For the third time in a week, a West Seattle 7-11 store has been held up. The 35th/Avalon 7-11 was robbed early this morning; last Friday morning, robbers hit the Harbor Avenue and Highland Park 7-11s. In this case, the 911 call came in around 5:20 am today. Archived audio shows officers reported that the robbers were described as Black men in their early 20s, wearing black clothing; a gun was “implied” but not seen. The robbers got away with cash, according to an SPD summary filed later. The dispatcher noted a similar description for the robbers in a holdup in the King County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction an hour earlier.

Hyundai Elantras remain a popular target for car thieves, and Aimeé is looking for hers after it was stolen from an apartment-complex parking lot in the 6900 block of Delridge Way SW overnight. It’s a 2017 black Hyundai Elantra, license plate CCL2178, police report # 23-189708.

(WSB/WCN photo from April 2021 crash scene)

Thanks for the tip. A South Delridge woman has pleaded guilty to two counts of vehicular homicide in the April 2021 crash that killed an Arbor Heights couple in North Burien. Court documents say Irene Plancarte-Bustos, now 28, was driving drunk, going over 60 mph, with her 3-yeqr-old son in her car, when she slammed into the car carrying 35-year-old Lauren Dupuis-Perez and 38-year-old Kamel Dupuis-Perez. The impact pushed their car into the path of a pickup truck whose driver couldn’t stop before also hitting it, and orphaned the Dupuis-Perezes’ two children. After the crash on the Ambaum Boulevard “S” curve, Plancarte-Bustos drove north a short distance to the Rainbow Mini-Mart, where officers found her. She’s been in jail ever since. In the agreement, in addition to the vehicular-homicide pleas, she pleaded guilty to one gross-misdemeanor count of hit-and-run, while two felony hit-run counts were dropped. She has no record and as part of the plea bargain, prosecutors are recommending the low end of the standard sentencing range, 8 1/2 years plus an extra year for the “enhancement” of having a child in the car. The final sentencing decision will be up to King County Superior Court Judge Averil Rothrock on July 14th. Family and friends have created this website as a tribute to the victims, their work, and their legacy.

(Photos sent by Jayson)

9:10 PM: Thanks for the tips and photos. Police are investigating gunfire at an apartment complex at Avalon/Genesee. 911 callers first reported hearing possible gunfire around 7:20 pm. Then they got reports of an apartment window ‘blown out” by someone firing from outside (above), and bullet damage to a car (below).

So far, we’re not hearing of any injuries, though there was an apparently unrelated assault call on SW Yancy nearby less than half an hour earlier. No word of a suspect description. Police did find casings on SW Genesee, in addition to the damage noted above.

9:50 PM: Police just got a call from someone reporting bullet damage to another apartment at the same complex and will be returning to the area.

WSB readers continue to spot stolen cars – maybe you’ll see this one. Erika‘s car was stolen on Friday:

I had my silver Kia Forte stolen between 4:15-5:30 pm on 6/30 right out of my driveway on 18th Ave SW.
License plate BZE3169. Incident report 23-183450. No witness saw the theft. This is the second time I had one of our Kias stolen in the afternoon in front of our house. If anyone sees it, please either text to 206-437-7521 or report to police.

Two West Seattle 7-11 stores were robbed early this morning, five miles and 21 minutes apart, likely by the same people. 911 first got a call around 4:29 am from a witness who said that from outside the Harbor Avenue 7-11 (2429 Harbor SW), he believed he saw the clerk being robbed. Police got there and confirmed that’s what happened. The incident summary says the three robbers held up the clerk at gunpoint and got away with cash, cigarettes, and beer. They were described as Black, male, wearing black and red masks, black hoodies, and one in sweatpants bearing a Chicago Bulls logo; the clerk said they left in a white car. Then at 4:50 am a 911 call came in reporting a robbery at gunpoint at the Highland Park 7-11 (1600 SW Holden), and police say the description was pretty much the same – with an added detail on the car: Nissan 4-door. Cash and cigarettes were taken in this holdup. If you have any information, the SPD incident numbers are 23-182672 for the Harbor Avenue robbery, 23-182682 for the one at 16th/Holden.

Sent by Mike:

Our truck was stolen last night from the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center parking lot [4408 Delridge Way SW] sometime between 10 pm last night and 8 am this morning. Plate C70273K. If anyone sees this truck, please let us know at thezombiemullins@ gmail.com or text to 513-313-0630.

ADDED: Further descriptive info from Mike, who says the truck belongs to his teenage son, who’s been working to restore it: “It’s a dark blue full size 2nd generation Dodge Ram 2500, with a rusty hood that also has a big dent in the front of the hood and a half-broken grill; it has an American flag sticker and a big Bass Pro Shops sticker on it.”

FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Thanks to a reader tip, Mike and son got the truck back. It had been abandoned by the West Seattle Corporate Center in North Delridge.

Almost a year after Brett Forsell of Arbor Heights was arrested following an incident outside U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal‘s West Seattle home, Forsell pleaded guilty today to one count of a reduced charge, misdemeanor stalking. He was originally charged with felony stalking. We learned about today’s plea and sentencing hearing by finding newly filed court documents tonight. In a written statement, Forsell admits to harassing Rep. Jayapal “by repeatedly driving in front of her house, stopping my car, yelling at her house, and driving off late at night.” Prosecutors say that according to neighbors and security video, the yelling on the night of Forsell’s arrest included exhortations for her to “go back to India” and to kill herself. Forsell was armed with a semiautomatic handgun when arrested by police. The plea bargain documents say that after pleading guilty today, he was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Jennifer Atchison to 340 days in jail, all of which he was decreed to have already served (via a combination of jail and electronic home monitoring). Other conditions include an “anti-stalking order” protecting the victim that includes a prohibition on gun ownership for eight years, plus a requirement for mental health, alcohol, and drug evaluations. Forsell, 49, also will be on unsupervised probation for the next two years.

