West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
Sent by a reader who wanted to be anonymous:
A disturbing incident happened yesterday evening, Thursday 11/2, around 5:30 in front of Genesee Hill Elementary.
A family member was violently assaulted in a road-rage incident by the driver of this silver Chevrolet Silverado pickup – see below image.
Fortunately several people were walking dogs or in their yards and helped stop the assault. The driver sped away and despite a very fast SPD response, has not yet been caught.
The Silverado is distinctive in that it is missing the entire rear bumper and has no license plate displayed anywhere. There is also body damage under the taillight on the drivers side. We think it is likely a 2006 Silverado. Also note one-piece rear windshield – no sliding window.
SPD said anyone who sees the vehicle should call 911 and reference Incident # 23-317784.
If it’s not a “seeing it now” tip, you can also call the SPD violent-crimes tip line, 206-233-5000.
During evening Mass at Holy Family Catholic Church last night, somebody slashed tires on at least nine vehicles in the church parking lot. We asked police about it today after hearing the dispatch around 9 pm last night. SPD tells us, “The incident is thought to be related to [an earlier call], given the time and proximity, in which a man appearing to be in crisis was said to be harassing people outside the church. There is no indication at this time that parishioners were targeted because of their beliefs, but the matter is being documented and routed as a bias incident.” If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 23-316877.
(Also published on partner site White Center Now)
He’s still not in custody, but the teenage suspect in last month’s murder aboard a Metro bus in White Center is now charged – as an adult.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed charges of first-degree murder and second-degree unlawful gun possession against 17-year-old Miguel R. Rivera Dominguez in the death of 21-year-old Marcell D. Wagner. And with that, an “active warrant” is out for Rivera Dominguez’s arrest, which would put him in jail with bail set at $3 million. The charging documents tell the story of what police and prosecutors believe happened – and for those who assumed there must have been some sort of dispute or confrontation between the two, apparently not: “Without any provocation, and in fact without having ever interacted with the victim at all, the defendant fired five rounds into the victim’s head and neck at point blank range. The defendant then fired two more shots through the door of the bus and fled to a location where he could change his clothing before returning home again.”
Investigators eventually identified Rivera Dominguez by tracing back to the Burien neighborhood where he and a friend had gotten on that bus. They learned he had once been reported as a runaway from his home there, and that he had been suspended from Highline High School for a fight during the last school year. Watching the bus’s on-board video of the shooting, detectives noted that the suspect’s friend appeared as shocked as the bus’s other 15 passengers when he pulled a gun and opened fire on the victim, who was described as possibly sleeping. The court documents say detectives eventually talked to the friend and he also told them he had no idea Rivera Dominguez was going to shoot someone, and that neither of them knew the victim, who had boarded the bus before they did, and was seated in the rear, where they also sat. Deputies found six casings on the bus and one outside. Rivera Dominguez was last seen at the Boys and Girls Club in Greenbridge shortly after the shooting, where he changed his clothes. If you have any information on Rivera Dominguez’s whereabouts, call 911.
From Pigeon Point, Gem shares the story:
Having a Kia in Seattle is fun! Mine and my wife’s car was attempted to be stolen last night — driver’s-side backseat window was broken, and the ignition was messed with. We have a brake lock – between that and the system update, they weren’t able to do it. I figured I would give you the heads-up in case anyone else got hit by an attempt or smash.
From DB, who also posted in the WSB Community Forums:
I would like to report my vehicle being stolen last night from 3295 SW Avalon Way. It’s a white 2011 Volkswagen Tiguan. Plate 9BKY648. The police report number is 23-315462.
Just in from Courtney at 54th and Genesee:
Just now (2:40 pm)
Black TOYOTA Camry
License plate Oregon 624 PEC
Black male • tall • AfroApproached Advanced Irrigation work truck WHILE THEY WERE WORKING IN OUR YARD and opened the door to ransack work truck. Was caught in act. Please be on the lookout.
We’ll add the police report number when available.
Police investigating multiple 911 calls about suspected gunfire in High Point have found evidence. The reports came in just before 9:30 pm, and officers have since reported finding 16 shell casings. (updated) This was described as a “drive-by shooting” in the 5900 block of 32nd SW; no report of any injuries so far, but according to what officers told dispatch, at least one vehicle might have been damaged, in addition to one caller reporting “bullets inside her house.”
