who reads the WSB; the police came, checked it out, asked around, and then called me; the guy who stole it just left it there.”
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand) 2:25 AM: Big response right now to the 9200 block of 30th SW (map). Scanner traffic has reported someone with a gunshot wound to the shoulder. There’s a report of the suspect being in a silver van and having possibly been involved in a disturbance in the area earlier; possible physical description – white man, twenties, yellow sweatshirt, light-colored pants.
2:39 AM: The victim is now reported to be a 30-year-old man with one gunshot wound to the chest and is being rushed to Harborview Medical Center. A police K9 team is helping with the search.
2:49 AM UPDATE: Our crew has talked with Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams at the scene. He says they’re considering this a “drive-by.”
3:36 AM UPDATE: Word’s come over police radio that a suspect is in custody. Witnesses had provided a potential ID that was broadcast earlier – this was not believed to be random – but jail-register information can lag a few hours, so we may not be able to confirm till later today if that’s the same person they have in custody.
9:08 AM UPDATE: New information from police, via SPD Blotter:
A man was shot following a fight disturbance this morning. Just shortly after 2:00 a.m., the victim was walking with some of his friends in the 9200 block of 30th Av SW on the sidewalk in front of a house. Some of the people from the house, including the suspect, came outside. The victim began fighting with the suspect out in the yard/sidewalk.
One of the people from the house had a handgun on his belt. The suspect took the gun and shot the victim in the chest. The suspect then gave the gun back and drove off in his (suspect’s) car.
The victim was taken to HMC, where the doctors were able to stabilize him. His condition is unknown at this time.
The officers learned the name of the suspect, and were able to find his address on Queen Anne. They went to his house, and arrested him without incident. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Assault. It is unknown what precipitated the fight disturbance between the victim and suspect or if they knew one another.
Two theft reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon. First, Ryan‘s motorcycle was taken:
Stolen near 16th and Henderson SW: Honda CBR 600 F3 1995 Sportsbike
IT IS VERY NOTICEABLE, it’s a Purple, Black, Neon Yellow, with a “yellow windshield” and a Custom Exhaust, last known location was going East on Henderson street sw, it was taken by a white guy about 6 feet, wearing blue jeans, white sweatshirt and a black backpack, in his early 30s. This happened yesterday around 3 pm. LP is 9B6727
Andrew‘s bicycle was stolen from the 2400 block of 54th Place SW:
I found my bike stolen from my apartment complex this morning. It was locked up in the complex’s bike rack in the back parking lot. The bike lock was cut and left behind.
The bike is a Kona Ute, brown in color, with large orange bags. It’s the extended cargo-bike frame. The grips have been replaced with rubber grips that look like cork. There is a bottle holder on the handlebars along with a Kona bell. The kickstand is missing both it’s rubber feet and there’s some chain wear on the right kickstand leg. It has Continental CityContact tires, front disc brakes, and a wood deck on the cargo area. Unfortunately I never wrote down the serial number from it, but it’s pretty distinctive and wasn’t produced in large numbers.
If you see either one, call 911.
Side note: This month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting will be Tuesday, October 16th, 7 pm, at Southwest Precinct, and president Richard Miller says they’ll have a guest from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The house at 36th and Morgan that has been a hotspot of concern for its neighbors is boarded up tonight, with NO TRESPASSING signs.
It came to light here five weeks ago after this Crime Watch report about a suspected thief being chased there. In comments on that story, neighbors described frequently reporting the house to authorities for concerns including suspected stolen property. Then it came up at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting two weeks later (WSB coverage here), where City Attorney’s Office precinct liaison Melissa Chin talked about what could be done to deal with the situation. And late today, we got a tip about the boards and signs. We checked with Chin, who tells us that the owner had been under pressure from not only her office but also Seattle Police, the Department of Planning and Development (which had issued a citation for junk storage), and King County Public Health – so, Chin said, the owner “voluntarily kicked out the tenant, posted up ‘No Trespassing’ signs, cleaned up the yard, and told us she was going to board up the house.” Which, as our photo shows, was done. Meantime, the man whose arrest was noted in the original report has, so far, not been charged.
