First, we received this West Seattle Crime Watch report e-mailed by Melody:

Our neighbor on 13th Ave SW has his car stolen sometime on Sunday evening. It was found on 11th Ave SW in good shape– and nothing went missing. The cops said this was the 7th car in the last week to have been stolen within a 4-block radius of 13th and Henderson.

I just think it’s important to note that 7 cars have been stolen within a 4-block radius in Highland Park…

To verify that, we checked the online-police-report system, which doesn’t always have details but at least have a record of the block and crime type. Here’s what we found in that general vicinity – not sure if it’s within that “4-block radius” since we don’t have the block number of the 13th SW theft, though – the theft of Melody’s neighbor’s car is not in the publicly viewable system yet:

Sep 5 2010 10:00PM – VEHICLE THEFT – 90XX BLOCK OF 13TH AVE SW
Sep 5 2010 10:00PM – VEHICLE THEFT – 88XX BLOCK OF 10TH AVE SW
Sep 5 2010 11:58AM – VEHICLE THEFT – 88XX BLOCK OF 8TH AVE SW
Sep 4 2010 4:15PM – VEHICLE THEFT – 88XX BLOCK OF 16TH AVE SW
Sep 4 2010 4:00PM – VEHICLE THEFT – 88XX BLOCK OF 15TH AVE SW
Aug 31 2010 3:00AM – VEHICLE THEFT – 90XX BLOCK OF DELRIDGE WAY SW

Southwest Precinct leadership confirmed two weeks ago that there’s been an increase in auto theft lately (as we reported here). And we’ll get our next update on local crime trends a week from tonight, when the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council resumes monthly meetings after a 2-month summer hiatus – 7 pm Tuesday, Sept. 21, at the SW Precinct meeting room.

(SATURDAY MORNING EDITOR’S NOTE: Until we start a new followup story, the newest information will continue to be added at the bottom of this one)

(ABOVE: Video of Deputy Chief Nick Metz‘s briefing at the scene; BELOW: Photo by Christopher Boffoli)

ORIGINAL 9 PM REPORT: We’re on the way to the reported shooting at 61st and Admiral. On the scanner, one suspect is reported to be in custody, two weapons recovered. We haven’t heard anything yet about the victim or other circumstances, aside from this all reportedly unfolding at a residence. There may be traffic effects in the area – so we’d advise staying clear.

9:10 PM UPDATE: Police are blocking westbound traffic on Admiral at 59th.

9:15 PM UPDATE: According to the scanner, the person who was shot is a 59-year-old man with a “single gunshot wound to the abdomen,” 40 caliber, who’s being rushed to Harborview Medical Center. Again, no word yet of circumstances.

9:23 PM UPDATE: Via the media hotline, Seattle PD officer Renee Witt confirms that this is a “possible officer-involved shooting.” The scanner had included discussion of “Police Guild rep(s)” (that’s the police union) which had hinted at such circumstances. Witt’s initial report – she’s going to the scene, and we will get information from her there – did NOT include anything else about the circumstances.

9:33 PM UPDATE: Police are now putting up crime-scene tape around the house in the 6100 block of Admiral where this is unfolding. The medic unit that’s transporting the shot man also has left, according to WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand, who is at the scene.

9:49 PM UPDATE: Gang Unit officers have arrived. Note that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a gang case – this is taking a lot of police resources and it might just be, all hands on deck and they’re helping too – but noteworthy at any rate.

10:05 PM UPDATE: Some official info should be forthcoming soon. Media Unit Officer Witt has just arrived, per scanner, and will be talking with SW Precinct Capt. Joe Kessler before meeting with reporters. Also, police are opening up Admiral at 59th to traffic, though the shooting-scene vicinity itself at 61st/Admiral will remain blocked off.

10:19 PM UPDATE: Officer Witt will not brief the media – Deputy Chief Nick Metz will do that, we are told.

10:35 PM UPDATE: That briefing is now expected in 10 minutes or so. We have two crews at the scene so that one will be able to relay info back to HQ as it is announced during the briefing – we’ll post “live” as it happens.

