West Seattle, Washington
04 Thursday
“I am so sad. 3 years in a row. My heart is so broken.” That’s what Cherry Consignment proprietor Nyla Bittermann told us in a text accompanying that photo of glass smashed by burglars who broke into her store (4142 California SW) overnight. Nyla celebrated her store’s 16th anniversary this past summer; burglars have now hit her for three consecutive years . She says the burglars this time appeared to be a man and woman, in and out within minutes – here are screengrabs from security video:
She is “still assessing what’s missing.” The police incident # is 25-354878. Her shop will be open as planned today, noon-7 pm (participating in The Junction’s first Shop Late Thursday this season). This is the second night in a row with business burglaries in West Seattle, and Nyla adds, “It just breaks my heart how many small businesses have been broken into. It’s more important than ever to support your local small businesses.”
11:21 PM: After 911 calls about possible gunfire in Highland Park, SPD has found someone who says they were shot at while in their vehicle, which has two bullet holes through the window(s). Police are now looking for the scene where it happened, which was reported to be a few blocks from where they found the victim, possibly near 11th SW and SW Cloverdale. No description yet of the shooters, except that they had guns “with lasers on them.”
11:34 PM: Officers just told dispatch they’ve found the scene where the shots were fired – one casing, one bullet so far, just south of SW Cloverdale on 11th.
The man arrested and jailed after gunfire in a West Seattle Junction apartment on Monday is now charged. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged 67-year-old Lottis D. Morgan with second-degree domestic-violence assault. He was taken into custody after the incident in the Alaska House building north of Junction Plaza Park around 10 am Monday. According to the charging documents, he fired a handgun twice at a six-months-pregnant 22-year-old woman to whom he is related – no one was hit – and also threatened to kill others in the apartment. He has a criminal record from the early 2000s, including a previous domestic-violence assault conviction, and the court documents say police have been called twice before regarding incidents involving him and the current victim. He remains in jail in lieu of $250,000 bail.
We’ve heard this morning from the owners of both Alki Coffee Co. and neighboring West Seattle Arcade (2700 block of Alki Avenue SW), about burglars breaking into – or trying to break into – their businesses early today:
ALKI COFFEE CO.: This is the third break-in in five months, notes Alki Coffee Co. co-proprietor Jonathan Stebbins, who sent two video clips, the first showing the burglars taking just 40 seconds to get in:
I am unfortunately reaching out once again to let you know of another break-in at our shop down on Alki. Happened this morning around 3:45/3:50 am. From the camera footage this definitely looks like the same two guys that broke in back in mid-July. Hard to tell if was the same from the October break-in. The two today use some kind of tool to pop the lock out on the front door (as you can see in the video above). They drive a blue/purple 4-door hatchback with black rims. The shorter guy looks to be wearing a blue Carhartt hoodie with orange lettering down the sleeve that says Carhartt. The taller guy has a black and gray coat with a green hoodie underneath and black and blue sneakers with blue laces (possibly Nike).
Fortunately having gone cashless after the last break-in, they did not get any cash, but the did take an iPad that we use for music, etc. (second clip) Not sure at this point what can be done but would love for anyone who might be able to identify these two to reach out to the Southwest Precinct (206-733-9800) with any info. Our case number is 2025-353695
.
WEST SEATTLE ARCADE: Before hitting Alki Coffee, the burglars tried to get into West Seattle Arcade next door. Proprietors Elyssa and Matt Cichy sent word on that, also including video:
Just wanted to alert the neighborhood that we had another attempted break-in at the arcade. Looks like they moved on and successfully broke into Alki Coffee after failing to crowbar our doors open.
Here’s our coverage of past incidents:
Alki Coffee/Ben & Jerry’s break-ins – October and July
West Seattle Arcade burglary attempt – July
9:04 PM: After 911 calls from people who suspected they’d heard gunfire, police have confirmed it. They say one caller, in the 8400 block of 18th SW, reports a bullet went through a window at their home. An officer told dispatch that the angle suggests the gunfire came from a block or so south. No injuries reported.
9:42 PM: They’ve also just reported finding casings in the 8100 block of 18th.