We placed 130 AED’s last year in all the schools in SPS and at the 15 outside sports fields with a program called “The Heart of Seattle Schools.” The one at the (Southwest Athletic Complex) has gone missing and in order to have that complex covered the school district has taken one from the high school [Sealth] to replace it. That leaves a floor at the school not covered as the nearest one is on the 3rd floor.
This machine really has no value to anyone unless you are having a sudden cardiac arrest, then it becomes life-saving! … The school district doesn’t have the money to replace it and I hope the community might rally around and help them out to replace it.
Varrenti says the units cost about $1,200 each. If you have any tips on the theft – call 911. If you are interested in donating to help replace the stolen one, you can do so through Nick of Time (go to nickoftimefoundation.org and click “Donate”; then, she says, “they can put a note in that the donation is for the West Seattle AED and they get a receipt back right away”). P.S. The field from which the AED was stolen is the same one where a coach suffered a fatal heart attack four months ago.
THREE MORE CRIME WATCH NOTES: Ahead, two bike thefts and a followup on a recent theft report, after some of the stolen items were found and returned to their owner!:
This morning we have the story from police regarding an arrest on Sunday outside Holy Rosary just before 12:30 pm. People who contacted/asked us about the incident were worried because they thought the man had a gun. He did NOT, according to police, though what they say he had is alarming enough. Det. Mark Jamieson just checked the report for us and here’s what police say happened:
Around 11:40 am Sunday, a man in a vehicle saw the suspect walking on the sidewalk in the Admiral Safeway/Hiawatha area, screaming, shirtless, carrying something “shrouded” in a shirt. The witness “thought it was something long, possibly a rifle.” The witness, Det. Jamieson says, got out of his vehicle and confronted the man on the steps into Hiawatha park, asking if he had a gun. The suspect – described by police as a 23-year-old transient – uncovered the item and pointed it at the other man: It was a three-foot-long “pointed construction spike.” The man who had confronted him backed away as the suspect yelled that this was none of his business; he continued screaming, and the other man, police say, got back into his car, called 911, and followed the screaming man as he walked south. He stayed on the phone, reporting what the suspect was doing and which way he was going, until officers intercepted the suspect at 42nd and Genesee (by Holy Rosary).
He still had the long spike concealed in a shirt, in his right hand; officers, Det. Jamieson says, “were able to convince him to set it down.” He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of harassment. Nobody was hurt.
That’s Sean‘s truck. He sent the photo and this report:
Got up this morning to hitch up my boat and sure enough no truck. Stolen sometime before 4 am. Police report filed. Not sure what dimwitted fool would steal it considering how identifiable it is; the truck is covered with fishing decals. 2008 Toyota Tacoma, WA St. B48224E, Silver w/canopy.
If you see it – police ask that stolen vehicles be called in via 911. (Sean didn’t mention which neighborhood so we have e-mailed back to ask.)
Also, Sheridan sent this note Saturday afternoon:
I wanted to give you a heads up. I was just at my parent’s house in 24th just south of Roxbury, and we found some stolen mail in the yard of an abandoned house next door. I called the non-emergency line, and per their instructions, packaged it up to give to the mailman on Monday.
2:58 PM:Elsie‘s owner says she is missing and believes she was stolen out of his yard this afternoon in the 2800 block of SW 102th (just east of Arbor Heights, in the county), though he did not see it happen, so he doesn’t have any suspect description to share. He describes Elsie as “an extremely loving pit bull of about 60 pounds, ‘fawn’ coat, and pink lips.” If you see her, you can call him at 206-661-7427 – he says that number is also on her collar, light green with pink flowers on it. We are also crossposting to the WSB Pets page.
9:16 PM: Elsie’s owner says she’s home: “She was in fact taken from my property by car, and after much searching and fretting, she was returned for a small ransom.”
