West Seattle, Washington
19 Friday
Just out of the WSB inbox – a question about a note left on a door, followed by an alert about a suspicious sighting – read on:Read More
Busy morning so far. In addition to the Hancock/Schuck’s demolition and a notable tree takedown (report to come), we were going through a sheaf of police reports downloaded last night at the precinct – when something too new to have been in that stack arrived in the WSB inbox from Dr. Elise Mullen:
(At) Seattle Wellness Programs, 5617 California Ave SW: We had someone come through the office, at approximately 8:20 pm (last night), while the massage therapist, Leah Bowman, was working and stole her purse which was in a back room. A police report has been filed Please let police know if anyone saw someone at that time or recovers the purse. 206-388-2929
Just uphill from the P-Patch pilfering we reported here last night, there’s trouble at Solstice Park (formerly Lincoln Park Annex): Pam from Nerd’s Eye View reports “the markers (there) are COVERED with tagging … it’s not just a paint-over deal, these are carved stone markers.” Pam says police told her it had to be reported by the victim – in this case the Seattle Parks Department – so she called the department’s maintenance hotline (206-684-7250) to alert them.
Douglas Cox and Kevin Palmer, arrested after the July 1st robbery at the Admiral/California Wells Fargo that led to a standoff downtown (in which police shot Cox after he refused to drop what turned out to be a pellet gun), were both in court today and pleaded not guilty, according to the Times. (We posted excerpts from the charging papers here on July 7th.)
Lots of gardening-related news today already (Community Harvest update here; West Seattle Garden Tour report here), but here’s one we wish we didn’t have to report. Maybe it’s a simple case of misunderstanding, rather than outright deliberate theft, but whatever it is, Lincoln Park P-Patch coordinator Michelle wants it to stop – here’s what she e-mailed us:
I was wondering if you would post a note on your blog about the rise in the number of theft incidents from the Lincoln Park P-Patch over the past couple of months. We have had entire vegetable plants stolen from the beds as well as produce prematurely harvested.
With the rising cost of food and fuel, we recognize that everyone is feeling the pinch at the stores lately. That, and the concern over the safety of mass produced food, is why many of us find growing our own vegetables and herbs to be our best option. Quite a bit of sweat and effort goes into growing the gardens, so to have someone come along and pluck until their heart’s content is very discouraging. We want to let the community know that they are more than welcome to wander and admire the variety of flowers and vegetables there, but the produce and plants are not up for grabs. If anyone is interested in gardening a plot of their own, they can find more information at: www.ci.seattle.wa.us/neighborhoods/ppatch/gardening.htm.
We’ve also reported here in recent months about various group gardening efforts that are using volunteer help and sharing the harvest with those who helped do the work (like Longfellow Creek Garden in the Delridge area), so watch for more word of chances to get involved with gardens like those. TUESDAY MORNING P.S.: After this WSB item appeared Sunday night, two citywide media outlets contacted us Monday asking about the story; here’s the KOMO version.
FIRST: The 911 log showed an “automatic fire alarm” call at West Seattle High School listed as open for several hours early this morning, which is unusual, so we called Seattle Fire Department to check. Public-information officer Sue Stangl says someone “threw a small chunk of concrete through a window” and followed it up by throwing a lit string of 100 or so firecrackers through the broken window — the smoke set off the fire alarm. The only notable damage was to the window, but the call stayed “open” on the log because of the ongoing investigation.
SECOND: A reader report about suspected “casing” and a subsequent burglary attempt that neighbors think might be linked:
Belvidere neighborhood last night near Olga and Belvidere . On Wednesday, police were called when two African-Americans, one heavyset boy, one girl, both around 16-18 yrs old, all dressed in white, were going door to door without ID. Last night there was an attempted break-in in the same area at a home where the owners had placed their garbage out early due to being out of town. Police again were notified but were directed to the wrong address. Suspect could only be identified as 6’1-6’2 and African-American with normal-fitting dark hoodie. White Cadillac with dark tinted windows seen in the neighborhood around the same time as both events.
We first mentioned this here last November when the P-I wrote about it on the anniversary of the notorious Northwest skyjacking — and today, Times columnist Danny Westneat looks at the suspicion that the skyjacker known as D.B. Cooper might have been a West Seattle transsexual. (The Puyallup couple behind the theory have now apparently written a not-yet-published book.) P.S.: Here’s the FBI web section devoted to the DB Cooper mystery.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Deanna:
I live in the townhouses right next to the old Fairmount Elementary School (next to the baseball fields) and my car was vandalized sometime early Saturday morning (between 12 am and 8 am). These little f***ers for fun just ripped off my passenger side mirror and threw it into the street to get smashed. Good times! Also, they bent my neighbor’s antenna on her car so that it will no longer go up and down as her car starts.