Two burglaries in this West Seattle Crime Watch report:
BUSINESS BURGLARY: Thanks for the tip about police at The Whittaker (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW) Sunday morning, The police narrative we obtained today confirms a business burglary at the mixed-use building. 911 was called by security reporting a live video feed showing two people trying to cut a safe door. Here’s what police say happened when they arrived and discovered the break-in was at the T-Mobile store:
… officers noticed that the lock on the front door appeared to be punched out, and the door was not secured. We made entry and cleared the store. There was an office in the back that had a keypad lock with pry marks on the door. The door was locked, and it is unknown if the suspects were able to gain access to the back room. On the desks where the employees work, there were multiple drawers opened, and we found two specialized keys that are used to unlock the cellphones that are on display. It appeared that approximately 10 cellphones were taken from the walls. It is unknown what makes or models of phones were taken. I dusted for fingerprints and was able to lift one print from a metal bracket used to secure one of the missing phones, which I submitted in the Southwest Precinct Evidence Room as evidence.
The report also says the store had interior video cameras, but police couldn’t access them at the time as they were unable to reach a manager.
GARAGE BREAK-IN ON VIDEO: Chris sent the clips of a garage burglary in Admiral this past Monday and believes it’s the same burglar shown in other reports:
Our garage was broken into on Monday morning in North Admiral. We noticed that others have posted at photo of the exact same guy. He’s wearing exactly the same sweater as one of the daylight photos someone has posted of him.
Police report is 2025-345038.
As shown in the video, the burglar stole a bicycle from Chris’s garage.
That’s another view of one of the windows broken at Baked Custom Cakes in The Admiral District by a vandal who also broke windows at Alki Bike and Board next door, as reported here on Thanksgiving Day. The holidays can be a make-or-break time for small businesses, but these two are bearing extra expense because of the vandalism. We mentioned Alki Bike and Board’s sales last weekend; Baked also has something you might want to buy:
Proprietor Kristina tells WSB that she’s selling gingerbread kits – not just houses, but also cookies – that matter a lot to her bottom line “especially this season with having to replace my shop windows; as you can imagine those are not cheap and this is a slower time for me so these really get me through the holidays.” You can order kit(s) online at curbside-store.square.site. (Part of the proceeds also benefit West Seattle Food Bank.)
(Added: Reader photo. Alaska House is building on the left)
11:12 AM: Thanks for the tips. The situation that’s been unfolding this past hour at the Alaska House apartments in The Junction (on 42nd just north of Junction Plaza Park) started with a report of gunfire in an apartment and a man threatening people, in what’s described as a domestic-violence situation. Police have one suspect in custody and found “live rounds” plus at least one bullet hole in an apartment on the 8th floor. A gun was recovered, according to police radio. More info as we get it.
11:23 AM: So far, police have reported finding a shotgun but not the pistol they believe the suspect fired (the rounds that were found were described as .22). No injuries reported but medics were called to check out a pregnant woman who was one of the people allegedly threatened.
TUESDAY UPDATE: Police have confirmed that the other gun was found by a worker in the building. Meantime, while we’re still awaiting probable-cause documents, we do know from the jail roster that the 67-year-old suspect’s bail was set today at $250.000.
Heidi‘s car was stolen on Queen Anne but the airtagged keys were dumped at the Junction 7-11, so it may still be in this area.
Stolen in the evening or early hours of Thanksgiving. It is a 2014 Mazda CX-5, dark gray color. It has an Alaska sticker on the left rear window and an Oregon Ducks license plate cover on the rear plate.
If you find it, call 911 and refer to the incident number.
11:12 AM: Thanksgiving Day had an unpleasant start for two Admiral businesses, where someone smashed large front windows. We got this report and photos from one of the businesses, Alki Bike and Board:
Sadly both us and Baked (the bakery next door) had our windows smashed this morning at 4 am with bricks. We have footage and it seemed to have been someone in a mental health crisis, just wanted to smash things not steal. We had a pretty big bill here to get this fixed, hoping y’all can encourage some support from the community to shop with us – we were already in the slow season and this just gave us a big hit. Big shout-out to the SPD & SFD for being there and helping the cleanup for both shops.
