David Rosen from SlickPix Photography shared that photo of an SUV found tipped on its side, empty, just after 2 am today at 46th/Brandon (map). Police now confirm that was a case of car theft – Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James tells WSB the vehicle was stolen from the same block where it tipped after hitting a parked car. He adds, “A male suspect wearing black was seen fleeing on foot after the accident to a waiting white van.”

2 stolen-car reports to pass along – who knows, one could turn up on your street. First, from Robert:

1997 Honda Civic EX stolen from driveway in Delridge/Puget Ridge neighborhood (21st Ave SW) Thursday approx. 12:30 pm-1:30 pm
586 XVC: white, 2-door, tinted windows, sunroof. If spotted, please dial 9-1-1- then text me at 206.462.2972

And from Amber:

Our 1999 Dark Green Chevy Suburban WA License Plate 117-SPU was stolen from our driveway last night 5/22/10 from 3200 block of 46th Ave. SW. Our other car was broken into the same night but not taken. I am hoping someone took it for a joy ride and has left it in some other neighborhood, It is not new so
not sure why they would want it; otherwise it is a gas guzzler, but came in handy for our use for carpooling.

Three Crime Watch notes to pass along – click ahead:Read More

Thanks to those who’ve contacted us to ask about a police search under way in North Admiral. We checked with Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James, who says it started as a 911 call about “2 suspicious males” spotted behind a house in the 1500 block of 44th SW (map). Police made one arrest at the scene after discovering a house had been burglarized; Lt. James says a male and female fled and haven’t been arrested yet, but “the suspects are known to the officers.”

Just out of the WSB inbox, from a crime victim who wants to be anonymous:

Our light blue, four door, 1994 Honda Accord (plate # 581-VNC) was stolen out of our driveway last night between 11pm and 8 am this morning. Reported to SPD. We live in 3700 block of Thistle [map].

There is some hope – earlier this week, Heidi posted on our Facebook wall that her car had been stolen from 25th SW/Cloverdale (map), in a “gated” lot; before we could mention it here, she got word it had been found: “It was found in Burien off 122nd, apparently reported in the neighborhood as suspiciously circling several times and was called in, and they got him.”

First note comes from last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting (previous story here), but we wanted to double-confirm it before reporting it: Lt. Norm James says the man shot and killed in White Center early Saturday is the same man who was arrested in The Junction a week ago tonight after a brief police-weapons-drawn search that followed a report of a shoplifter thought to have had a gun. We are checking with King County Sheriff’s Office to see if there are any updates in the case. Meantime, we have two WSB’er Crime Watch reports to share. First, from Sharon:

Could you please have your readers be on the lookout (BOLO) for my 2004 Toyota Sequoia (white in color). It was stolen from my driveway, in the 5300 blk of SW Dakota [map] between late Sunday evening and 0800hrs Monday morning. The License # is 954UAF. Please contact the Seattle Police Dept. (or local Police/Sheriff if found outside city limits) if found or noticed driving around.

And from a parent who did not want to give her name:

Will you please post a notice regarding the selling of drugs in Schmitz Park under the Admiral Bridge overpass. My two boys were walking through Schmitz Park to Alki last weekend with a few friends, when they were approached & offered drugs to buy. Please ask our Community to report any suspicious or drug activity.

First toplines from Tuesday night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting: The most dramatic crime trend mentioned by Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James is a jump in car prowls – 124 in the past month, up from 97 the month before that. Lt. James suspects some of the rise can be pegged to more people reporting the break-ins, but they’ve also been studying the reports to look for a pattern – it seems, not surprisingly, more are happening where there’s easy bridge access (off Fauntleroy, for example), so they believe many car prowlers come from outside West Seattle, get some loot, and turn back around to leave. Emphasis patrols will start in the next few days to see if the crooks can be caught in the act; meantime, if it happens to you, Lt. James stressed the importance of reporting it, so patterns can be detected. On the other hand, residential burglaries are down – 40 in April, a little more than half the rate for the month before. Two other toplines: High Point is looking for 120 people to each devote just two hours a month to helping keep watch on the neighborhood this summer – they’re calling it the High Point Peace and Safety Team; you can reach Miranda Taylor through the High Point Neighborhood Association (its official website is at highpointneighborhood.org). Also, WSCPC president Dot Beard handed out a flyer (see it here) asking people to write the city to save the Crime Prevention Coordinator jobs, which are reportedly in danger of being cut if a federal grant is not renewed. City councilmembers’ contact info is here; mayor contact info is here. ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: One other note: There’s a new officer joining the Community Police Team: Jonathan Kiehn – Officer Jill Vanskike is leaving CPT to join the detective team.

The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets the third Tuesday of most months, 7 pm, SW Precinct.

Thanks to Joan (via e-mail) and Rob (via Facebook) for asking about a police search late last night, with K-9, in an area ranging (at least) from 35th/Graham to 39th/Holly. Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith tells WSB that it started when someone who lives in the 6700 block of 40th SW (map) came home to find a burglary in progress. The burglars fled; police started searching and, with K-9 helping follow the trail, found and arrested two suspects. (P.S. As noted earlier, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets tonight @ the precinct, 7 pm.)

Three reports to share in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – two car break-ins and a bike theft – read on:Read More

(Added – photo taken just after 6 am Saturday, showing how far the taped-off scene extended)
FIRST 2:42 AM REPORT: Police are setting up at various locations around South Delridge and also working with county to check on the White Center side. No other details yet. 2:52 AM UPDATE: Call now definitely described as a shooting. Also per scanner, police say a witness told them the suspect was a black male, 20s, in a black hoodie, driving a white Ford Crown Victoria with big rims, last seen heading northbound. 3:05 AM UPDATE: We had originally heard DOA via the scanner but no confirmation; however, via Twitter, KIRO is also reporting 1 dead. No word of an arrest yet. EARLY SUNDAY UPDATE: Our partners at the Seattle Times have an update that says the victim was a man in his 20s.

