(June 2 photo by Christopher Boffoli)
We’ve just finished talking with Southwest Precinct Lt. Steve Paulsen for updates on several cases – and here are the first two you’ll want to know about: First, the suspect in the shooting outside the Westwood Village McDonald’s two weeks ago (photo above) has been arrested. Because, according to the police report, he was involved in a car deal with the victim, his identity was known — last Friday evening, Lt. Paulsen says, he was spotted in the 8100 block of 16th SW, and after a foot chase, officers arrested him. He’s still behind bars, according to the King County Jail Register. Second case happened early this morning in the 4100 block of 47th SW (map): A single gunshot was fired from inside a house, and the bullet (from a 40-caliber Glock) hit a next door neighbor’s house (no injuries reported). The suspect was booked into jail for reckless endangerment but is likely to face other charges because, according to Lt. Paulsen, a search warrant for the residence turned up cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, “numerous prescription narcotics,” and $700 cash – as well as the Glock. ADDED MONDAY NIGHT: We received this note tonight from someone identifying themselves as the person whose home was hit:
I live on the 4100 block of 47th Ave SW. In February, the house next to me was the target of a drive by shooting. Six bullets were fired and one struck my home. No arrests were made at the time. On June 15 at about 1:30 am I again heard gunfire. This time from inside the house next door. I called 911 and officers were dispatched. Once again my home was hit by gunfire as the bullet exited the neighboring house and entered mine. Officers issued a search warrant. The young man living in the home was arrested, and various drugs were found as well as the weapon that fired the shot. I am asking everyone in the neighborhood to PLEASE report any unusual activities in the area to the police. We are close to getting this ugly situation cleaned up, but still need the support of neighbors who are willing to watch over each other.
We’ve seen it before – and sadly we’ll likely see it again. Mariko just e-mailed to share the news of how she woke up to a car without wheels, in the 5900 block of 34th SW (map):
Just thought I would let you know that we awoke last Wednesday morning to find all 4 of my car tires stolen and my car on jacks. My neighbor reported seeing 4 Caucasian males leaning over my car with 2 vehicles blocking the street at 3 am… The police said it was really common for these people to cruise the streets looking for parts. It was pretty brazen to jack the car up on the street and steal the tires.
Just thought I would pass that along. Thankfully I have the club and they didn’t steal the whole car.
Concerned about crime, even if you’ve been personally spared? Tomorrow night’s your next chance to voice your concerns, hear about trends, and talk directly with local police, as the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets @ 7 pm Tuesday, Southwest Precinct.
Althea and Ryancalled and e-mailed to say this happened within the past hour:
I’d like to report a hit and run that occurred just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, June 13th on SW Andover St. between 44th and 45th. Our vehicle is a dark blue 2008 Mazda5 and was side-swiped on the driver side while parked. The drivers’ side taillight was crushed and side view mirror was knocked off. Judging from the placement of damage to our car, the vehicle to be on the lookout for may be a white pick-up perhaps with some light blue detailing (a faint light blue line can be seen on our car, but the damage is mostly a white or tan color). There will be damage to the right side of their vehicle, most likely with significant traces of dark blue picked up from our car when they hit it. Neigbors said that they could hear the car screeching arond the corner, so if anybody has seen a light-colored pick-up truck driving around crazily with damage to the right side, please let us know!
ADDED EARLY SUNDAY: They wanted to add this to their story:
Perhaps I should not have stated that it may be a “pick-up truck” because I don’t want to narrow the search too much. It could be a large SUV – something that was tall enough to crush our back taillight (which is actually at the top driver’s side of the Mazda 5, rather than down low) with their side view mirror, most likely. We would like to offer a $250 reward for information leading to the location of the vehicle that hit ours. Thanks for your help!
We reported in April that the Seattle City Council had sent the county a letter asking for an extension of at least 10 years in the contract for the county to handle misdemeanor inmates – the same inmates the county had said it couldn’t handle after 2012, touching off a push to build new municipal jails (with a West Seattle site under consideration by the “north/east cities”). Now comes word the county will offer a “multi-year” extension – read on to see the official news release just received from the county, followed by a response on behalf of Seattle and the other “north/east cities” (indicating the jail-planning process will NOT be halted):Read More
Kim has posted flyers about this around her High Point neighborhood but also wanted to share the word here:
My home in the new High Point neighborhood was recently broken into and my entire collection of over 35 years of SW Native American turquoise, silver coral and black onyx jewelry (bracelets, earrings, and rings), grandmother’s diamond ring, a queen-size pendleton blanket (creme, red, orange and yellow Native cross design), and four bottles of insulin with ice packs were stolen. A police report has been filed … If you have seen any of these items or have knowledge of possible whereabouts,
please contact nativekulturz@yahoo.com
Dropped by the Southwest Precinct tonight to leaf through reports for the past few days. Most notable trend – four attempted car thefts. There was one actual theft, too – Sunday morning just after 10:30, a man told police his 1993 Acura Integra had been stolen sometime overnight, from its parking spot in front of his residence in the 5200 block of 46th SW. But before that, four attempts elsewhere – read on:Read More
(Updated from first publication with 10:35 pm addition of second incident) Just out of the WSB inbox:
FYI for the neighborhood.