Two reader reports tonight:
GAS THEFT BRINGS SPILL RESPONSE: Sometimes if a parked car is broken into or damaged, and someone other than its owner calls police, the owner will later find an SPD card. Today, Jeff found his car with a card from a different city department:
My gas tank on my truck was drilled and they stole the gas. Someone called City of Seattle in the middle of the night to investigate a leak and they found it to be my truck. I was parked just North of Genesee on 44th Ave SW. They put a temp patch on it and a drip pan and left a note.
Hope everyone is on the lookout.
FOUND BAG WITH LAPTOP: Maybe stolen and dumped, maybe somehow “just lost,” but whatever the case, Brenda hopes to find the owner:
I found a bag with a MacBook and car keys, note pad, etc but there’s no name or number anywhere.
She found it in the street near California/Othello. If yours, email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we’ll connect you with Brenda.
2:20 AM: Police are at the California/Charlestown 7-11 right now after the clerk reported a robbery. It happened just before 2 am. So far the robbers are described as at least three men with at least two guns – one rifle, one pistol – wearing black hoodies and black masks. They got away in what the clerk described as a white van (believed to be a newer Kia Carnival), last seen heading south on California; police have discussed with dispatch the possibility the same vehicle and robbers were involved in a holdup on East Marginal Way earlier tonight. SFD also has responded to the robbery scene because the clerk reported chest pains. This is the second West Seattle 7-11 robbery in four days; the 35th/Avalon store was held up early Tuesday.
2:47 AM: An officer gave dispatch updated descriptions: 4 in the van, 3 went into the store. All 3 were described as white or Hispanic men, 18-25, The one that had the “long gun: was 5’8″-5’10”, black sweatpants, blue shoes; the one with the handgun was in a gray sweatshirt, red mask, black pants; the third was about 6′, all-black clothing, blue gloves.
Two weeks after a jury found 44-year-old Jaycee C. Thompson guilty in a one-hour crime rampage that included a North Delridge murder and South Delridge shooting, he’s been sentenced. King County Superior Court Judge Mark Larrañaga ordered Thompson on Thursday to spend just under 60 years im prison; 18 of those years are mandatory “enhancements” for using a gun in every crime for which he was convicted. In June 2022, he shot and killed 56-year-old Anthony “Gonzo” Gonzalez, described as a “friend,” at a Delridge encampment, shortly after shooting and wounding a 35-year-old man – also someone he knew – two miles away in South Delridge. Thompson, a convicted felon, had been released from jail one week before the shootings, over prosecutors’ objections, as explained in our original story on his arrest. His sentence – 718 months in prison – matched what the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office recommended.
Last Friday we reported on two purse-snatch robberies, and police tracking two suspects to Westwood Village. At the time, we only confirmed one arrest, but today we learned from police that both suspects were taken into custody. They are both still in custody, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which filed felony charges against both of them today in connection with one of the robberies.
Both are 15 years old, according to the charging documents. They are charged as juveniles so we are not publishing their names; we’ll call them Suspect #1 and Suspect #2. Suspect #1 is charged with second-degree robbery and second-degree identity theft; Suspect #2 is charged with second-degree unlawful gun possession and second-degree identity theft.
Here’s what the court documents say happened: Both were in a car – driven by an as-yet-unknown third person – that pulled up while the victim was walking near 45th SW and SW Stevens. Suspect #1 got out and ran up on the victim from behind, pushing her down and pulling her purse off her while she screamed. He got back in a car described as a blue Kia or Hyundai, which sped away. Police tracked two of the suspects to Westwood Village, where they had just used one of the victim’s stolen credit cards to buy a Sony PlayStation. Photos in the court documents show them inside the store, still in the pulled-up dark hoodies seen at the time of the robbery:
Outside the store, they became aware of police’s arrival, and separated. Suspect #1 went into Target, where police caught up with him and ordered him outside. Still outside, Suspect #2 dropped the PlayStation and ran, but police caught up with him too. He told them repeatedly, “It’s in my pocket,” which is where they found a 9mm gun with a “loaded magazine in its magazine well.”
As we reported Friday, it was determined to have been stolen in Federal Way. Two of the victim’s credit cards were found on the ground outside the store.
Both suspects are scheduled for arraignment tomorrow. Checking court records, we learned both were charged in other cases earlier this year. The court files are extensive so we didn’t download everything but here’s what we’ve learned by reading 15 documents from four of the cases:
*Both suspects are local – Suspect #2 lives in West Seattle, Suspect #1 in White Center.