Just thought you might want to know. Not that the police did anything other than take the report over the phone. But I hear kids out here all the time behind the abandoned school, and I think it’s time we start calling this stuff in and make them do something.
As we mentioned in e-mail back to Deanna, filing reports – no matter how small the vandalism, or theft, or other “property crime” seems to be – is really important, because tracking trends helps police determine how to deploy patrol resources, and which areas they need to keep a closer eye on. The nonemergency number is 206-625-5011.
Just checked with Seattle FBI spokesperson Robbie Burroughs to see if there are any photos of the Westwood Village WaMu drive-thru robber from yesterday — no pix, but the description of the robber (and vehicle) has been refined; here’s the latest:
What we know now is that an older white female dressed in black clothing, dark sunglasses, a fake beard and possibly a wig, robbed the Washington Mutual Bank drive-thru window just before 1pm. She passed a note to the teller saying there was a bomb planted in the bank that would go off in 90 seconds if she was not given money. The teller complied and the robber drove off. Her vehicle was described as a Jeep type SUV, burgundy in color. The exact plate # is not known but a witness saw a 4×4 inch sticker of a Boston Terrier on a window on the driver’s side of the vehicle toward the back of the car. No photos of the robber were obtained. She is still at large.
(newest info at the bottom of the post)
(photos added 1:40 pm)
No further details yet, we are en route to check it out in person, but scanner traffic indicates another West Seattle bank robbery – this one time at WaMu in Westwood Village. (Thanks to CDN, who was listening to the scanner at a moment when we weren’t.) Scanner just bulletined they are looking for a Jeep Grand Cherokee, masked woman who said she had explosives on her body, plate similar to 197XOF, decal of a boxer dog on the window. Happened within the past 10 minutes or so. Call 911 if you see anything resembling the vehicle mentioned above. 1:08 PM UPDATE: We’re at the bank. Police confirm a robbery – at the drive-thru.
The bank has signs up saying “temporarily closed.” At least two police units on scene.
1:11 PM UPDATE: Latest scanner bulletin also mentions the robber claimed there were explosives in her vehicle. 1:22 PM UPDATE: We talked to a bank employee who said it happened pretty much right at 1 pm and only involved the robber and the drive-thru teller – everybody’s OK and most others in the bank didn’t even know what was going on until afterward – more police have arrived at the bank as have FBI agents. Investigators are going around that part of Westwood Village looking for witnesses.
3 PM UPDATE: The outdoor ATM’s are doing a lively business while the bank lobby remains closed. Police have cleared the scene. Here’s some video from earlier this afternoon. The gent in the checked shirt talking to the police is from the FBI.
5:21 PM UPDATE: Lt. Steve Paulsen at the Southwest Precinct just updated us: No arrest yet. The official description is “white female with a fake bearded … driving a large burgundy SUV.”
Much to report from the latest batch of West Seattle police reports we reviewed at the Southwest Precinct. 
These are from reports processed in the past five days – some of the incidents are more than a week old because the department review process took a few days – and it’s a long list because it’s been a while since we downloaded reports. Among the summaries you’ll read ahead, an online car buyer gets scammed; a toddler turns up wandering in the street; a couple of unusual “road rage”-type cases and slightly older kids get the police called on them just because they’re … playing? Read on:Read More
Documents just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – both suspects in last week’s Admiral Wells Fargo robbery (which preceded the downtown shooting that sent one to the hospital; WSB coverage here) are now charged with three counts each — robbery and eluding — with bail set at $2 million and a hearing planned July 21st. The charging papers include narrative of how the robbery allegedly went down – and confirmation the robber was NOT wearing a dress after all – read on:Read More
E-mailed by Rod:
… Wanted to let you know that the tires of at least three cars were slashed last night on Graham St between 41st and 42nd plus one (mine) on 41st st. SW :(
We mentioned this morning we had two questions out to the Seattle Police media unit – and now we have answers: First, the Cherokee used in the robbery (shown above as photographed by Scott C while it was being towed away last night) was NOT stolen; second, one of the four law enforcers who fired at the vehicle when its occupant refused to put down a gun WAS from the Southwest Precinct here in West Seattle, according to media officer Mark Jamieson — a patrol sergeant with 19 years experience. As is routine in such cases, he and the others involved (two from SPD and one from King County Sheriff’s Office’s Metro Transit detail) are on administrative leave. 6:02 PM UPDATE: Police also released more details today about the actual robbery and how the suspects knew each other, plus the fact that the suspect who was shot had been armed with a pellet gun. Here’s one account from the Times.