We have a message out to Baked – reader Susan sent this photo of their window:
We won’t be able to reach police for followup information before tomorrow.
12:51 PM: Via email, Kristina at Baked tells us, “We just got done boarding up the windows. Nothing was stolen, fortunately, but both large windows are completely smashed.” Her business is nationally known for its creative custom cakes, and she teaches classes too.
10:45 AM: After 911 calls from people thinking they heard gunfire in the Westwood Village area, police have found evidence: At least one shell casing found near 23rd and Barton. No reports of injuries or property damage so far, and no suspect description yet.
(Added: Photo by Tim Durkan)
10:50 AM: Officers just told dispatch they’ve now “found seven spent casings between 22nd and 23rd on SW Barton.”
10:58 AM: Officers told dispatch that via witnesses and video, the shooter(s) appeared to be in a dark gray or black Acura or Honda hatchback with two people inside, “firing toward the south side of Barton.”
The photo and report were sent by Liz:
Stolen from West Seattle this morning
Vin ————-5388
2002 Chevy (Silverado) 2500 HD
Had certified sh-tbox sticker on front windshield, sticker on door that says installation
Case #25-346579
UPDATE: Taken from near Fauntleroy/Findlay.
10:18 PM: Police are investigating gunfire in the “Healthy Street” section of Beach Drive SW. An officer told dispatch they found casings in the street, just south of Benton, after 911 callers reported gunfire around 10 pm. One person said they saw the flashes as shots were fired from someone in a black Mercedes or Acura which subsequently headed south on Beach Drive; they told police four people were in the car but did not offer any descriptions. If you have any information, the incident # is 2025-345255.
10:33 PM: Callers reported “about 10 shots” to 911; so far, an officer just told dispatch, “we got 16.”
Two vehicle theft reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN TRUCK, TRAILER, MINI-EXCAVATOR: A business on West Marginal Way SW reports the theft of a pickup, trailer, and mini-excavator:
2003 Ford F-250, plate B70024X; Takeuchi TB135 with melted roof. Trailer is old AA Rental trailer, license 74005NZ.
Police report # 25-344675. Offering a $500 reward for information leading to recovery.
The owner says the thieves may have been seen in Burien, Also:
STOLEN CAR: From Alesia in High Point:
We had a vehicle stolen from our driveway shortly before 6 pm Saturday the 22nd. 2020 Hyundai Tucson maroon stolen from driveway. License plate: BWB2883. Identifiable stickers: KEXP and Mariners trident on back passenger side window. My husband or I can be reached via email with tips: seaks@protonmail.com
We’ve gotten some questions about King County Sheriff’s Deputies at 15th/Roxbury; we’ve been covering the situation on partner site White Center Now. One man was shot near the vacant ex-Bartell building, non-life-threatening injuries, no arrest nor even a detailed suspect description so far. Deputies closed 15th south of Roxbury for a while to investigate but were clearing the scene when our photographer was there.
Four reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
ARBOR HEIGHTS GUNFIRE: Right around the end of the Seahawks game, as usual, some set off fireworks to commemorate the victory, so 911 was dealing with some callers who thought they heard gunfire. In one case, apparently they did. Police reported finding at least one shell casing in the 10700 block of 35th SW. No reports of injuries or property damage.
STOLEN BLACK TACOMA TRUCK: The photo and report are from Christina:
Our 2017 black Toyota Tacoma was stolen overnight from 9000 block of 39th Ave SW near SW Barton between 12:00 AM-7:00 AM on 11/23. Plate: C53336H. VIN: ——-3136. Stickers: Seahawks (rear window) West Seattle Eagle, Teamsters. Broken glass on scene likely smashed rear window. SPD case # 25-343674
Call 911 if you find it.
HOME BURGLARY ATTEMPT: From Richard in Westwood:
Shortly before 400 am I heard noises that I thought were that of a raccoon. I went downstairs to investigate and heard someone trying to break through my high-end security door. I called 911 and the police came and did an area check and found nothing.
