We reported earlier this morning that a man wanted for a deadly shooting in Leschi last night had a West Seattle link. Police confirm they arrested him here this morning. The update’s at the end of this SPDBlotter report; he was arrested at a home near Delridge/Andover. ADDED 8:04 AM: Thanks to Steven for sending the photo above, taken by Rose Feliciano, showing a vehicle linked to the case being towed away. (It matches the description of the one mentioned in our early-early-morning report – “tan” minivan.) He says the arrest happened “without incident … no sirens, no confrontation …” and the only clue that something big had just happened was the appearance of one TV news crew (KIRO).
Our fellow neighborhood-news-service operators at Central District News are covering a shooting investigation right now, and they tell us there’s a possible West Seattle link – the suspect’s girlfriend is believed to live here. So we’re passing along the description information: “The suspect is described as an 18 year old white male, 6′ tall, muscular build, blonde hair, wearing a black tank top and shorts. He is possibly associated with a tan 2001 Chrysler Voyager minivan. Police consider the suspect to be armed and dangerous.” Read the ongoing coverage at CentralDistrictNews.com here.
Several people e-mailed and tweeted about a notable police presence at California/Myrtle (map) this afternoon. Here’s what we’ve found out: It was linked to the burglary case we reported here yesterday – a man breaking into an apartment at California/Raymond Tuesday morning, bolting when the apartment’s occupant screamed. Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen says evidence from that scene has led them to identify a suspect; they were hoping to arrest him at the California/Myrtle location today and they have a warrant, but he wasn’t there – Lt. Paulsen says, however, they’re confident they’ll arrest him soon, adding that this is someone with whom area officers are familiar because he’s been arrested multiple times before. Lt. Paulsen also reiterates that evidence in this case has further verified this suspect is NOT tied to the South Park stabbings (no new info in that case so far – here’s the suspect sketch again).
We received this announcement from Beth Yockey Jones, a West Seattleite who used to live next door to Teresa Butz, the South Park woman killed by a man who broke into her home and attacked her and her partner early Sunday. (Ms. Butz is shown at left in a photo from Facebook.) From Beth:
The South Park Community Center has graciously volunteered to host a candlelight memorial vigil so that friends and neighbors can gather and celebrate Teresa’s memory.
We will gather at 7.30pm on Thursday July 23rd, on the South Park Community Center ball fields and share memories and celebrate Teresa’s life. If you would like to say a few words, there will be an opportunity to do so.
If you need more information, you can e-mail Beth: bethyockeyjones@gmail.com Meantime, no new information on the case today – aside from police adding one note to the description of the killer – saying he had “blotchy skin.” Get the latest here.NOTE: Beth added in comments that the gathering will be in the “grassy area between the parking lot and softball fields” because of a prescheduled event on the field.
Just off the phone with Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen, who we called to verify a few reports of a break-in early today in the Morgan Junction-area and questions about whether that case might be related to the South Park attacks. First of all – While there are rumors that the description of the burglar was close to that of the South Park killer, Lt. Paulsen stresses THEY ARE 98% CERTAIN IT’S NOT THE SAME MAN. That said, they are putting extra priority on finding the Morgan Junction burglar because he “doesn’t match any patterns.” They are working on a sketch to put out. Lt. Paulsen says the man broke into an apartment in the 6000 block of California around 6 am. “He fled after the occupant screamed.” He was not “hostile” toward the occupant – he didn’t indicate any violent intentions, according to Lt. Paulsen – and he didn’t take anything. But since they don’t know exactly what his motive was, they’re particularly eager to catch him. They know the man got on a Metro bus and headed toward downtown; they have collected “trace evidence” and have some good leads as well as witness accounts. The man is described as a “thin black male in his 20s,” 6 feet tall, shaved head, wearing a red shirt and dark pants, and he has a wound on his head – he apparently got cut while running away. (No one in the apartment was hurt.) He broke in through a ground-floor bathroom window, according to Lt. Paulsen. He promised to let us know as soon as the sketch is available, so we’ll bring it to you when we get it. Meantime, he stresses all the advice you’ve heard before – keep your doors and windows secure, and if you see anybody suspicious, call 911. (Meantime, as for the South Park case, no new major developments today.)