*Suspect #1 was charged last February with carjacking a man in Burien almost a year earlier. Then this past April, he was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, a Kia taken from Kent. In August he was sentenced to a month of electronic home monitoring. After 8 days he cut the bracelet. He was arrested again September 12th and held for 22 days until being released three weeks ago when it was determined he had fulfilled his sentence.
*The September 12th arrest also involved Suspect #2. They were found with a stolen Kia at Bellevue Square. The car was found to contain items belonging to a woman robbed at gunpoint earlier in the day in Tukwila. Suspect #2 was charged in the stolen-car case, and has another hearing next month.
*Suspect #2 also was charged with assault in March of last year for an incident at Westwood Village in which he hit and kicked and seriously hurt a schoolmate. This case was resolved with a deferred disposition, where if a juvenile stays out of trouble for a certain amount of time, the case is closed and cleared from the record.
We will continue following this case.
ADDED THURSDAY: Both pleaded not guilty at arraignment hearings today. Suspect #1 remains in detention at the Youth Services Center, deemed a “threat to community safety.” While Suspect #2 was also described that way in court documents, he is on electronic home monitoring.
Two more incidents we need to tell you about:
PURSE-SNATCH ROBBERY: This one is reported to have happened within the past hour near the California SW Rite-Aid. The robber was described as a man in his early 20s, unknown race, black puffy jacket, black pants. He got away in what sounds to have been the stolen brown Kia Soul we mentioned here earlier this afternoon – the color and plate matched. The car was last seen speeding down SW Holden.
MAIL-TRUCK BREAK-IN: Right before that, police were dispatched to a report of a USPS truck break-in, a few blocks west of the above incident – in the 4700 block of SW Dawson. No other details so far.
3:34 PM: The Guardian One helicopter is assisting Seattle Police in looking for an assault suspect who is reported to have brandished a gun at the victim, to whom he apparently was known. He’s described as Hispanic, 19 years old, 6’2″, (updated) brown-ish/yellow-ish hoodie, black pants. The assault is reported to have happened near 20th/Elmgrove.
3:51 PM: The helicopter has left, after looking in a variety of possible directions. In case you’re wondering, this wasn’t a case of the helicopter specifically being called in for this – it happened to be up and not far away, so they asked if it could come over and help. So far it does not appear that the victim suffered major injuries – no medical dispatch.
Two reader reports today, plus a followup:
TWICE-STOLEN SOUL: Reported by Scott: “Belvidere neighborhood. Our 2014 Kia Soul stolen again last night. Last stolen 9/26. Mocha color, APP8680, not found yet. Left us our ‘CLUB’ in the planting strip. Ignition still not fixed from the September theft. Locked and CLUBBED. Both thefts reported to police. Sheesh, expensive and annoying.” We asked if the “club” was cut or otherwise removed. Scott replied, “Not cut, seems to have been ‘popped’ out intact.” (5:08 pm note: What sounds like Scott’s car, including the plate, was just used in a purse-smatch robbery south of The Junction. Separate story to come.)
PORCH THIEF STRIKES TWICE: Reported by Karen:
I wanted to submit some footage of a person who took 3 pairs of shoes from off my front porch. This person is seen at 9:05 am pt on Tuesday 10/24 on my front porch with no shoes & grabbing a pair of boots initially as well as a pair of loafers. This person came back a second time at 3:05 pm Pt to grab a pair of sneakers. I have filed a police report and this is in the Morgan Junction area. I believe this person is looking at homes in the area taking random items.
ARBOR HEIGHTS ARREST FOLLOWUP: We’re continuing to follow the case of the 41-year-old man arrested by police early Saturday after a short standoff in Arbor Heights, removed (along with a gun and a dog) from what turned out to be a stolen car that he drove into a yard, hitting a tree. The man remains in King County Jail, bail set at $90,000. Charges do not appear to have been filed yet in this case but he was already awaiting trial on what the jail docket lists as charges of unlawful gun possession and stolen-vehicle possession, related to a case last year. He had spent a month in jail this fall and just got out a week before this incident; he also spent a month in jail last year.
Two stolen-car reports, both Hyundais:
STOLEN FROM AVALON GARAGE: Christina sent the report and video clips:
I would like to report that my car was stolen at 1:24 am today in the locked garage of my apartment building at 3015 SW Avalon Way. The attached footage shows two men who seem to be working together to steal my car.
I would appreciate if you could post about this and have people on the lookout for a black Hyundai Tucson with tinted black windows and a California license plate (#7ZEB142).
