Interested in surveillance cameras to deter crime or record it if it happens? That’s a major topic of next Tuesday’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting – and you don’t have to be a BW captain (or even part of a BW) to attend. Also on the agenda, new Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Joe Kessler is expected to drop in for a (re-)introduction (here’s our recent story on his return to the precinct). The meeting’s at 6:30 pm Tuesday (January 22nd) in the precinct meeting room, which is right off the parking lot on SW Webster at Delridge – full details on the Blockwatch Captains Network website.

Two notes that came in after this morning’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup – First, watch for Amber‘s car, stolen overnight near 18th/Thistle, a black 2-door Nissan 200SX, with a cracked bumper and Obama sticker, plate AGE7999. Amber says, “I have a club and just happened to not put it on the car last night.” We’ve also heard from Kristen, who says the stolen car she reported here two weeks ago is back, “found by a SPD officer running license plates about a mile and a half away when he noticed the window was down. Other than some water to clean up and some odd things being taken (the faceplate to the stereo but not the stereo), the car was completely intact!”

Two burglaries discovered one block apart last night top this West Seattle Crime Watch update. First we heard from Jim, who reported via Twitter that his neighbors’ home in the 7300 block of 27th SW had been broken into; the burglar(s) smashed the windows with “large rocks.” Then we heard from Kevin:

Came home to a robbed and ransacked house at (7300 block of) 28th Ave SW. Broke through the back door and broke in the garage door too. Happened between 8:20 am and 5:20 pm. Electronics, jewelry, credit cards, passports among other things. Every single cabinet drawer and closet gone through and thrown on the floor.

One other burglary was reported last night, according to the SPD map – and it too was in the 7300 block, but this time the street was 36th SW.

Car prowlers continue to show up all over the peninsula. The latest reports, and new information about this week’s Arbor Heights mail theft, after the jump:Read More

Five reader reports today – we start with Hilary‘s report of a bizarre vandalism spree in The Triangle, around 38th and Alaska:

Late Saturday night (1/12) sometime between 8:45pm & 12:30am (Sun) somebody hit at least 8 cars with some kind of paint peeling substance – my friend left my house around 12:30 and came back because she had this unknown substance on her hands. We called the police and they came out and did a report, leaving cards on the cars who were affected. Sadly, we did not hear or see anything but maybe someone else did.

ADDED 8:46 PM: From a firsthand report by Jess, who was among the victims says the same thing happened to her car in the same place last Thursday:

… The vandals sprayed some kind of white foamy acid substance across my car that ate the paint all the way to the metal. I have filed a police report with SPD and recommend that anyone else that has experienced this do the same.

(back to original 5:08 pm report) Next, a burglary reported by Brian:

Came home this morning after being out of town for the weekend to find my home in Highland Park burglarized. Someone had forced entry via the back door and thoroughly ransacked the place, stealing several things of value. Police came out and took a report. Have started talking to neighbors but no leads so far. Just wanted to let the blog know so that you can warn/inform other area residents.

And we have three separate reports of mail theft/tampering – read on:

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Five West Seattle Crime Watch notes: First, a reported car break-in at Westcrest Off-Leash Area in Highland Park, near the end of the west side of the lot. A witness wrote:

The car next to me had had the driver’s door smashed and the lady’s purse was on the front seat. Stolen. All her credit cards, etc. … As busy as the parking lot was, with people constantly coming and going, I wonder how they got by with it. It is pretty unbelievable that this could happen while it was so busy! When I got to the park at 2pm the cars were parked on the street all the way up the hill. When I left at about 3:45 lot was still full but street had thinned out a lot. If anyone saw anything suspicious please report it! And please, do not leave your valuables in your car, especially in sight!

As we’ve seen in Crime Watch reports, “busy area” is no deterrent – criminals know how to act fast, and often without attracting much notice.

Another car break-in report from this weekend – Mo says this happened early Saturday, near Roxbury/Delridge (city side):

Between 1 am and 7 am … someone smashed in the passenger window of our car parked in our driveway. This is our old car that we use for the dogs and all things outdoors – pretty nasty inside.

What is odd to us is that they didn’t take the stereo. Other than that there was nothing of any value in the car. They instead just made a mess and rifled through a tub of spare bike (spandex) clothing in the back.

The biggest pain is dealing with the broken window.

Two notes from Sunday night, regarding sightings we were called/texted about:

*Boat apparently searching off Beach Drive in the early evening – Seattle Police tell us it wasn’t theirs. No active search/rescue operations by anyone. We have a few more places to check later this morning. (Added later: SPD Lt. Alan Williams later told us he learned it was the Coast Guard. Still working to find out what the incident was about.)