(Photo of Chief Metz briefing media, by Christopher Boffoli, added 11:33 pm)
10:45 PM UPDATE: Deputy Chief Metz’s briefing, most of this a direct transcription: A woman called and reported a shot had been fired. Then another call claimed a man had made suicidal threats. Officers were dispatched. They responded quickly, set up containment around the house, man came out the back door, officer heard a gunshot, put out over air that shots were fired, saw man holding what appeared to be assault rifle, man saw officers, leveled gun toward officers, three officers fired at him – I don’t have the exact number of shots – the man was hit, he went down, other officers responded to scene with what we call a contact team, they secured the man, called the Fire Dept medics … Deputy Chief Metz says that the man is still alive at last report but they don’t know his condition. Homicide and CSI officers are investigating and the three officers involved in the shooting are being questioned. (Now he is taking questions.) He says an AK-47 and handgun were confiscated from the man. They confirm he is 59 years old (as we had first reported from scanner traffic). We rolled video on the briefing and will post it here in its entirety once it’s back at HQ.

ADDED 12:15 AM: We have added our video of Deputy Chief Metz’s briefing, in its entirety, about 5 minutes long, to the top of this story. Or – you can also click here to watch it.

12:59 AM: No additional info – but the summary’s posted on SPD Blotter now.

2:42 AM: Drove by the scene about 20 minutes ago – Admiral Way still closed between 61st and 62nd. Meantime, the SPD Blotter account has been tweaked slightly; the man who was shot is now described as having “serious injuries.”

(Saturday morning photo by Christopher Boffoli)
8:37 AM: Admiral is open again. Police are still at the scene investigating, focusing on the alley by the house where the shooting happened. Police have updated the SPD Blotter item to add, “As of 7:00 a.m. this morning, the victim is listed in stable condition.” He has not been publicly, officially identified; we did get a name from a reliable source and checked to see if that person had any sort of a criminal history – we found nothing aside from a minor traffic violation three months ago, his first one in more than a decade. One other note: As our partners at the Seattle Times point out in their story about this incident, this is the region’s fourth shooting involving police this week.

We’re checking on several West Seattle cases with court hearings today. First one happened this morning, involving Marcus Allen Combs, the man charged with stabbing a woman in what investigators called a random attack in High Point on April 23rd. After he was charged, as reported here in May, he was sent to Western State Hospital for a three-month evaluation to see if he was competent to stand trial, and a hearing was set for today to make the determination. King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells WSB today’s hearing resulted in a ruling that Combs IS competent to stand trial, so Combs will be back in court Sept. 27 for “case-setting,” – the hearing that determines what happens next in the case and when.

RYAN COX: He’s the 32-year-old man who was twice arrested for graffiti vandalism in West Seattle, with charges then dismissed because he was incompetent to stand trial – and now the same thing has happened a third time. After his arrest earlier this month (WSB coverage here), for graffiti vandalism and knife possession, he was scheduled to return to court next Monday after a Western State Hospital evaluation – but instead, the case was moved up, and we learned after the fact that he had been in the city’s Mental Health Court yesterday afternoon. Once again, he was found incompetent to stand trial, and unlikely to be “restored” to competency in the short period of time allotted if it is not a major crime; once again, the charges were dismissed, and he’s been sent back to Western State Hospital for a different evaluation. According to deputy city attorney Jennifer Grant, who is handling this case, Western State and state lawyers have till next Tuesday evening to decide whether to seek to have Cox committed – a process which both previous times has led to a decision against commitment, which put him back on the street. The twist here is that as in the previous cases, neither we nor even the city will be formally notified of the results – because of medical-privacy laws. The only thing different this time, Grant says, is that because he was arrested before this case and pleaded guilty to a charge for which he is still on probation – if at any point he is found competent, that case could reopen.