STOLEN FROM 35TH SW: Sid sent this Monday:
Unfortunately, my house guests had their car stolen right in front of our place at some point yesterday, probably (Sunday) night. It was parked right in front of the bus stop at the intersection of 35th Avenue and Cambridge. It was on 35th, on the west side of the street, if anyone has a ring doorbell with view of that spot.
Silver Hyundai Elantra 2018
Plate 8NPK018
Checking the police-call list, we noted a robbery response around 3:45 am. The police-radio archive didn’t yield much information so we asked SPD’s media office what they had. Their summary: Three people walked into the store; two “pulled out a firearm and pointed it at the clerk.” They then “stole cash and merchandise” before leaving in a vehicle believed to be a “4-door, newer-model, red sedan.” The only additional information we got from dispatch broadcasts is partial descriptions of the robbers: 1 white, 2 Black, all three male, wearing black jackets. Police asked dispatch if the Guardian One helicopter was available to help search; it was not. The last armed robbery we reported at this store was a month ago. If you have any information, today’s police incident # is 23-307945.
3:36 PM: Thanks for the tip. Police are at 35th/Webster investigating gunfire. The 911 call came in around quarter till 3. At the scene, we noted that police have found multiple casings.
The area taped off is on the west side of the intersection. Traffic on 35th is getting through but Webster is blocked there.
3:40 PM: Update – we’ve just talked to a police supervisor. Police say one person was injured and taken to the hospital. They say a “blue sedan” was involved.
7:29 PM: There was no SFD response for a victim, and finally getting a chance to listen to dispatch audio (this happened while we were out on an unrelated story), we know why – the victim “showed up” at Harborview 20 minutes or so later. Also, officers told dispatch about bullet damage in an apartment building on SW Webster by the scene. And police were investigating a possibly related blue Honda Civic found, empty, at Westwood Village, with “bloody clothing” inside. … SPD says in an update on SPD Blotter that “multiple” buildings were hit and that the victim is a 30-year-old man.
8:09 PM: In the past hour, a woman reported to police that her purse was stolen while she was at a bus stop in West Seattle. Exactly where, we’re not sure, as the call was first reported as California/Willow in Morgan Junction, but then the victim called police from the 7-11 in The Junction, and officers told dispatch the robbery happened at a bus stop “on Alaska.” We do know that the robber(s) were reported to have gotten away in a white 2020 Hyundai Elantra that matched up with a vehicle reported stolen somewhere outside the city. And a similar car, with two people wearing face coverings, was reportedly spotted at the California/Andover mini-mart a short time ago, so the robbers may still be in the area.
8:39 PM: Police are now talking with another woman who reported a street robbery, not far from California/Andover, with items taken including her grocery bag. So far the only descriptions mentioned are an “older white sedan” with three people in ski masks.
3:21 PM: We heard a bit about this in radio exchanges earlier but had not yet verified. Now we’ve heard from the witness who reported it to police:
I witnessed a purse-snatching at the corner of 42nd & College, right by the WS Library. A woman was walking her dog and a man came up, punched her in the face, grabbed her bag and then hopped in a car and sped off. I called it in to 911 and gave them all the details I had, and there were several other witnesses taking care of the victim (she was unhurt, but obviously shaken).
Then about an hour ago, the witness got a call from police who said they arrived at the scene but hadn’t found the victim, so the witness wondered if we could publish something “to let the victim know she should contact the police.” We are asking SPD if they ever heard from the victim – if not, she can call and refer to case 23-304246. As for robber description, the description originally given by dispatch was “unknown-race male, 5’9″-5’10”, all-black clothing, ski mask” and the getaway vehicle was initially described as a “blue sedan.”
3:35 PM: Police arrested a juvenile suspect a short time ago at Westwood Village (photo above, near Chase Bank) and tell us the suspect is potentially linked to this case. They recovered a gun that, according to dispatch, was reported stolen in Federal Way. A second suspect who was with this one got away, apparently in a vehicle.
Meantime, this may not have been the only purse-snatch robbery in Admiral today – we’ve heard mention of at least one other report – more info when we get it.
7:45 PM: We have no additional info from SPD and might not get any before Monday but we’re still trying. Meantime, the victim of the purse-snatch robbery at 42nd/College has told her story in this comment below.