Pauline e-mailed to say that while she’s relatively new to the neighborhood, she has had an overly warm welcome from the criminal element – read on:Read More
That’s the hundreds-strong, standing-room-only crowd that jammed into South Park Community Center tonight to hear from Seattle Police leadership and Mayor Nickels, less than two days after a terrifying attack that left one woman dead and another seriously hurt: A man broke into their western South Park home – not far from West Seattle’s eastern edge (map) – and stabbed them while they slept, early Sunday morning. Flowers have been placed outside the home where it happened – we went by just before the meeting:
The same police who patrol West Seattle also handle South Park, so it was a familiar face, Southwest Precinct Captain Joe Kessler, who outlined how his team has responded and will continue to search for the killer:
Most importantly, as we showed you a little earlier tonight, police have just released a sketch of the man they are looking for, believed to have been a stranger to the victims. The description remains – per the SPDBlotter report – “a black male, 20s to early 30s, 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, thin muscular build, a thin moustache, and ‘nappy’ hair.” The victims have not been publicly identified — authorities say, “to protect their privacy” — but friends and neighbors have said they were a couple and, according to this Times story, about to be married. Police did allude to the victims being members of “a sexual minority” and as such say they have not ruled out the possibility this could have been a hate crime, though they do not have any evidence of that. Read on for more of what was said at the meeting:Read More
Seattle Police assistant chief Nick Metz told a standing-room-only crowd at the South Park Community Center at 7 pm this evening that a sketch of the suspect in Sunday morning’s stabbing incident would be available before the end of the night’s meeting. Half an hour after making that announcement, Assistant Chief Metz said that the sketch was now available and copies of this sketch were passed out to the audience. This is the man they are looking for in connection with the stabbing attack on two women while they were asleep in their home – one died, one survived.
We’ll have more from that meeting, which included remarks from the mayor and the acting police chief. Seattle Police also have published an update on their website – find it here.
Just got a note from a Highland Park resident who wanted to alert people to the break-in at her home near 16th and Cloverdale (map)- read on for details:Read More
Karen sends word of a burglary/car theft on 37th SW south of Dawson (map) – it happened a week ago but she and Block Watch neighbors just confirmed it, and it yielded advice she wanted to share:
The burglar(s) stole several large items and got away by stealing the SUV that was parked in the garage. One of the neighbors had noticed the garage door open while walking to work last week, but because he didn’t know the victims were out of town he didn’t bother to check on it.
The burglar(s) tried to pry the front door with either a crowbar or large shaft screwdriver but could not get in that way; they then broke through the downstairs back bedroom window.
Their comment to me: “…didn’t tell us that they were away. It’s really a good idea to tell your trusted close neighbors when you are on vacation or extended period away from your home because we can watch out for one another.”
One great way to get to know your neighbors – have a block party on Night Out, coming up August 4. You need to sign up by July 31 to get approval to close your (non-arterial) street; find out how by going here.
In addition to the photo we shared earlier this afternoon showing the man who’s believed to have robbed both the U.S. Bank branch in The Junction yesterday and a Maple Valley bank five days earlier, we also now have a photo from last Friday’s holdup at the Alaska USA branch in Westwood Village QFC. The FBI acknowledges it’s not that clear, but it’s all they have. No additional description, just the photo. Same advice if you see this one – call 911.
In the comments after our report on yesterday morning’s robbery at the U.S. Bank branch in The Junction, some wondered if the dreadlocked bandit who struck in Maple Valley July 10th was the same dreadlocked bandit who got away here. The King County Sheriff’s Office now says yes, it’s believed to be the same guy. Sgt. John Urquhart from KCSO says, “The robber in both stick-ups was wearing a multi-colored hat with fake dreadlocks. In the Maple Valley robbery the man handed the teller a note which said ‘Give me all the money’ and mentioned something about a gun. No gun was seen, however. He was given the cash and left the area on foot.” The photo above is from the Maple Valley heist; we’ve asked the FBI for any photos available from the one here, but so far none have been provided. If you think you’ve seen this man, call 911.
Local artist Paul Sorey posted his crime report in the WSB Forums – Two tons of stone, stolen from the Fauntleroy Church parking lot last weekend. Paul’s post links to a webpage he created with photos of similar stones. We just called him to find out a bit more: He says the stone was meant for use in a memorial garden at the church, and the two tons of stolen stone represent about a quarter of what they were using for the project.
Thanks to everyone who sent notes via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook asking about a big police presence about an hour and a half ago in the Schmitz Park area. Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith explained what it was about: He says officers pulled over a vehicle “for the purpose of IDing a suspect of an assault investigation.” However, the suspect bolted. Police meantime discovered the suspect also was “wanted for violation of a protection order,” according to Lt. Smith. With the help of K-9 tracking, officers found the suspect, who “will be booked for violation of protection order and obstruction of a police officer.”
Just in from Regina, who says this happened early Monday morning:
We live on Gatewood Hill – 38th off of Morgan [map]. Around 3:45 I awoke to the sound of people talking in what seemed to be my yard. I woke from a deep sleep and thought maybe it was a dream. Looking out the window I saw a white male about 6 ft tall, dressed in a black tank top and black pants, muscular, pacing up and down the street. We all know the neighbors and this agitated person didn’t belong. Then I heard shots.
Turned out the shots were him smashing the glass to pieces on a neighbor’s car with nothing in it. Other neighbors who had just returned from the airport yelled and gave pursuit of him and his getaway vehicle. The car with his friend fled one way, the dressed-in-black thug the other.