*Notable police response at 29th/Raymond – Scanner traffic described it as a domestic-violence incident; a juvenile suspect was taken into custody.

One note from Saturday: We got a question about possible gunfire heard Saturday afternoon. No additional details but the SPD call map does show a “weapon discharge” call around 4:14 pm Saturday in the 6900 block of Delridge Way. (No related injuries were reported.)

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon – first, a followup to the photos from last month’s Admiral Way 7-11 robbery:

The SPD Blotter item including seven photos from the robbery – as noted in our Crime Watch report late last night – is updated with news that police arrested the suspected robber, 15, in Kent today after a tip. The other two are now said NOT to be suspects.

Second, two reports of what’s believed to be the same man exposing himself in an Alki neighborhood. First, a woman spotted a man – wearing only a light-colored tank top – on Lander near Teig (map) at mid-afternoon Wednesday. She said he stared right at her; she describes him as white, very dark hair and eyebrows, “receding hairline along the sides of the top of his head.” She was so startled, she shouted at him, and he subsequently jumped into the bushes. Talking with neighbors later, she discovered one had seen the same man on December 26th – at that time, wearing nothing at all, and also “jumping into and out of the bushes.” Our tipster says it’s all the more alarming considering that Alki Elementary is not far from this area. It’s been reported to police.

(Photo from witness on board Route 125 bus; man being treated blurred, except feet)
FIRST REPORT, 12:40 PM: Traffic alert too big to just add to the daily tracker – the bridge offramp to Northbound 99 is closed right now – and we’re just getting details: First we got a text from someone on board a bus who said they witnessed an incident involving a man who jumped onto a building roof. Here’s the transcript of the text:

Man involved in robbery took West Seattle Bridge and was transferring to the freeway downtown and hit a car, man proceeds to exit vehicle, jumped from bridge to building warehouse and then jumped to ground, injuring self in process, allowing police to capture, completely in view of everyone on my Route 125 bus headed downtown just now.

We called Seattle Police, whose Detective Renee Witt tells WSB: This started at Don Armeni Boat Ramp, where a woman said her ex-boyfriend had been following her and took her purse, then got into a vehicle and left. Officers were following him; he was speeding, wouldn’t yield, eventually stopped his vehicle on 99, took off running, jumped from the highway onto a building, then jumped to the railroad tracks. He has injuries including a suspected broken leg.

12:55 PM UPDATE: Northbound 99, and in turn the ramp from the WS Bridge, is reopening shortly, according to scanner traffic.

1:15 PM UPDATE: Talked to Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore, since SFD medics treated the suspect. He says the man, in his mid-30s, has multiple fractures – and wasn’t wearing a shirt. We’re adding a photo shared by our source from aboard the bus, but have blurred out the injured man, who was face-down on the ground – it was not a gory scene, though, and he was covered up.

9:57 PM: SPD Blotter published its version of the story tonight. Read it for yourself here; besides a few additional details about how it unfolded, the suspect’s background is of note – he is on our state’s version of probation:

The suspect is currently under active Department of Corrections supervision for Manslaughter, Robbery, and felony drug violations. A search warrant will be served on the suspect’s vehicle to recover additional evidence.

Tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup starts with robbers caught on cam:

That’s one of 7 photos released by Seattle Police from last month’s Admiral Way 7-11 holdup. We reported briefly on the robbery the morning it happened; SPD says the young robbers made off with very little, but need to be caught – take a close look at all the photos on SPD Blotter, which also has the number to call if you recognize any of them.

Also on the loose: The hit-run driver who smashed into David‘s black Kia Soul tonight:

My car was hit at about 5:30 pm (tonight) at the corner of 41st Ave SW and Alaska. Witnesses describe the car as a dark, possibly green, sedan driven by two young men. It fled the scene, turning north on 42nd Ave SW. The car will have damage on the front/passenger side.

David says witnesses described the two as “hipsters, and one was wearing a wool hat with tassels.”

And another report of bikes stolen during a break-in at a condo building. In our last roundup, it was along Harbor Avenue; this time, south of Morgan Junction:

We are e-mailing to inform the blog that West Water Condominums at 6970 California Ave SW has experienced at least 2 (possibly 3) garage break-ins over the past month. … Burglars broke into our garage by removing a metal plate, then used bolt cutters to steal the bikes. The police and management were notified. On the 15th, 2 more bikes were stolen, for a total of 8+ bikes in the past 2 months. Please post, as we are noticing a trend of this type of crime in our area.