The three newest West Seattle Crime Watch reports include two car break-ins along Harbor Avenue, and a home break-in – read on for full details:Read More

Story and photos by Christopher Boffoli
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

About a dozen Junction-area residents turned out at Ginomai tonight for an information-packed meeting of the Junction Neighborhood Organization. Much of the meeting centered around the guest speaker, SPD Officer Tom Burns, who talked about neighborhood crime trends and a range of issues relating to SPD activity in the Junction retail district and surrounding neighborhoods. In particular, Burns touched on some growing gang activity, homeless people living in cars on neighborhood streets, recent bank robberies, and ongoing challenges SPD officers face in dealing with crime.

JuNO President Erica Karlovits opened the meeting and introduced Officer Burns, who told the group that he grew up in West Seattle and knows its neighborhoods very well. He began by assuring the attendees that the community is safe. He said that most of the crimes SPD deals with in the Junction area are non-violent property crimes, though he admitted that lately there has been a group of about troubled teens that the SPD has been watching. They are roughly a dozen members who have been promoting themselves as the “Junction Bloods.” The group is led by a couple of young men who are actually gang members, and the rest are just aspirational teens who aren’t in school. Burns said their activity has largely been a nuisance thus far but that their activity has been escalating from petty crime and vandalism to dealing an increasing amount of marijuana and, lately, organized street robberies where the gang members work in concert by creating distractions.

Read More

Tina e-mailed to report her silver 1991 Subaru Legacy LS Wagon stolen from outside their home on 44th SW near Hinds (map). But there’s more to the story – as her husband writes:

To the person who stole our family’s 1991 Subaru station wagon (license plate # DP 02112), I want you to know something about us. I depend on my wife to drive now because an aggressive brain tumor that was discovered a few months ago left me more than 50% blind. The prognosis for this tumor is a 50% survival rate for six months to one year. We’ve been relying on the Subbie for transportation to my radiation and other medical appointments, and now for transportation for my elderly mother who just had a stroke and needs 24 hour custodial care. We can’t afford to buy a replacement because I’ve been 100% disabled since 1987 and my wife can’t work while providing 24 hour care for my mother. If you truly feel that you deserve and/or need our car more than we do, I’m so very sorry indeed.

The theft has been reported to police. MIDNIGHT UPDATE: KING 5 News picked up this story and talked with Tina, as well as one of the commenters – see their story here.

Two quick notes to share in West Seattle Crime Watch news this morning. Turns out these two latest reports are from the same area. First, from Emily:

Just wanted to get the word out that the car prowlers are back in my neighborhood. I live around 37th and Graham [map] and it’s the third time in the past few months my car has been broken into. The first time they broke in, they got some coffee-soaked change, the second and third time, nada! (Car owner learned her lesson of leaving spare change in car).

And from Vanessa, about two blocks north:

Just noticed over the last couple of days, someone has cut what they can off of the utility poles for the copper. Our alley is between Findlay SW and Juneau SW and between 36th SW and 37 SW. [map]

Side note – The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council has announced its guest speaker for the next meeting (7 pm May 18, Southwest Precinct) – Lt. Woodrow Perkins of the Liquor Control Board.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share this morning – first, a stolen car (with a photo); second, stolen mail, and where part of it turned up – read on for both:Read More

FIRST: Southwest Precinct Lt. Norm James tells WSB that the suspected robber and getaway driver from yesterday’s Admiral Way Bank of America robbery (WSB coverage here) both have been arrested. No details yet except that, according to Lt. James, “Tukwila PD that arrested the female driver after a short pursuit which subsequently led to the arrest of the male robber.” SECOND: We also asked him about an incident late last night in the same area, after two people sent us notes asking what was up with a notable police/fire presence around 11 last night. Lt. James says they got a call that someone had hit the clerk at the Admiral Way 7-11; the assault suspect walked/ran away, police set up “containment” including a K-9 unit, but didn’t find the suspect. 2:06 PM UPDATE: SPD Blotter has more details on this now, including the arrest of the male suspect at a Tukwila motel this morning – read the full report here.

Remember the Junction KeyBank heist one month ago today? It’s believed the robber has struck again – and as this release from the King County Sheriff’s Office notes, they’re definitely thinking it might be a man disguising himself as a woman:

The Sheriff’s Office, Seattle Police, and the FBI are looking for what is possibly a male bank robber who disguises himself as a woman to rob banks—at least two so far.

The first robbery attributed to this suspect was on April 5th at the KeyBank, 4701 California Ave SW. The robber gave the teller demand note. No weapon was seen.

The second robbery was on April 28th at the Sterling Savings Bank in Burien, 224 SW 152nd. This time a note was also handed to the teller. But then the robber said there were “men who will hurt me” and that “she had kids”.

The teller did not hand over any money and believed the suspect was a woman. However detectives viewed surveillance video and came to the conclusion most likely “she” is actually a “he”.

The suspect is about 5’ 5” and 135 lbs. perhaps 40 to 50 years old. At the Sterling Bank his face appeared “bruised”. He/she wore a black hat, with a brim, yellow scarf, dark blazer jacket, black shirt, and black gloves.

Here’s a shot from the Burien heist.

Compare to a shot from April 5th in West Seattle:

Call 911 if you have any information about the robber – or, from our report last month: “Contact the FBI by telephone at (206) 622-0460, or e-mail at seattle.fbi@ic.fbi.gov.”