We have two reader reports to share, both with break-in alerts. The first one is from an Arbor Heights resident:
Just wanted to give an alert out: My house on 35th Ave SW & 114th Ave SW was broken into (Friday) between 8 am and 2 pm. They came in through a side window, stole my computer, iPod & ransacked some rooms and then left through the front door. My dog was home in her crate, luckily they did not take her or hurt her (but they were not deterred by her either because she was crated).
And from the 1500 block of 42nd SW in North Admiral:
About 415 am we heard our dog bark incessantly. We didn’t think much of it until the morning when we went into our vehicle that was parked in front of our home, and it had clearly been rummaged through. Meaning, everything from inside the glove compartment and console had been pulled out. There was no visible damage to the car and nothing of significance was stolen. We believe our dog scared him/her off and we also believe that whomever it was exited through our backyard, as our dog eventually began barking toward the back of the house. Be on alert!
We start West Seattle Crime Watch tonight with a report that there’s been a major break in connection with the drive-by shooting September 10th at 26th and Hudson. No one was hurt, but it was a close call for one driver, who wound up with a bullet hole in his windshield, as our photo shows. The announcement was made by Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen at tonight’s Safe Communities meeting (separate meeting report to come); we hope to get more details tomorrow. (Update: The big break is that police have found a car linked to the incident – no arrest yet, but progress.)
Also tonight, we just got word that a stolen car reported here recently has been found – 12 blocks away from where it was taken. Karen says her CR-V was undamaged. But, she adds, “In the car I found what appears to be the remnants of stolen mail from 2 West Seattle residents.”
Another WSB’er named Karen was hit by scooter thieves – her black-and-purple Honda Elite scooter was stolen in Gatewood, 7100 block of 36th SW, yesterday or last night, license #951570.
Finally – in Sunrise Heights, HM is having a problem with what s/he calls “delivery snatchers”:
Just wanted to let neighbors know of two recent porch thefts in the Sunrise Heights neighborhood. On Friday we had two new leather dining room chairs delivered to our front porch (they were supposed to be held at the FedEx store, but there was a mixup) and they were taken off the front porch sometime that afternoon or evening. This morning we had groceries delivered and we know they arrived sometime between 3am – 6am, and when I went to the porch at 6:30am to get them all but a box of waffles had been taken.
Please be careful of what you have delivered to your house and be on the lookout for “delivery snatchers.”
Some jerk is going around RIGHT NOW stealing mail from flags-up outgoing mailboxes! My elderly neighbor just got hers taken.
We asked about a description, and received one this afternoon:
I finally got a possible description of the suspect: small-size pickup truck, light in color-maybe gray or cream, nicely dressed white male, slacks, shirt.
Seattle Police calls it “a police scanner without the static.” Not exactly, but it does provide newer incident information than they have been previously providing: Automated Twitter accounts with incident types and street name/block numbers for each patrol “beat” around the city. The area served by the Southwest Precinct, West Seattle/South Park, has six: William 1, William 2, William 3, Frank 1, Frank 2, and Frank 3. Here’s a map; the W’s are basically west West Seattle; the F’s are basically east West Seattle. Here’s the announcement; here are the direct links:
Note SPD’s explanation about the information you’ll find on the feeds, and what you won’t:
There are a few caveats: in order to protect crime victims, officers, and the integrity of crime scenes, calls will appear on the Twitter feeds one hour after a dispatcher sends the call to an officer. The feeds also do not include information about domestic violence calls, sexual assaults, and other certain types of crimes.
In case you don’t want to check Twitter (you CAN use those links even without an account), we’ll incorporate these into the West Seattle Crime Watch page, among other potential uses here on WSB, as soon as possible. We’ll also watch the feeds too – but, especially since this is NOT real time and NOT all-encompassing, we will continue to appreciate your tips about what you see and hear and/or are wondering about – 206-293-6302, text or voice, 24/7 (other ways to reach us are here).