Wells Fargo at Admiral/California has reopened after the harrowing events of yesterday (WSB all-day coverage here). Meantime, we are following up with Seattle Police on 2 questions: A commenter asked whether the gold Cherokee (shown here) was stolen; alsoo, we wondered if any of the three officers who had to fire into it downtown happened to be from the Southwest Precinct, since the last official media update said “various precincts.” The SPD media unit is handling inquiries on yesterday’s events; Officer Mark Jamieson is looking into both questions and we’ll update this post when we hear back.
(first video clip added 10:31 pm)
ORIGINAL REPORT: Heavy rescue callout at Marine View/SW 101st; on the way to check it out. (Here’s a map.) That call frequently involves car crashes; listening to the scanner to see if we can pick up any info before our crew arrives. 9:55 PM UPDATE: First update from the scene – a car heading westbound on SW 100st hit a parked car at 46th SW (map), pushing that car down an embankment/bluff onto Marine View Drive; the westbound car then went airborne and landed upside down, also on Marine View Drive, at 101st — and the driver got out and ran away; a search for the driver is under way now — all this, according to the person who owns the parked car that was hit. Marine View Drive is closed in that vicinity, but SW 100th is open until you get to MVD. 10 PM UPDATE: The fleeing driver reportedly headed southbound on Marine View, toward the Endolyne area. 10:08 PM UPDATE: New info from police and witnesses – TWO suspects fled the car, described only as “in their mid-20s.” 10:27 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Cheryl in the comments for the correction – the parked car is the one that landed upside down (you’ll see in the video we’re adding shortly); the white car is the one that hit it, from which the suspects fled. 10:50 PM UPDATE: Two clips now added – closer view of the cars atop the post, wider shot here (from the top of the embankment both went down). We’ll check back on Marine View Drive and suspect-search status in a bit; not hearing any updates on the scanner so far.
11:28 PM UPDATE: Cheryl reports in the comment section that both cars have been cleared and the road’s being cleaned up. 1 AM UPDATE: Marine View Drive is clear and fully reopened. No word of any arrests; we’ll check with the precinct later this morning. THURSDAY MORNING UPDATE: Southwest Precinct Sgt. Jeff Durden says both suspects – a man and teenage boy – were arrested.
It’s the last entry in our all-day multiple-update running report on the situation that started as an armed robbery at the Admiral/California Wells Fargo and ended with police shooting a suspect downtown – but in case you missed it there, Spring Street is open again (photo above is from about an hour ago, nobody much left but TV trucks getting ready for 10/11 pm updates) – same spot from which Sharonn Meeks sent this photo at lunchtime (used in our earlier coverage):
Thanks again to everyone who contributed photos, video, information, and other comments to today’s updates. If we learn anything else significant tonight, we’ll add it to this post; tomorrow we plan to start a new one with an update on the bank, assuming it reopens for business in the morning. 9:57 PM UPDATE: P-I talked with the mother of the uninjured suspect, who is now in jail. 10:36 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Scott C (who says thanks in turn to friend Jeff for helping!) for sending this photo of the suspects’ Jeep Cherokee – he happened to pull up next to the “tow” truck as it was driving off, tonight after 5 pm:
EARLY WEDNESDAY ADDENDUM: Kevin in Arbor Heights just sent us this photo of a sign he saw outside a bar near the shooting scene:
(updated info, photos, video being added frequently to the bottom of this post – as well as comments with new info and links – thanks to everyone for helping co-create the updates, and keep refreshing)
(photo added 11:43 am, TV crew shooting door at original robbery scene @ Wells Fargo)
ORIGINAL POST: Just in from Seattle Police: A bank robbery in the 2300 block of California; the suspect was in a brown wig, sunglasses, black mask, black dress, police are looking for a “black Jeep Cherokee driven by a black male.” Call 911 with any tips. (Address check suggests that’s Wells Fargo; we’re headed that way to find out more.) 10:48 AM UPDATE: Confirmed on scene, it’s Wells Fargo, with a note on the door saying they’re temporarily closed for “an emergency.” (photo below added at 12:09 pm) We’re told by a nearby businessperson that one suspect may have been caught on The Bridge – checking that with police – might explain why only one patrol car is at bank.