Left the car parked outside my house last night, instead of the carport (32nd & Henderson area). This morning, found the keyhole damaged and the framing between the window and door was pried up. No other damage and they didn’t get in the car….Nothing fancy, just a 15 year old car with a fork in the front seat. Asked around and no one saw or heard anything.
My wife’s 08 Subaru Impreza has been vandalized. Sometime in the last two weeks, someone has poured paint remover on the hood, doors and roof of the car. The substance was clear and sticky, we thought it might be tree sap, as we park it under two large horse chestnut trees. Once I started to wash the car, the paint came right off, just like automotive paint remover.
We have been in contact with an officer at the SW Precinct who thinks it might be random or a real amateur job. We have contacted Benjamin Kinlow at the SW Precinct a few weeks back to start the process of getting the block watch back in order.
We’ve been following the story of the 25-year-old Army sergeant arrested and jailed Friday night after an incident on Alki – original Friday night coverage here, Saturday followup here. Just checked the King County Jail Register — he posted bail (which had been set at $1,000) and got out around 9:30 this morning. The allegation against him is listed in Seattle Municipal Court records as “carrying firearm with intent to intimidate” (which is in this section of the Municipal Code). We’ll check with city attorneys tomorrow to see what happens next.
(Friday night WSB photo, taken on 63rd just south of 63rd)
Last night, we happened to be driving in Alki when police passed us, rushing to the scene of a report that someone had “brandished” a weapon; here’s what we reported at the time. This morning, in addition to commenters providing more detail following our first report, we now have full details from police via SPDBlotter, which identifies the suspect as a 25-year-old man and tells the story:
On 06/05/09, at approximately 7:00 p.m., a suspect was at 60th AV SW and Alki Av SW with a female friend, when he got into a confrontation with a group of juveniles (young teenagers — middle school students). The suspect hurled profanities at the teens and pulled up his shirt to display a holstered handgun, frightening the juveniles and many onlookers. Officers arrived on scene and quickly located the suspect at Alki & 63rd SW. Officers recovered a .357 magnum revolver from the suspect’s waistband. He appeared to be under the influence of alcohol, and was also carrying a flask of whiskey. The suspect, produced a US Army ID, identifying him as an active duty sergeant, and a CCW permit issued by the state of Ohio.
After interviewing victims and witnesses, it was determined that the display of the handgun did not appear reasonable in response to any real or perceived threats from the juveniles. The suspect was arrested without incident and transported the Southwest Precinct. The suspect’s immediate commanding officer was contacted and made aware of the situation. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for unlawful carrying/display of a weapon. The revolver and Ohio CCW card were placed into evidence.
Washington does honor Ohio concealed-weapons permits, by the way, according to data we found online. As for the suspect’s status, while we don’t have his name, the jail register does show one man booked into jail last night on this type of charge, and he’s still in custody right now in lieu of $950 bail.
Two Crime Watch stories to share. First, from Tara:
… my truck (was) broken into tonight at the junction. I was having dinner and was parked in the lot behind West 5. One hour later, I returned to our truck and the driver’s side lock was broken into and my backpack was stolen. I’m a teacher and my classroom keys were inside, along with my Seattle Public Schools badge. I’m so upset. Since there wasn’t anything valuable, I’m thinking the thief/s will probably get rid of it quick and I’m hoping everyone could keep an eye out for it.
Tara says it’s a gray backpack. Meantime, Ron at Lowman Beach wrote to call attention to his latest post in the WSB Forums — it links to what he says are surveillance photos and video of someone who was caught not only stealing something from his famous duck display by the park, but also prowling cars in the area. Here’s his post with those links.
Checked with the Southwest Precinct today after receiving a few notes asking about a significant police presence at the 35th/Henderson (map) Gasco station around 9 last night – triggering an “aid response” Fire Department call – and happening just about the same time as the power outage, which certainly dominated attention for a few hours. Lt. Ron Smith tells WSB that officers responded to a call about an apparently mentally disturbed man “who was attempting to carjack a car from (the) gas station. When they arrived, the suspect was out of control, and unable/unwilling to follow commands from the officers. A struggle ensued, and the suspect was Tased and brought under control. One of the officers suffered an minor injury with exposure to suspect’s blood.” Lt. Smith says the suspect was booked into King County Jail.