Shortly after 700 am I went outside and found extensive damage to the security door. Not only did they break metal parts of the latch, but they used fire to try and melt parts of the door and lock mechanism. I called the police again and the officer said it looked like a very professional job and that he had not seen one like it before. The lock held but the door may need to be replaced. Case number 25-343575.
GARAGE BREAK-IN: This report was sent by Brian:
Our home was also targeted in Seaview on Friday night. Someone broke our car window in the driveway and stole / used garage door remote to gain access to the garage. Nothing apparently stolen other than the remote (maybe intent on coming back? Who knows).
Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN BIKE RECOVERED, SUSPECT ARRESTED: This unfolded last night at Westwood Village. A man asked police to help him retrieve a stolen bicycle; police arrested a woman but she was in crisis and a struggle ensued. That’s about as much as we picked up off police radio; photojournalist Tim Durkan was there and talked to the man who had called 911 and learned that he and his family live in apartment near the center; he went to QFC to shop and saw his daughter’s bike out front, less than an hour after it had been stolen. He reclaimed it and called police, who confronted the suspected thief, ultimately taken to Harborview before her trip to jail, while the dad got to take the bike home to his daughter. We’ll request the report on Monday to see if we can find out the suspect’s status.
ABOUT THAT AIR COMPRESSOR ... Earlier we showed a photo sent by Mike showing an item left in his Alki neighborhood. Turns out that was seen in the possession of a suspected prowler in that neighborhood, in a photo sent to us by neighbor Matt, reporting a porch prowl:
A gray soccer bag was stolen from our porch (Thursday) night. The neighbor’s Ring camera picked up an individual dragging an air compressor as well, but that was left in the middle of the street.
This was in the (corrected) 2400 block of 53rd SW.
The report was sent by Melinda:
Stolen 11/19 in West Seattle. This was my brother’s work van. He spent the night visiting and it was taken overnight from 5600 block of 44th Ave SW. ALL his tools were in there too. SIMILAR to the one in photo (a little different).
Plate B337292
1999 Chevrolet Astro Van
Vin # ——–3888
Call 911 if you find it. We’ll add the police report # when we get it.
The string of garage break-ins in the Admiral/Belvedere area continues. Whitney sent this report and security-camera image.
Early morning of Nov 20, at 3:42 AM, one of the glass panels in our garage door was broken, and a man, driving a Prius, entered and stole a set of golf clubs before opening our garage door and exiting.
Whitney adds that a neighbor’s garage was broken into two weeks ago; that’s close to when we published this previous reader report.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
(November 6 SPD photo)
STOLEN-TRUCK CRASH DRIVER CHARGED: The 31-year-old man arrested after crashing a stolen Ford Ranger into a tree at Fauntleroy/Juneau a week and a half ago is now charged. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed felony charges of stolen-vehicle possession and DUI against David Rivera-Frausto of Bellevue. The charging documents say he has an extensive criminal history including a prior auto-theft-related charge, burglary, and car prowling. He tried to run after the crash, police say, but an officer happened to be nearby, recovering an unrelated stolen car, and saw the Ranger going “50 to 60 mph” just before hitting the tree. Rivera-Frausto allegely claimed a friend had been driving the Ranger, which had been stolen from a Tukwila register, but police say they found no evidence of another person in the driver’s seat. Rivera-Frausto remains in jail, in lieu of $75,000 bail.
GUNFIRE INVESTIGATION: A brief report summary released by police tonight says they found evidence of gunfire last night in the 9400 block of 27th SW after a 911 caller reported one possible shot. According to police-radio recordings, the call around 6:38 pm came from the unit they confirmed was hit by a bullet. No injuries and no suspect description.