Like most community groups, the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network has reconvened, now that summer’s over, and had a fairly low-key meeting last night at the Southwest Precinct. Without a featured guest on the agenda, the spotlight was on members’ recaps of how the summer went. Relatively quiet, most agreed, aside from some car prowls and thefts including bicycles. SWP Operations Lt. Pierre Davis(standing, photo left) said that matched the official stats. One trend that some participants said seemed to be back on the rise is mail theft; WSBWCN leadership will consider bringing in a guest speaker to tackle the topic. Some also wondered if city grants might be available to bring locked mailboxes to areas where theft is a problem. Reminders of upcoming events: Thursday night, the Safe Communities city-facilitated conversation at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, 7 pm (more info here), and Saturday, National Drug Take-Back Day – drop your expired/no-longer-needed medications off at the precinct, 10 am-2 pm (more info here).
West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network meets on 4th Tuesdays; watch for updates on their website, here.
West Seattle Crime Watch has quieted down a bit, according to both inbox in-flow and a check of the police-activity map. Danielle, however, shares a two-part alert for her neighborhood (and advice for everyone):
I wanted to give those who live near 8th & Roxbury a heads-up that in the last two weeks we have had a car prowler on our block as well as a mail thief.
Car Prowler – A car prowler was seen at approx. 10:30PM on a week night approx. two weeks ago peeking in the windows of my husband’s work vehicle that was parked on the street. The police were called but my husband, who is extra weary of prowlers after his work vehicle was stolen from our street last fall, yelled at the prowler who left the scene on foot before police arrived. He was tall, thin, and wearing a hooded sweatshirt with jeans. I urge everyone to park their vehicles in driveways and garages.
Mail thief – We discovered (Monday) that a check we placed in our mailbox on 09/06 was removed from our mailbox, washed with a new name and check amount, and cashed at a local check cashing center. We are in the process of working with the bank to file all of the necessary paperwork.
One more reminder that, as mentioned in today’s daily preview, the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network is back in action tonight, 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct, and you don’t have to be a captain to come attend and talk/hear about community crime prevention/trends.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch – first, a hit-and-run solved by the husband of the victim. She writes:
I woke up (Saturday) morning to find my car had been sideswiped overnight. I park on the street because I have no driveway (39th & Hinds). The genius lost a very distinctive wheel hub. I called the police and an officer came within 30 mins. While they were on their way, my husband canvassed the neighborhood and FOUND THE CAR! Just a block away. Unbelievable. The officer headed right up there after I told her where it was. Two criminal citations later and justice is served. Karma wins!! Oh and yes, they have insurance. I am just glad they didn’t hurt anyone!
Second report, about a car break-in at Westcrest Off-Leash Park – and extra information thanks to victim vigilance in tracking down who was using her stolen card:
Thanks to those who have e-mailed/called about a sizable police response on the east side of The Junction, in the 4500 block of 41st SW.
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB) 8:56 PM: Police are investigating an assault that officers on scene described to WSB’s Christopher Boffoli as a “domestic-violence situation,” and they say there are no suspects at large. Witnesses saw a woman taken away in handcuffs; a private ambulance was called, and Christopher saw a man being treated for a leg wound. We’ll be following up with police for any additional information.
12:15 AM UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams confirms the suspect has been booked into jail. The victim, he says, was stabbed once in the leg with a knife, and is expected to recover.
The city’s time-lagged police-report map includes a notation about an incident coded as a “drive-by” early this morning in the 1700 block of SW Trenton (map). Tonight, we have details via e-mail from the person (requesting anonymity) whose home was hit:
At approximately 5:05 this morning (9/21) a single shot was fired from a moving vehicle into my house in the 1700 block of SW Trenton St. The bullet lodged in the front door a few feet away from where I was sitting, looking out the window and visible to the road. I do not have a good description of the vehicle other than it was a car. No one was injured, and the police were called and came to investigate.
There’s no indication of whether it’s related, but that’s just a few blocks from a recent confirmed case of “shots fired” (no one hit), in the 8600 block of 14th SW, as noted in our most recent WSBeat roundup.
Sometime in the middle of the night, my 1998 Red Honda CRV was stolen from in front of my house on the 7300 block of 29th SW. Police report has been filed. CRV has older Yakima rack with roof mounted bike rack and rear tire mounted Thule 2 bike rack (silver and black). License plate 649VJZ, just in case any WSB readers see an out-of-place Red CRV matching description.