We believe he was trying to steal the car as it was the cheapest on the block, clearly had no alarms and there was nothing in it visible to be stolen. Police tried to find him, but the thug is gone. Watch out. This happened between 3:45 and 4:10 am on Monday.
(photo added 12:33 pm) ORIGINAL 11:29 AM REPORT: Police confirm they are investigating a robbery at US Bank, 42nd and Edmunds in The Junction. This would be the second West Seattle bank robbery in less than a week, after the Alaska USA branch in QFC was held up late Friday afternoon (WSB coverage here). This time, according to Seattle Police media unit Officer Mark Jamieson, they have a suspect in custody – less than 10 minutes after the robbery, about 15 minutes ago, someone was stopped at 35th and Avalon. More information as we get it. 11:47 AM UPDATE: We’re at the reported arrest scene – while several police cars are parked at the 35th/Avalon 7-11, the main investigative activity is focused on the east side of Beni Hoshi Teriyaki (the former Yasuko’s).
(photo added 12:22 pm)
No one at that scene will comment yet on how the person who’s in custody was tracked there. 11:58 AM UPDATE: Now we’re back at the bank – it’s still closed, with a note on the door to that effect, and investigators are inside.
(photo added 12:25 pm) 12:45 PM UPDATE: New note on the door at the bank – “please use drive-through” – so it’s at least partly open.
2:45 PM UPDATE: New information from Officer Jamieson: Though the man who was detained at 35th/Avalon “matched (the robber’s) description” and was “100 percent positively identified” by a witness who was brought to the scene – he’s been released because after interviewing him, investigators believe he was NOT the robber. Their search continues. Officer Jamieson describes the robber as “a black male, late 20s to early 40s, 6 feet, medium build, a ‘Jamaican hat,’ dreadlocks, wearing a white sweatshirt.” If you have any information, call 911.
Eric just e-mailed to share this report — and an alert:
Yesterday, Monday 7/14, our house was broken into, sometime during the day. They kicked in a back door and took only small valuable things. When we spoke with a police officer last night, he said there has been a string of similar incidents in our area, within a six-block radius. We live on 35th and Brandon [map]. Maybe by putting the word out we can save our neighbors from experiencing this.
Leslie Thomson from Dream Dinners (longtime WSB sponsor) reports her Jefferson Square store was broken into late last night or early today:
Dream Dinners staff arrived Saturday morning to find the front door lock jimmied. Drawers, files and cabinets were opened; thankfully nothing was missing or destroyed. No valuables are kept at the store. The break in is suspected to have occurred sometime between 11:30 PM Friday and 7:30 AM Saturday. Business was normal for our session at 9:00 AM on Saturday morning. Any information regarding this incident would be appreciated. Please call Dream Dinners at 206 938 5999.
And of course police will want to hear from you too.
We’ve published a lot of “door-to-door alerts” here. Many may be legitimate solicitors – but sometimes, as police confirm, it could be a cover for something illegal. We have two reports to share this morning along those lines – read on:Read More
We received this announcement from Beth Yockey Jones, a West Seattleite who used to live next door to Teresa Butz, the South Park woman killed by a man who broke into her home and attacked her and her partner early Sunday. (Ms. Butz is shown at left in a photo from Facebook.) From Beth:
First of all – While there are rumors that the description of the burglar was close to that of the South Park killer, Lt. Paulsen stresses THEY ARE 98% CERTAIN IT’S NOT THE SAME MAN. That said, they are putting extra priority on finding the Morgan Junction burglar because he “doesn’t match any patterns.” They are working on a sketch to put out. Lt. Paulsen says the man broke into an apartment in the 6000 block of California around 6 am. “He fled after the occupant screamed.” He was not “hostile” toward the occupant – he didn’t indicate any violent intentions, according to Lt. Paulsen – and he didn’t take anything. But since they don’t know exactly what his motive was, they’re particularly eager to catch him. They know the man got on a Metro bus and headed toward downtown; they have collected “trace evidence” and have some good leads as well as witness accounts. The man is described as a “thin black male in his 20s,” 6 feet tall, shaved head, wearing a red shirt and dark pants, and he has a wound on his head – he apparently got cut while running away. (No one in the apartment was hurt.) He broke in through a ground-floor bathroom window, according to Lt. Paulsen. He promised to let us know as soon as the sketch is available, so we’ll bring it to you when we get it. Meantime, he stresses all the advice you’ve heard before – keep your doors and windows secure, and if you see anybody suspicious, call 911. (Meantime, as for the South Park case, 
Most importantly, as we showed you a little earlier tonight, police have just released a sketch of the man they are looking for, believed to have been a stranger to the victims. The description remains – per 
In addition to 
Thanks to everyone who sent notes via e-mail, 
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