STEPHEN KIRK: He is the 50-year-old man arrested and charged in connection with three so-called smash-and-grab break-ins – only charged in three Burien cases so far, but suspected in more than 30, including some in West Seattle. He was scheduled for arraignment – the hearing at which a suspect answers the charges – yesterday, but it was postponed till Monday. We should find out then if he will face additional charges. Though Kirk’s bail was reduced to $25,000 two weeks ago, he has remained behind bars.

Update from Seattle Police on a “home invasion” robbery they’ve been investigating in the 7900 block of 4th SW this morning: Det. Mark Jamieson tells WSB they don’t believe it was random – they think this house “was targeted”: Someone knocked at the house around 3 am; a woman in her 60s answered, a man with a gun forced his way in, tied her up; two other people who were home – a man in his 30s and his girlfriend in her 20s – came out, and they too were tied up. Police believe at least three robbers were involved; they stole “items including rifles and handguns” as well as two cars, a gray 2005 Toyota Camry (license 9224*DP) and 1995 white Ford Windstar (license 6532*DP). The only description they have, according to Det. Jamieson, is that the man who knocked was described as “Asian”; no other descriptions so far, but detectives are continuing to do interviews.

A routine check of today’s King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office “Daily Docket” roundup revealed there’s been a verdict in a case we’d lost track of:

Guilty verdict, West Seattle pharmacy robbery–A jury convicted Tyler Ljubich last Thursday of Robbery First Degree for holding up a West Seattle pharmacy at gunpoint last September and demanding oxycontin and vicodin. Ljubich, who has a prior conviction for drive-by shooting, will be sentenced on October 1 at 1 p.m. before King County Superior Court Judge Carol Schapira at the King County Courthouse, W-331. He faces a sentence range of 41 to 54 months in prison.

As our update on the case from last October details, Ljubich was arrested two days after the holdup, following a chase in which he wound up on the Schmitz Park Elementary playground; then a judge let him out of jail, until police showed up with a new warrant for his arrest. This is a case of ironic timing, given that the drugstore Ljubich robbed in its closing days – Westside Pharmacy – is close to opening under its new name/ownership (here’s our update from last week).

We’re hearing about auto theft a little more than usual lately, and Southwest Precinct police confirm there’s been a slight uptick lately. Tonight, three notes to share. First one, just e-mailed by Melinda:

Our black 2000 Honda Civic was stolen on Friday night/Saturday morning. It was parked across the street from our house on the 8100 block of 16th Ave SW. My 7 year old is upset because he had books in the back seat. We got a call late last night that it was recovered and is impounded but we can’t pick it up yet because the police “are not done with it yet”. So far we know that it is missing it’s front fenders and the instrument panel. No word on the books.

Another auto theft was solved – at least in terms of finding the vehicle – in the WSB Forums – you can follow the story here. But one more auto-theft victim who posted in the forums has yet to get word of a recovery – Scooter is asking you to be on the lookout for a black 1999 Honda Passport, described here. Meantime, here’s what Seattle Police advise regarding auto-theft prevention.

Seems a crash we tweeted about overnight turned out to be a lot worse than it looked at the time, judging by the wreckage visible early this morning (thanks to Denice and Doug for e-mailing): Ten parked cars hit, according to police, in the 3400 block of California SW [map] – but only one person hurt: The 37-year-old man who is suspected of being drunk when his vehicle hit those cars. Authorities got the call about 11 o’clock last night; according to Det. Mark Jamieson, the man was reported to be driving northbound on California in the southbound lanes. He was cited for reckless driving and negligent driving along with being “processed for DUI”; he was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, mostly from glass fragments, and was still being treated when the report was filed, so we don’t know if he subsequently was booked into jail. 8:28 AM: Added photos. The driver of the black car was there when we stopped by, retrieving personal items from it before it was towed; she says police told her that hers was the last one hit, so hard that the impact pushed it onto the sidewalk. Note that, as seen in the photo below, the damaged vehicles include a motorcycle.

(We have pledged to always let you know if we alter an image, so please note, we blurred out the otherwise-clearly-visible plate on the red car in that photo.)