11 AM UPDATE: Police confirm two suspects have been caught, outside West Seattle – one on Yesler, one on Spring.
11:05 AM UPDATE: Playing out in the comments right now – there’s been a gunbattle of some sort downtown. As a result, traffic is backing up on The Viaduct since it’s in the Seneca vicinity – avoid heading that way if you can. We’re now listening to the scanner and you’re going to want to avoid Spring/Seneca entirely, judging by what we’re hearing. Will continue updating as we hear more.
11:13 AM UPDATE: Scanner is talking about at least one person having been shot. Channel 7 tv has some aerial coverage right now. Our field crew is back out at the Wells Fargo branch where this all started, and Channel 4 has a crew there too. More to come.
11:21 AM UPDATE: Can’t stress enough, stay away from this part of downtown – sounds like absolute chaos/gridlock down there with so many police units involved, streets blocked off, etc. Channel 7 speculates that the shooting victim in an aid car is one of the suspects.
11:30 AM UPDATE: Citywide media is now swarming the original bank-robbery scene at Admiral/California – KING’s chopper sighted as well as somebody in a channel 13 jacket. Still awaiting a briefing there.
11:37 AM UPDATE: Some of the restrictions downtown are being loosened – we”re hearing pedestrians will soon be allowed through part of the area closed down (2nd/3rd/Seneca/Spring seems to be the epicenter of all the downtown activity).
11:49 AM UPDATE: Police have decided to do a combined briefing downtown with info about this robbery and the downtown shootings. We will monitor that and post updates here. Should also have more visuals from robbery scene (including interview with nearby witness) shortly. That witness told us that the robbers parked their vehicle on the California side at the bus stop – the side shown in this photo we just received from WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli:
12:08 PM UPDATE: TV reports that the area downtown is likely to be cordoned off a few more hours – so for those who work downtown or were planning to go there, beware.
12:26 PM UPDATE: This link just added in comments from “Fort Cloudy” – video where you can reportedly hear the shots (we haven’t had a chance yet to view it ourselves).
12:31 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Patrick for sending this cameraphone photo from downtown – looking down at one of the areas where you can see multiple police vehicles:
12:40 PM UPDATE: Thanks to Charles Moore for this pic from downtown:
12:52 PM UPDATE: Listening to SPD media officer Mark Jamieson recounting what happened – robbery at Wells Fargo was 10:10 am – officers “located the vehicle as it was leaving West Seattle” and “followed” it to Capitol Hill where in Broadway/Yesler vicinity, one suspect got out (and was arrested), then vehicle went back downtown where officers tried to get the second suspect to leave the vehicle, he didn’t, they opened fire. Jamieson does not know the condition of that suspect, who is being treated at Harborview for gunshot wound(s) – when we heard the scanner traffic earlier, it sounded like at least one bullet had hit him in the neck. No other major injuries reported, possibly one person hurt by flying glass during the downtown shooting. We also just heard scanner traffic about the “dye pack” from the robbery but didn’t hear where.
1:02 PM UPDATE: Police say that they will keep the block around the shooting scene downtown – approx. 1st/Spring – closed for at least a few hours. The Wells Fargo branch back here in West Seattle at California/Admiral is expected to be closed for the rest of the day. Next door at Museum Quality Framing, Robert (who didn’t want to give his last name) saw the robber – though he didn’t realize that’s what was happening, as he says people park in the bus stop area all the time – here’s part of his interview with several media crews (including WSB):
Robert didn’t think the suspect was wearing a dress; looked to him more like “baggy pants.” Meantime, the P-I notes this branch has been robbed a few times before; here’s an archive story from 2006.
1:31 PM UPDATE: We are going to start posting some other news atop the page (jumping after the first line so this story doesn’t move too far down) but we will continue to update this post when new information is available, particularly any updates on downtown traffic – since the commute is just a few hours away. We are also monitoring the citywide media sources that are also covering this story so that if someone else reports a significant development we will add a note about it (with attribution, of course!) here.
1:37 PM UPDATE: No sooner do we say that, when Sharonn Meeks sends some photos from downtown, where she says there’s still a “lot of activity” centering on 1st and Spring – including onlookers (second shot):
2:22 PM UPDATE: One TV crew left at robbery scene when last we went by (channel 4; they do news at 4 pm). Channel 7 has posted its raw downtown aerial video online, about 8 minutes worth, which started even before police opened fire on the vehicle; see it here.