Earlier this week, we linked to the official Seattle Police release of crime statistics from the first 4 months of this year. Since then, we’ve learned the Southwest Precinct compiles even more specific – and fresher – reports each month, and Lt. Steve Paulsen has just shared the West Seattle-area “property crimes” report for May. The map above, showing where residential burglaries happened last month, is just one part of it. The entire document is a PowerPoint you can see here in its entirety (we converted it to a PDF) – or, just read the highlights: Last month in West Seattle, there were 100 car prowls, almost the same as April (101), but significantly up compared to 74 in May 2008; as for auto thefts, last month there were 32, up from 29 in April and 28 in May 2008. (Notably, though, June through May, the auto-theft totals are down from the same period a year earlier: 503 for June ’07 through May ’08, 417 for June ’08 through May ’09.) Residential burglaries are down: 50 during May, compared to 68 in April, and 56 in May 2008. Lots of numbers but if you prefer to see all the charts and maps for yourself – it’s all here.
Remember what happened to “Desperate College Student,” whose school items were stolen from her car? She did get some of them back. Now Kathleen is hoping her daughter also can recover some of what *she* just lost in a theft:
We live at 106th and Marine View Drive [map] and someone broke into our daughter’s car in the driveway. She’s home from college for a couple of weeks and her car was locked and in the driveway. This morning I heard someone outside and saw a man get out of a black Suburban-like car. He was walking towards our house. I think he had already robbed my daughter’s car and was walking towards my husband’s car in the driveway to see if they could take anything from it. They took a box from her car that contained art books (she’s an art history major) and sentimental items. If they dumped the box because it had no value to them, please contact us so our daughter can get the box back. Call 206 497 8665.
Tom in Fauntleroy e-mailed to share news of an unsettling “visitor” early today – and half an hour later, we are adding to this story, with Charles‘s report of a suspicious sighting in Highland Park – read on for both:Read More
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
Police have released more details this morning on the shooting that injured a man outside the Westwood Village McDonald’s late last night (original WSB coverage here).
On 06/02/09, at 1126 p.m., the suspect and victim met in a parking lot, located at 2600 SW Barton St. The suspect was angry about a vehicle he had purchased from victim because the victim could not come up with the vehicle’s title. After a heated argument the suspect pulled out a handgun and shot the victim in the leg. The suspect got into a Silver Honda Accord and drove away from the scene. The victim was treated at the scene by Seattle Fire Department and transported to HMC with serious (but not life-threatening injuries).
Police say the victim is 24, the suspect 23 (and still on the loose).
(added 12:30 am, video of officers collecting evidence at the shooting scene) ORIGINAL 11:30 PM REPORT: Police and fire are responding to an “assault with weapons” call in the Westwood Village vicinity. No details yet – monitoring the scanner. We did hear police arriving, saying they found “the victim.” The scanner indicates it was a shooting at the McDonald’s, and police are looking for a “silver Honda” with at least three people inside. We’re heading over to see what we can find out at the scene. 11:43 PM UPDATE: Scanner “be on the lookout” bulletin confirms – it’s a shooting at Westwood Village McDonald’s, “possible suspect vehicle” a silver Accord heading west, four people believed to be inside – described as “black male, Asian male, Hispanic male, Asian female.” No word yet on the victim. 11:54 PM UPDATE: From the scene – The medic unit just left with the shooting victim – IVs could be seen through the window but still no word on age, gender, severity of wounds. (photo by Christopher Boffoli, added later)
We believe we’ve spotted at least one Gang Unit officer at the scene (doesn’t mean it’s gangs for sure but means they’re looking into it – ironic, we were at the gang-violence forum downtown earlier tonight, have not yet written the story). TV crews are on site too. (photo of Gang Unit officer by Christopher Boffoli, added 1:02 am)
12:19 AM UPDATE: From Seattle Police spokesperson Officer Renee Witt: The victim is an adult male shot in the leg, taken to the hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries”; the suspect vehicle is now described as a “gray Honda” with four suspects, and she confirms the Gang Unit is among those on the scene investigating. Photos from the scene shortly.
1:04 AM UPDATE: Adding photos by WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli. This one shows the shell casing police found at the scene (Christopher says nearby residents reported hearing one shot):
4:35 AM NOTE: No word of any arrests so far; we will check again with police later in the morning.
Tonight at City Hall downtown (Google Street View above), the city’s gang-related crime is in the spotlight at a free forum, with speakers to include Seattle Police Lt. Ron Wilson, who leads the department’s Gang Unit. It comes one month after what police and prosecutors have declared to be a gang-related shooting at Alki, with the 19-year-old victim described as a known gang member along with the 17-year-old suspect, Anthony Verzola, who is due back in court next Monday at 1 pm and remains jailed in lieu of $250,000 bail. Tonight’s forum is at the Bertha Landes Room on City Hall’s main level, starting at 7 pm; see the full list of speakers here.