8:29 PM: With the help of archived dispatch audio, we’ve sorted this out: There were two purse-snatch robberies in Admiral this afternoon. In addition to the one reported above, the second one – similar-sounding circumstances – happened around 2:30 pm at 45th/Stevens. The robber in this one also was described as having a covered face, dark clothes, and got away in a “blue sedan.”
1:57 PM: For the second time this week, a driver has been carjacked along the West Seattle waterfront. This morning it happened just before 1 am in the 1100 block of Alki SW. Three people, described as Black males in black and white masks, stole a black BMW M5 (with plates that start with CFU) at gunpoint. A stolen Audi that was traveling with them was found a short time later abandoned after a collision on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge, just past 99. Not long afterward, police found the victim’s phone tossed aside near Admiral and City View. This comes three days after a woman was carjacked on Harbor Avenue
8:46 PM: In comments below, Jr says they’re the parent of this morning’s victim, and explains what happened.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
CARJACKING: A woman lost her vehicle to carjackers early this morning near Seacrest/Don Armeni. Our information comes from both archived police/dispatch audio and a summary provided by SPD on request. The victim said three people surrounded her vehicle while she was in the driver seat, pointed a gun at her, pulled her out of the car – a 2022 beige Mercedes SUV with plates that started in CCP – and demanded that she hand over her keys. They got in and took off, with a “dark sedan,” possibly a Nissan, following, She was not hurt. The suspects were described only as teenagers in masks and dark hoodies. Officers subsequently spotted the stolen vehicle and “dark sedan” qt/near Roxbury Safeway; the audio has one officer requesting but not receiving permission to pursue. (We asked SPD about current department policy as pursuits, since state law was loosened earlier this year to allow more of them; an SPD spokesperson provided this link to the department’s own extensive policy.) The vehicles were reported to have been seen “blowing through lights” as they headed eastbound on Roxbury. Meantime, officers recovered some of the victim’s property that had been stolen with the car, apparently including her purse. (Added: The 911 call on this came in at about 3 am.)
SHOPLIFT-TURNED-ROBBERY: This happened in the past hour, according to 911 dispatch. Four teenagers were reported to have stolen liquor from the Westwood Village QFC and punched an employee on their way out, which is what makes it a robbery. Four suspects were spotted at a bus stop on Delridge, “unloading” the suspected stolen property; according to an exchange between dispatch and officers, the store only wanted the suspects “identified and trespassed,” rather than arrested. The employee apparently did not require medical attention, as there is no evidence of an SFD dispatch to that location.
9:48 AM: Two weeks after a 21-year-old man was shot and killed on a Metro bus at 15th/Roxbury, the King County Sheriff’s Office has identified a 17-year-old suspect and is releasing photos, asking for your help in finding him:
King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Major Crimes Detectives are seeking the community’s help in locating the suspect of a homicide in White Center on October 3rd.
17-year-old Miguel Rivera Dominguez (pictured) has been identified as the suspect who fatally shot Marcel Da’jon Wagner, 21, on a Metro Bus earlier this month.
Rivera Dominguez has strong ties to the Burien area and is known to use public transportation or seek rides from others. It’s likely he will be wearing a mask to conceal his face while in public. Rivera Dominguez is believed to be armed and extremely dangerous.
Anyone with information on the suspect’s whereabouts can submit a tip by calling (206) 263-2090, via email at mcutips@kingcounty.gov, or anonymously via the P3Tips app. If located, call 911 immediately.
We asked KCSO for any additional descriptive information. They tell us he is 6′ tall, 170 pounds.
3:53 PM: A reader just forwarded us an alert sent to the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) community by campus security:
… we are sending this alert because the suspect does have ties to our main campus in West Seattle and could show up here.
There is no known immediate threat to our college or campus at this time. If that changes, we will send emergency alert messaging. Campus security is doing extra patrols to keep an eye out for the suspect and is in contact with authorities investigating the case.
We asked SSC for any further information about the suspect’s “ties”; they had none to provide.
7:09 PM: Commenters noted that it appears Rivera Dominguez is or was a student at Burien’s Highline High School. One reader has since forwarded us a community message from HHS principal Clint Sallee saying he is a former student: “Miguel left HHS in December of 2022 and has not attended our school since that time. Some of our students know Miguel. Hearing this information about a former classmate or friend may impact them. Please contact the counselor if you believe your student needs support.”
Just received the report and photo from Lisa:
Stolen from West Seattle – police report #23-298094
1998 Nissan Sentra XE
4-door sedan
No hubcaps
Washington license plate: BVA9630
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