ACCUSED BUSINESS HARASSER ARRESTED: Via SPD Blotter, police reported a November 5th arrest of a man who allegedly violated a court order requiring him to stay at least 1,000 feet away from a business in The Triangle. When they found him that morning, officers say he was only 350 feet away. SPD says “the suspect has repeatedly been seen harassing, laughing at, mocking, flipping off, and threatening the employees of the business,” and that he’s been trespassed from other businesses in the area; this business tried that first and then had to escalate to obtaining a court order. The SPD post adds that he “has previous felony convictions for Assault, Harassment-threats to kill, and narcotics violations.” After this arrest, the 42-year-old suspect, Dawit Y. Gebre, was booked into jail, and subsequently charged with two city-code crimes, court-order violation and drug possession, Jail and Municipal Court records show he spent eight days in jail, originally in lieu of $2,500 bail, then was released this past Thursday after a judge granted his request for personal recognizance; the docket says the city “did not object.” Gebre is due back in Municipal Court early next year.
3:08 PM: Police are closing Alki Avenue between 61st and 62nd after a hit-run crash that is reported to have injured a 2-year-old child. The victim is reported to be ‘awake and alert’ so the initially large SFD response is being reduced. Police are looking for a gray Toyota RAV-4 with a dent on the passenger side, plate possibly starting with CDX.
(Added: Photo by Cami MacNamara)
3:27 PM: Police just told dispatch that they’re reopening Alki Avenue. Medics were taking the child to a hospital; we’ll be following up with SFD for an update.
4:25 PM: SFD tells us the victim was a 5-year-old boy who was in stable condition when taken to Harborview Medical Center. We’ll follow up with SPD to find out whether they found/find the driver.
Will is hoping someone might have seen his stolen bicycle:
I had a bike stolen from my garage last night, on an alleyway between 37th and 38th SW, north of SW Morgan – a 2009 black Trek SoHo single-speed with bull-horn handlebars.
The initial police report number is T00044310.
4:13 PM: Seattle Police investigating 911 calls about possible gunfire in an alley in or near the 10400 block of 42nd SW have just reported finding at least one casing. A possibly related vehicle was described as a dark Audi SUV. No injuries reported. The first calls about this came in around 3:45 pm; an officer told dispatch about the casing at 4:10 pm.
ADDED WEDNESDAY EVENING: We obtained the narrative from SPD (which redacted names and some other details):
On 11/11/25, at 1544, I, XXXX XXXX, employed as a police officer, within the city of Seattle, when I was dispatched to a shooting call located at [10400 BLK] 42nd AV SW, in the alley to the west.
There was multiple 911 callers about this call.
Upon arrival of the listed location, I noticed a possible scene in the alley but there was no one to speak to. I did notice a camper in the driveway of the location, which I knocked on.
A female, XXXX, XXXX X, exited the camper and spoke to me. I noticed she had blood on her hand and her face, which she stated she was knocked down. XXXX further stated as she was walking her dog, she noticed two unk male, one with a face mask running towards her. As she turned to get away from them, one of them knocked her down and then proceeded to hear two-gun shots go off. XXXX stated she noticed a white or tan pick up truck and a black or dark color, possible Audi driving away from the alleyway.
XXXX was scene by Seattle Fire and was cleared to remain on scene.
As I was on scene, I did locate XXX shell casings within the alleyway. I photographed the shells before I collected them. These were later placed into SPD evidence.
During this time another shooting call came out at the Westwood village, SPD 25-331398. The caller to this call was identified as XXXX, who later showed up to the listed location, identified as XXXX, XXXX XXXX.
XXXX stated as she was within the garage at the listed location (also in the alleyway), she overheard what she believed gun shots. As she left the garage, she noticed a subject who she identified as “XX” chasing her boyfriend, XXXX, XXXX X. XXXX noticed XX holding a firearm. Both subjects got into their vehicles and drove away.
XXXX believed this incident was retaliation due to XXXX and XX had gotten into a physical altercation, possibly from SPD 25-313595. During this incident, no one was located.
As I spoke to XXXX, XXXX had called her and stated he did not want to speak to the police. As I got back to my vehicle, I noticed a white pick up driving up to the alleyway. I asked the driver if he was XXXX but he stated he was not.
I did find a neighbor with footage of the Audi speeding through the area, which was uploaded to axon.
I was able to review the video. I noticed as the possible Audi travel North bound in the alleyway. As it did so, an unknown subject fired shots. After the shots came out, an unknown subject is seen running towards the Audi in the alleyway.
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