2:39 PM UPDATE: The police media unit has posted an update with a full summary of this morning’s events. Noteworthy details include the fact they’re definitely calling the Wells Fargo stickup “a takeover-style robbery” in which the robber was armed and ordered everyone down on the floor, also the fact the suspect who was still in the car by the time it got down had shown a handgun repeatedly before officers opened fire. The one who was arrested earlier had gotten out of the vehicle at 1st and Yesler after the vehicle had traveled onto I-5 from the West Seattle Bridge (NOT onto The Viaduct? eyewitness reports seem to dispute that) and is being “processed” before expected booking into the King County Jail, according to the update from media unit Officer Renee Witt, who also says the officers iinvolved in the shooting were three Seattle Police officers “from various precincts” and one King County sheriff’s deputy, all described as “veteran” officers. No word so far on the condition of the robbery suspect who was shot in the neck. (We will watch the online jail register to see if we can get some info on the non-injured suspect.)
3:19 PM UPDATE: Times says the suspect who was shot is in critical condition.
3:59 PM UPDATE: Sharonn Meeks advises Spring Street is still closed between 1st and 2nd. The city is not expecting to issue official road-closure updates since it’s still a police scene, but we are monitoring traffic reports so we can tell you what we’re hearing – those of you who are downtown, your updates will be helpful too.
4:12 PM UPDATE: The Times says the FBI has identified the two suspects – 50-year-old Douglas Michael Cox and 43-year-old Kevin V. Palmer. We’re checking publicly available databases to see if either has West Seattle ties; Palmer has voter registration – from 2000; his reported convictions must have been later – linked to a South Seattle address. Not finding Cox yet. (He is the one who was shot.)
4:59 PM UPDATE: According to the King County Jail register, Kevin V. Palmer’s full name is Kevin Vernett Palmer. Meantime, the shooting scene downtown is still closed to traffic.
5:12 PM UPDATE: In addition to being booked for investigation of robbery and eluding, Palmer is also being held for a “failure to appear” warrant in another case. The records of that case aren’t available via the online source we use, so we don’t have details. Meantime it looks like Cox’s background traces mostly to Eastern Washington, so we’re still not finding West Seattle links to either suspect prior to today’s heist.
7:03 PM UPDATE: Not having much luck finding out if the scene downtown has reopened yet, so unless word comes in within the next 15 minutes or so, we’re probably just going to head down and check for ourselves. Channel 5, meantime, reported in the 6:30 news that one of the suspects had barely been out of prison a month after another bank-robbery conviction. Their online report also says the FBI is now saying the robber was NOT wearing a dress (if you scroll back up to our video clip with Robert at the frame shop next door, he said it was baggy pants, not a dress).
8:14 PM UPDATE: We’re downtown and the scene’s clear, Spring St. is open again. Two TV trucks and one police unit in sight, but no other obvious evidence of what happened earlier today.
Two separate incidents – but both came to us first as reader reports (police reports have been filed too) from neighbors who want to alert you. First, Michael sent his report with this photo – we debated putting it behind a jump but it’s not particularly gory – just distressing, considering what his kitty is recovering from:
I live on 25th Ave SW one block off of Delridge between Hudson and Brandon. My cat was shot in the hindquarter with either a BB gun or pellet rifle. (see attached pictures) I just wanted to put the word out in case anyone else’s pet has suffered this class C felony and wanted to warn the neighborhood to watch out for their pets.
Not long after Michael’s report came in, we got this forwarded by Sheila in High Point, who also wanted to put it out as an alert to neighbors:
On Monday June 23 some kids were chasing a injured pigeon that was shot with a BB gun. A neighbor caught that pigeon and I called the Seattle animal shelter and it was picked up the next day. [An officer] said if we see anything, call the shelter at 206-386-7387. Nothing was done to the kids since we didn’t see who shot the pigeon.
Saturday night (28th) another neighbor was walking [in the 30th & Graham area] and found another pigeon. This one was dead and there was a small hole with blood, it had appeared to be shot. I called the animal shelter Sunday morning and told them what happened. They said since I didn’t see it happen they cannot do anything about it. Please keep a look out for kids with a BB gun and please report it to the police (911).
Thanks to Christopher Bell for sending the link — the case wasn’t on our radar: The P-I reports a man was found guilty yesterday in the deadly shooting of 14-year-old David Chhin, who was shot in August 2003 while riding his bike at 35th/Juneau. (Coincidentally, just five blocks west of there, at High Point Pond Park at 11 this morning, the community is gathering for a Youth Blessing Ceremony, in hopes this summer will be a peaceful one.)