2:56 PM: If you’re in Arbor Heights and wondering about the notable police presence – there’s a search under way for a hit-run driver, according to Seattle Police. After the crash – for which we don’t have full details yet – the driver parked and ran, with a citizen in pursuit for a while.
3:03 PM: We’re in the neighborhood where it happened, 44th SW south of SW 98th. Nobody hurt. An SPD K-9 team just arrived to join the search. The driver is described as a bald Caucasian man, white T-shirt and blue jeans. He was driving a blue sedan that smashed into a parked white Suburban.
And just out of the WSB inbox: Next Thursday, you’re invited to come talk about community safety as part of the city’s “Safe Communities” program. 7-9 pm September 27th at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). And it’s a conversation, not a meeting, as the invitation-format announcement makes clear:Read More
In West Seattle Crime Watch – four reader reports about three incidents. First, an attempted burglary as told by both the victim and the neighbor who interrupted. Read More
In West Seattle Crime Watch today – Carole reports her mom was robbed while out for a walk, and she is sharing the story to “reach as many people who care for the elderly to be very cautious if the person is able to walk or travel by themselves”:
My 82 year old mother went for her daily walk around the block (Sunrise Heights). She was approached by two males in a vehicle who talked to her like they knew her. Somehow, the driver of the vehicle managed to get her wedding ring off of her, saying he would get it cleaned and bring it back to her. My mother has Aphasia – she knows what she wants to say or do, but cannot get the words out in a coherent manner. Because of this condition, she has difficulty in telling us what happened. She was not hurt but is very upset. She is now frightened to go outside for any reason.
The ring was purchased in 1957 – white gold, about size 4 or 5, one big stone in the center with smaller stones on either side (I think it is called emerald cut). It is a 3-band ring, with the 3rd band added by my dad for their 25th anniversary. The third-band stones are cubic Zirconias.
Tomorrow marks exactly 31 years since Greggette R. and Dwight K. Guy were wed at a church in Burien. Today – six months and one week after Mrs. Guy was murdered in West Seattle – her husband (above) came from Kent to stand in a South Seattle parking lot with other murder victims’ families, showing support for a new billboard/bus-board campaign. CrimeStoppers and Seattle Police are among the sponsors of “Who Killed Me?”, which will place billboards around the city, showing murder victims’ faces, and imploring people with any information to come forward. Dwight Guy did not speak at today’s media event, but several of those on hand did, often emotionally. (Added – here’s our video of the entire event:)
Mr. Guy’s message, in a conversation with WSB afterward, is the same: Even if it takes years, his wife’s killer can be found and brought to justice. Organizers tell us a billboard will be put up in West Seattle with Mrs. Guy’s photo; they’re checking on the planned location (update – it’ll be on Harbor Avenue near the bridge). The first billboard, unveiled during the media event, highlights three other unsolved killings.
For more on where the Greggette Guy case stands, here’s our detailed followup from last week. P.S. There is one more West Seattle case on SPD’s list of spotlighted unsolved murders in the past 2 years – that of Kaari Higgins, a Fauntlee Hills woman whose January 2011 death was not classified as a homicide till long afterward. Find out more about Ms. Higgins, Mrs. Guy, and the other unsolved-murder victims here.
We start today’s 
This morning we have the story from police regarding an arrest on Sunday outside 
We start 
now that summer’s over, and had a fairly low-key meeting last night at the Southwest Precinct. Without a featured guest on the agenda, the spotlight was on members’ recaps of how the summer went. Relatively quiet, most agreed, aside from some car prowls and thefts including bicycles. SWP Operations Lt. Pierre Davis (standing, photo left) said that matched the official stats. One trend that some participants said seemed to be back on the rise is mail theft; WSBWCN leadership will consider bringing in a guest speaker to tackle the topic. Some also wondered if city grants might be available to bring locked mailboxes to areas where theft is a problem. Reminders of upcoming events: Thursday night, the 
| 6 COMMENTS