Five West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon … First, from Patricia, 2 stolen kayaks to watch for:

Our two Easy Rider Kayaks were stolen last night off our car along with the racks and locks. We live on 46th Ave SW between Lander and Stevens. Would like people to keep an eye for them. One is hot pink with yellow trim and the other is white with blue trim. They are 16 foot Eskimos.

We also have a couple other break-in and theft reports from the past few days – including one in which the burglar(s) made off with items large and small, including … an ice-cream bar … and another one in which an item left behind might have been loot from an EARLIER burglary. Read on:Read More

WSB Forums member HanPhotog posted this morning about hearing what sounded like four gunshots in the Alki area early today. As we replied shortly afterward, there’d been no report of anyone being shot, and the police-info maps did not indicate any confirmed gunshot calls. But tonight, we’ve heard directly from someone else who says she found shell casings:

At 3:45 am this morning, there were 6 shots fired on 56th Ave SW close to the cross street of Alki [map]. We woke up to the sound and the flash of light of the gun being fired. One person in my house heard a car speed off after the shots. We called 911 and police responded, but without sirens. We could see them patroling the neighborhood, and spoke to one officer briefly, but since no one had seen the car and there were no sounds of anyone being hit, the police could only scan the streets and alleys looking for suspicious activity. An hour after the shots, when we had started to settle down, we heard someone open our gate at the front of the yard and walk along the house and then open the gate at the back yard. We called police again but again, all they could do was survey the neighborhood. We hadn’t actually seen the person. This morning I found 6 gun casings in the street in front of my neighbor’s house and turned them in to police.

50-year-old Stephen Hayes Kirk is now charged with three counts of second-degree burglary, all from cases in Burien; the court documents mention that investigators have been looking into many other break-ins, including those in West Seattle, but no charges are filed in other cases so far. His bail has been reduced to $25,000 from the $150,000 set yesterday (which is what documents indicate prosecutors requested again today). We obtained the photo at left from the Department of Corrections.

Continuing to add more details from court documents: The “probable cause” information mentions 32 smash-and-grab burglaries that Seattle and Burien Police and the King County Sheriff’s Office have been investigating and says they began on June 15th. Since they had the same MO – glass smashed, vending machine(s) or cash register stolen – investigators say that strongly suggests the same person or persons was/were responsible. Their big break came, the court documents say, when they made a traffic stop on July 24th and the driver told them he knew who had burglarized a store on Des Moines Memorial Drive – a man he knew as “Steve” who drives a red pickup truck with “East Pierce County Fire Department” on its driver’s side door. Detectives reviewed video from a 7-11 near the store that had been burglarized and found a man and truck in the video that appeared to match the description.

Another clue, the documents say, came when they found the cash register from the July 29th Uptown Espresso break-in in West Seattle in the parking lot of Puget Sound Credit Union on Airport Way South – surveillance video from the credit union showed what appeared to be the same man and pickup truck. They circled back with the tipster from the traffic stop, who then told him he had witnessed the burglary he’d mentioned. Detectives ultimately got a full name on their suspect by checking with a scrap yard in Georgetown, asking if they had any customers matching the description.

The court documents say they subsequently got a court order to put a tracking device on Kirk’s pickup truck. That was done by a King County Sheriff’s Detective on August 6th – last Friday. Among other things, according to the documents, the tracking device placed his pickup near the two Admiral District smash-and-grab break-ins earlier this week – Luciano’s Pizza on Sunday morning (photo right) and Admiral Shoe Repair on Monday morning. He was arrested early Wednesday, with most of that story told in the separate court/police document we reported on yesterday – except for one detail: Officers found a “large amount of loose change” in Kirk’s pockets, but he claimed it was because he’d been panhandling at a nearby store when someone ran up to him, gave him all that change, then ran away.

Kirk’s arraignment – the hearing at which he would enter a plea – is set for August 26th. We’ll be checking with prosecutors regarding whether more charges might be filed before then.