Two reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today:

The surveillance photos above show two women who police say used stolen credit cards at Target in Westwood Village. The cards were stolen in a burglary north of Lincoln Park, at Amy‘s house; she writes: “My family came home from vacation to find our home burglarized. They have stolen all our valuable goods, including my wedding ring” – and the aforementioned credit cards. Amy adds, “There is a cash reward for anyone who can solve the burglary. Thank you and please help my family!!!!!” If you have information, Det. Adonis Topacio at the Southwest Precinct: 206-233-7830.

Next, a multiple-bicycle break-in, reported by Gary:

Harbor Place Condominium, located on Harbor Ave just north of Luna Park Café, was hit by bike thieves around January 4 – 7. After breaching the parking garages, thieves used bolt cutters to cut bike locks and at last count, around 8 bikes were stolen from condo building “B.” Police and condo management have been contacted. Review of on-site video surveillance cameras will hopefully produce some clues or leads, and websites selling bicycles will be monitored.

Brady‘s hoping to get his car back – again. Four months ago, someone stole his black Subaru (here’s the 9/8/12 West Seattle Crime Watch report about it). Now it’s gone again, from 38th just south of Alaska in The Triangle, near Fire Station 32, between 9 pm last night and noon today. License #045-VTO. As the Seattle Police @getyourcarback tweet advises – call 911 if you see it.

11:35 PM: Police are searching right now for someone who robbed the Papa John’s pizza shop on California SW north of Brandon. A K-9 team is joining the search too. According to scanner traffic, this happened after closing time – the robber is reported to have broken glass to get in and steal cash. It’s described as a strong-arm robbery, no weapon reported to have been seen. The suspect was described as a white man, 20s to 30s, stocky, dark clothing, possibly carrying some kind of bag. A fire crew is going to the scene too, because one person is reported hurt.

2:01 AM: Just checked with Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, who says no one’s been arrested, but they might have some evidence: “Officers did locate some clothing in an alley that may or may not have been worn by the suspect.”

11:05 AM: SPD Blotter now has a report on the robbery – no major new details – see it here.

Almost a year after the deadly shooting of 35-year-old Travis Hood alongside Morgan Junction Park, a trial date has just been set for his alleged killer. May 1st is the trial date set for the man arrested at his Gatewood home shortly after the deadly shooting on January 21, 2012. He continues to refuse to confirm that he is Lovett Chambers, the name by which he has been charged; today’s court documents and others preceding them have been signed with an X and a notation that they were signed “by the person alleged to be Lovett Chambers.” Also at this afternoon’s hearing in King County Superior Court, a pre-trial readiness hearing was set for March 24th. Chambers was charged with first-degree murder last year and pleaded not guilty in February 2012. According to investigators, the victim and alleged killer were strangers to each other but had both been in a nearby bar until moments before the shooting, for which no clear motive has been suggested; the reported circumstances were detailed at length in our report on the charge filed against Chambers last year.

Just out of the WSB inbox:

My friend’s car, in my possession, was stolen from in front of my house in Highland Park, 7000 block of 13TH AVE SW (Between HOLDEN & KENYON) last night.

The car is a 1993 Honda Accord, teal/light green, license AAX 1269. The back bumper is covered with bluegrass/music stickers. It was last seen by a neighbor in front of the house at 10:30 PM 1/4. Wasn’t noted missing until 4:00 PM today 1/5.

As we always note, many stolen vehicles are found within a relatively short distance – so if it happens to you, after you’ve notified police, let us know too so that we can also get the word out.

Two theft reports to share this morning, from West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports. First, a car theft reported by Kristen near 13th and Cloverdale:

I was hoping to get the word out there that my boyfriend had his car stolen between 12:30 am – 4 am this morning from right in front of our house. It is a 1997 Green Honda Civic license plate AGX 4662. I literally looked out the window and saw it right before bed and it was gone just a short time later when he was leaving for work. I know there have been quite a few car thefts in the area lately and am just trying to be as proactive as we can at getting the word out there, with the hopes of getting it back.