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Karen:
I wanted to let you know that there was a burglary in our Blockwatch area today, in the 5000 block of 35th Ave SW, mid-block, on the west side of the street. It occurred sometime between 7:00 AM & 5:30 PM while the owners were gone. The burglars entered through a window & took small electronics & other things that are easy to carry.
Our Blockwatch area covers a two block area just south of Providence/Mt. St. Vincent, between Dawson & Hudson streets. It is called the Hansen View neighborhood, which is part of Fairmount.
Thanks for getting the word out!
Just out of the WSB inbox from Kendall:
I feel somewhat silly reporting this. It seems so trivial compared to the serious crime reported on the blog, but my wife and I both had flat tires this morning. Apparently, we have some “harmless” vandals in the neighborhood-the north Admiral neighborhood. This is the second time it has happened in the last two months. The perpetrators flattened one tire per car and were even so kind as to replace the valve stem caps before scurrying off into the darkness. We do not know if these have been random acts or if we are the targets of someone’s ill will.
The first time it happened, my wife assumed (as anyone would) that it was a flat tire and not merely a deflated tire. She took it to Barnecut’s to have it repaired. Of course, they could find no leak. The young man working that day mentioned that there had been other people in the neighborhood with the same problem and suggested that it was some bored kids. Other than his saying so, we have no idea if this is the case.
The first incident happened several weeks ago and we imagined it an isolated event. This morning we were surprised to find both of our cars with flat tires. We park in the alley behind our house. Although it is just one block off California Avenue, it is a quiet, dead end alley. To the best of our knowledge, our nearby neighbors are not experiencing this problem.
It’s not the end of the world, but it is not fun to come out to your car in the morning and find a flat tire. Luckily, we have an air compressor so the vandals are not creating as much trouble for us as they imagine. I am sure our neighbors don’t appreciate my need to run the compressor at 7:00 AM, but at least we can solve the problem without putting on a spare.
Of course, we are thankful that they are not puncturing the tires, breaking into the cars, or engaging in some more seriously damaging activity, but it is a nuisance.
We don’t really have a clear understanding of whether the architects of this annoyance are targeting us directly or if this is a rash in our neighborhood. We’d like to think that we are random victims. We’re nice people and have done nothing to warrant this kind of special attention.
We are just wondering if anyone else in the neighborhood has experienced the same problem.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from BG:
Yesterday (6/22) an attempted burglary was successfully thwarted on the 9000 block of 13th Avenue SW [map]. At approximately noon on Sunday, I was in my home office when I noticed three youths engaging in suspicious activity across the street in my neighbor’s driveway. With one youth serving as a lookout, the other two removed the screen from our neighbor’s kitchen window and attempted to enter the house. The neighbors were away for the weekend.
I immediately called 911 and police arrived in time to apprehend one of the suspects. Two suspects escaped and were not apprehended. I was shocked by the brazen attempt to burglarize our neighbor’s home in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon. These three juveniles have been recently observed by others in the area looking into cars and appearing to case houses. I urge you to keep an eye out for them in your neighborhood. Their physical descriptions are as follows:
1. Female, juvenile (14 – 17 yrs. old), African American, approx 5’ 5’’, stocky build. Short hair, worn in a bun in the back of the head. Last seen wearing tight blue jeans, and a tight black top.
2. Male, juvenile (14 – 17 yrs. old), African American, approx 5’ 8’’, muscular build. Last seen wearing baggy shorts, a dark oversized coat, and an orange knit stocking cap.
3. Male, juvenile (14 – 17 yrs. old), African American, approx 5’ 10’’, muscular build. Last seen wearing baggy shorts, a dark oversized coat, and a red baseball cap.These three juveniles work as a team. The female has been observed walking in our neighborhood on the more than one occasion, and serves as a lookout for the male juveniles. Vigilance made the difference on our block yesterday and the West Seattle Blog deserves credit for making us all more aware of suspicious activity in our neighborhood.
And in turn we hat-tip to West Seattle’s police force at the Southwest Precinct, which is trailblazing for the whole city by aggressively advocating this kind of watchfulness and repeatedly reminding us all not to hesitate calling 911 for ANY kind of suspicious activity as it happens. If a life’s not at risk, the response time depends on what else is going on, but as we were reminded in a recent chat with precinct leaders, thorough and complete crime reports at the very least help them decide where to best deploy their people when they’re planning schedules and emphasis patrols.
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