ORIGINAL 3:26 PM REPORT: We’re at the Regional Justice Center in Kent, where the 50-year-old Burien man suspected in more than 40 smash-and-grab burglaries – including a series of break-ins in West Seattle – has just appeared before a judge for his bail hearing. We are not identifying him until and unless he is charged, which could happen tomorrow. The judge granted prosecutors’ request for $150,000 bail; his defense lawyer had argued that there was little evidence tying him to the three cases on which he is currently held – but the judge noted that he allegedly had a “cash register in his hand, which was then dropped” at or around the time of his arrest early yesterday. We should get more information shortly on the circumstances of his arrest – now that bail is set, prosecutors will be able to release some documentation, which we’ll add here when we get it. In granting the bail amount, the judge noted that the suspect had more than 60 cases in his history, resulting in more than 90 warrants – drolly observing, “That’s a ratio of 1.5 warrants per case.” (The warrants, the prosecutor had said, were generally for “failing to comply with court orders.” As we reported yesterday, he has prior burglary convictions. The Department of Corrections told WSB today that he had served two prison terms – from September 2002 to August 2004, and from June 2007 to September 2009. (The latter was in connection with the theft of an ATM from a tavern in Seatac.) More to come.

ADDED 3:55 PM: We have the probable cause paperwork now, from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – indicating that detectives had been watching this particular suspect, also saying that he was caught an hour after a burglary at a West Seattle church, and mentioning an alleged drug problem – read on:Read More

In case you missed it, BIG CRIME WATCH NEWS EARLIER: SMASH-GRAB ARREST. (Even if you read it earlier – note that we have updated it three times since original 9:56 am publication, with additional info.)

Meantime – four other cases to report, all from the WSB inbox – first, what sparked a police search in Lincoln Park today; second, a flasher – but not from a distance – at the Madison Middle School track; and two auto-theft cases, with the vehicles’ owners hoping you will keep an eye out:Read More

(scroll down for updates added to original report)
ORIGINAL 9:56 AM REPORT: Just in from Seattle Police: A suspect is in custody in the smash-and-grab burglaries that we’ve been reporting on for three weeks. Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James says that SPD and King County Sheriff’s Office detectives arrested a 50-year-old man around 2:30 am “in the Burien area.” Lt. James says, “This individual is suspected of committing 40 smash and grab burglaries in the south Seattle and Burien areas. The suspect has been booked into the King County Jail.” A check of the jail register reveals a 50-year-old Burien man booked early this morning on suspicion of multiple burglaries, with status listed as “bail denied”; a crosscheck of court records shows dozens of cases, though many are from municipal courts around the region and therefore not necessarily criminal – we’re taking a look at those for which docket information is available.

10:17 AM UPDATE: The arrest has just appeared on SPD Blotter, with no additional information except to say that the 40 burglaries date back to July 1st; the first West Seattle break-in we covered was the one at the Swinery on July 16th (above, our photo from that morning). The most recent one we covered in West Seattle was at Admiral Shoe Repair on Monday morning. Police confirmed to WSB on August 2nd that the smash-and-grabs were being investigated as an official “pattern.”

11:52 AM UPDATE: King County Prosecuting Attorney Office media liaison Dan Donohoe says the suspect will not appear in court until a bail hearing tomorrow afternoon; after that we should get more background in the case. Further researching the aforementioned suspect, court records show a conviction in the 2006 theft of an ATM from a tavern, a burglary that started with glass broken by a brick; in spring 2007, he was sentenced to 55 months in prison. (The paperwork for the original charges in that case lists a history of convictions going back to at least 1991, as well as “85 warrants.”) We are checking with the state to try to find out when he got out of prison.

2:26 PM UPDATE: The sheriff’s office has added a bit of extra detail regarding where the suspect was arrested. This is from their announcement of the arrest, which we just received:

A team of detectives conducting surveillance in Burien responded to an audible burglar alarm at a motorcycle repair shop located at South 159 and 1st South. The detectives located a suspect in his vehicle and took him into custody.