If you see it, please call 911, as advised by SPD’s @getyourcarback tweet about this theft.
**ADDED 11:18 AM** In comments, DJ Allyn suggested a map of area thefts. This data is not always reliably available but the city’s police-report map looks fairly up to date now (yesterday, for example, it wasn’t) – here is a screengrab showing the 11 thefts it lists for December 28th through today:

(back to original 10:47 am report) Also out of the WSB inbox – the second catalytic-converter-theft report this week:

Just want to report that the catalytic converter was stolen from my Toyota Tacoma, sometime between Wednesday, January 2nd, mid-morning and 6:00 pm (Thursday, January 3rd). The pipe was cut and a couple of rubber rings were cut and a piece of metal bent to remove the converter. The truck was parked on 36th Ave SW, between Hanford and Hinds. The alarm was on, but it wasn’t activated by the theft.

SIDE NOTE: In our ongoing New Year’s resolution to share more reminders about WSB site features you might have missed – here’s a note about our Crime Watch page, which is another way to catch up on links to recent crime-related reports AND also a place to see the latest SPD West Seattle/South Park incident tweets. You also can access the archive of front-page crime reports here.

In >West Seattle Crime Watch today – first, some have asked about the two crashes we covered on Tuesday night. We checked with Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson, who says that the suspect who crashed a stolen car into another car by the Southwest Precinct is still in the hospital at last report, and will be booked into jail when released. As for the truck that hit parked cars before crashing into bushes outside a South Admiral apartment building – no arrest in that case yet.

Now, as to what’s new: First, if you heard about a White Center shooting this morning, investigators aren’t clear yet on whether it was an attack or an accident – the story’s on our partner site White Center Now.

Here in West Seattle, two reader reports – both are crimes that targeted the same type of vehicle, miles apart, apparently coincidentally – read on:

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A brazen car theft – stolen though someone was right next to the car – tops the New Year’s first West Seattle Crime Watch report roundup. From Carlos:

This morning around 8:35 am, my daughter’s used car (1988 4-door green Mercedes 300E, license plate # AFV7311) was stolen right in front of my wife, who was warming it up; the key was on as she was defrosting the windows, she was on the passenger side. A car with two men drove past the house (42nd/Findlay) and the passenger got out and walked on the street, jumped in the car and drove off. It’s an old car, but my daughter needs it for school. If anyone spots the car, please call the Seattle Police Department (case number 13-000485).

Reach them via 911 if you see it, as advised in the SPD @getyourcarback tweet about this case.

Two other Crime Watch reader reports – both from Lincoln Park – after the jump:Read More

Seattle Police report tonight that they have found and arrested a man charged in connection with a home-invasion robbery in Morgan Junction. Tonight’s SPD Blotter report says it happened the morning of December 18th in the 6300 block of 42nd SW; a woman and her 3-year-old daughter were at home when two men kicked in the door, pointed guns at them, and demanded first money, then jewelry. According to the original police report, which we just looked up online after reading the SPD Blotter report, the victim recognized one of the robbers as “a former friend.” SPD Blotter says one suspect subsequently was charged with robbery, burglary, and harassment, and an arrest warrant was issued; that suspect, police revealed tonight, was found yesterday at a Kent motel and booked into jail. None of the online documents we’ve seen so far mention his name, though he is charged; we are still trying to find it and will add it to this story when we do.

Three reports in tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup, and the first two are from two-time crime victims. First, from Alisa, near 21st and Cambridge:

My house was broken into again (Friday night) for the second time in 6 months. They took everything of value this time.

If you saw anything suspicious in the area last night – please let police know.

Second, from Ann in Gatewood, 3900 block of SW Austin:

Just wanted to report that my husband’s truck was broken into over night sometime between 11 pm and 7:30 am. A few items were taken but thankfully there was no damage to the truck. We have reported this to the police. This is the second time we’ve been hit this year. My car was stolen from the same block in the summer!!

Speaking of auto theft … while SPD does not include locations in its @getyourcarback tweets, they do announce the sector of the city when mentioning these on the scanner, and we heard this one described over the air – seconds after it appeared on Twitter – as being a theft from William sector (western West Seattle):

BLACK 97 HONDA ACCORD 4DOOR LIC/AJT5948.WA***DO NOT MAKE CONTACT CALL 911***

— Seattle Police(@getyourcarback) December 30, 2012

Three reader reports in Crime Watch tonight. First:

That’s the spot near 21st and Roxbury where a truck knocked down a pole early this morning. The WSB’er who shared that photo and the next one heard it happen: “It sounded like someone dropped a dumpster from a 747,” he recalls. Looking around to see what happened, he saw a truck crashed into the pole, airbags deployed – and then, driven away before police arrived. Later, checking around the neighborhood, he discovered the suspect truck hadn’t gotten far:

Police, of course, were called again. Driver still on the loose, last we heard. Ahead, two other reports – thefts big and not-as-big:

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