Seattle Police have gone public with the city’s crime stats for the first four months of this year. The overview is the same as what we’ve heard in West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meetings and other venues all year – violent crimes down, nonviolent crimes up, to summarize. Here’s the Southwest Precinct report; an excerpt from its intro:
… Southwest Precinct is posting an increase in Major Crimes for the first four months of 2009 when compared with the same period in 2008. Unlike the other precincts, however, the overall crime rise is being driven more by increases in Property Crimes than by Violent Crimes. Among Property Crimes, both burglaries and larceny/thefts are up, compared to a year ago. Southwest Precinct is also the only precinct posting an increase in vehicle thefts.
The burglary increase, compared to the same period of 2008, is dramatic – 231 in the Southwest Precinct area (which includes South Park as well as West Seattle) last year, jumping to 344 this year – up almost 50 percent. The vehicle-theft increase mentioned above is not as dramatic — 121 this year, 115 last. Here’s the page with links to all precincts’ reports, if you’re interested in comparing – the population and acreage of the precincts varies, of course, so you can’t really compare 1-to-1.
Along with that photo came this story, headed “Car Prowl, 6900 block 40th SW (up the hill from Thriftway)” [map]:
My car was broken into last night and my backpack was stolen along with all my textbooks, notes, binders, and pens, etc. Please, if anyone finds the following items contact me and I will be happy to come pick them up. I only have two more weeks left in my quarter at school and I desperately need to get my work back and textbooks. Items taken: 1) Textbook: Sol y Viento (Spanish Textbook/Hard Back) 2) Textbook: A Concise History of the Middle East (Soft Back) 3) Pink&Green polka-dot binder with a ton of Spanish homework inside 4) Spiral Notebook with Middle Eastern History notes & English Notes 5) REI Backpack (Olive Green and Light Olive Green) has two pockets and 1 small pocket for pens.
Thank you so much for any help you can provide! My phone number is 206-290-7489 for anyone that finds these items.
Last night I heard a sound like someone smashing a window. I got up right away and went outside in my front yard and looked around, but I didn’t see anything. I saw a car, but it promptly pulled over to park about a half a block up at about 5440 46th ave sw so I figured they lived there and were just coming home. This morning I saw 2 full windows broken lying on the corner at Findlay & 46th [map]. I couldn’t see where they came from.
POLITICS: Before summer revs to fever pitch, time to keep examining your options in this year’s crowded elections. Next chance: 11:30 am today, West Seattle Democratic Women‘s monthly luncheon, West Seattle Golf Course, with a candidates’ forum on the program. RSVP for lunch by 10 am – contact info and more details here.
EDUCATION: College Night tonight at West Seattle’s higher-education institution, South Seattle Community College. Find out more about what SSCC has to offer, 5-7:30 pm in Brockey Center; more details here.
ENTERTAINMENT: Semi-finals of Alki Idol, Bamboo Bar and Grill, 9:30 pm.
CRIME-FIGHTING:South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meets 6 pm, St. James Place, 9421 18th SW (map).
ONE MORE CRIME-FIGHTING NOTE: If you’re in the Alki area, Ken Allen has set up a Facebook group to convene those concerned about crime. Go here to join “Alki Neighborhood Watch.”
More of today and tonight’s events — and tomorrow, and the days, weeks and months into the future – on the WSB Events calendar.
As promised, we followed up with the City Attorney’s Office regarding the status of Ryan Joshua Cox, the 31-year-old man arrested last week in connection with the anti-gay graffiti that had appeared in several spots around West Seattle, most notably and repeatedly a Morgan Junction couple’s garage door. Assistant city attorney Beth Gappert, who prosecutes cases in this area from her base at the Southwest Precinct, confirms that Cox is charged with six misdemeanor cases of property destruction-graffiti. He will not be prosecuted for malicious harassment, the felony that would indicate a hate crime; Gappert tells WSB, “The detective assigned to the case and I reviewed the evidence that was gathered as part of this incident. Based upon that, we determined the evidence was insufficient to prove that Mr. Cox acted ‘because of his perception of the victim’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or mental, physical, or sensory handicap’ per RCW 9A.36.080 (the Malicious Harassment statute).” So the case was not referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Cox is still jailed in lieu of $5,000 bail (upped last week, as reported here), according to the King County Jail Register. The Municipal Court website indicates another hearing is scheduled in his case tomorrow.
Checked with the 
with the anti-gay graffiti that had appeared in several spots around West Seattle, most notably and repeatedly a Morgan Junction couple’s garage door. Assistant city attorney Beth Gappert, who prosecutes cases in this area from her base at the
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