(Added: Photo from Michael via comment upload)

9:21 AM: Police are investigating an early-morning shooting at an apartment in Highland Park. They were called just after 3:30 am for a report of a woman with gunshot wounds to the chest, back, and leg, in an apartment in the 8800 block of 9th SW. Officers’ early description of the shooter was “female, possibly known [to the victim]”; she reportedly entered the apartment and started shooting. We just checked with SPD; no arrest so far. The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center. We’re following up with SFD on her condition – she was reported to be conscious.

10:36 AM: Further research indicates the victim is 32 years old and that the suspect was definitely someone known to her.

1:47 PM: SFD says the victim was in stable condition when taken to the hospital.

Thanks for the tips about a big police response around 8:30 pm at the Walgreens store in High Point. We were off-peninsula for tonight’s graduations so didn’t get there in time to talk with police, but according to archived audio, the store was robbed by a group described as teenagers in ski masks, at least one with a gun. They were reported to have gotten away with the register and “a lot of merchandise” including bottles of liquor. Given everything they got away with, police surmised they had a getaway vehicle somewhere nearby. If you have any information, the incident # is 23-180135.

From Miranda:

Our 1991 Isuzu Trooper was stolen yesterday in front of our house on Webster Street in Gatewood. We reported it to the police yesterday (report # 23-178845). But I’m hoping to get the word out on WSB to help find it. It’s dark blue and has a roof rack with white PVC pipe on the bars. Also has a peace-sign sticker in the back window. License plate # 812YNI

In West Seattle Crime Watch:

GUNFIRE INVESTIGATION: Police received several early-morning reports of possible gunfire in Puget Ridge and Highland Park. One was confirmed, reported around quarter till 4 am: At two locations in the 5400 block of 18th SW, officers found what they told dispatch totaled 10 shell casings. No injuries or property damage reported. They didn’t get a description of any person or vehicle involved, but if you have any video or other evidence, the case number is 23-179214.

SWAT ARREST FOLLOWUPS: On Sunday night, we reported on two SWAT standoffs that unfolded concurrently at two locations less than a mile apart, at residences on the 3600 block of Beach Drive SW and at Marine/Lander. Suspects were arrested in both and booked into King County Jail. Today, SPD released additional details on the Beach Drive incident, in which police say the 40-year-old suspect brandished a gun when harassing a neighbor over noise. (Police seized the gun and included a photo in their SPD Blotter post.) The suspect remains in jail in lieu of $1,000 bail. Meantime, the 44-year-old Marine/Lander suspect – accused of, per a police summary, “a domestic disturbance where the suspect threatened the victim with a handgun” – is out of jail after posting bond on $5,000 bail.

Three months after the West Seattle Bridge crash that ended two young lives, the driver charged with killing the two 18-year-old victims has been booked into jail. The King County Jail roster shows 36-year-old Delfino Lopez-Morales was booked Saturday, as was expected to happen as soon as he was released from the hospital. He is scheduled to appear in King County Superior Court tomorrow for arraignment on the charges filed against him three weeks ago – two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving. Lopez-Morales’s bail is set at $250,000. Prosecutors say he was driving 100 mph, under the influence of alcohol and cannabis, going the wrong way on the westbound West Seattle Bridge, when he smashed into the car in which Khalea Thoeuk and Riley Danard, Snohomish County residents, were heading to Alki Beach in the early-morning hours of March 22nd. Before being booked into jail, Lopez-Morales was at Harborview Medical Center for more than a month and then, according to court documents, moved to rehab at UW Medical Center.

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:

SUSPECTED SKIMMING: From Michael:

I’d like to get the word out that my debit card information was likely skimmed when I used it at the ATM inside QFC on 42nd & Alaska, then was used by the thief at the ATM inside the Safeway in Jefferson Square, a few days later.

The worst part of the scam was a battery of emails, text messages, and phone calls pretending to be from my bank, alerting me to the fraud. These messages were mixed into the real fraud alerts from my bank. The fake ones were hard to distinguish from the real ones. These messages were designed to trick me into giving bank account authentication information to the thief (or thieves), and perhaps for identity theft as well.

My bank assures me that I’ll be able to dispute the fraudulent withdrawal after it is posted to my account. If the thief had succeeded at taking over my account, I might not have been able to dispute it, and they might have been able to empty the account using the payments service.

I reported this to the police, via the website, giving them the time that the fraudulent ATM withdrawal was made, and where. Hopefully that can help identify a suspect.

The card skimmer is likely gone already, but I figure a public service announcement would be useful for the community.

DUMPED-LIKELY-STOLEN: From Greta:

I found a milk crate full of a dog harness, leashes, and some keys, maybe a house key, in our alley behind our house. Also someone dumped a Yakima car topper.

If any of that might be yours, contact us and we’ll connect you.

(WSB photos)

10:45 PM: Just before 9 pm, a 911 caller told police the Northwest Wine Academy on the north side of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus had just been broken into. We got a tip shortly thereafter and went over. Police said it was NOT a crash-grab – the burglar(s) broke the door glass some other way to get in.

Listening to the archived audio on this one, police described the burglar(s)’ vehicle as a silver Honda sedan and said it sounded similar to a “Subway burglary” also under investigation; checking the call log, we note a break-in reported a bit earlier in the evening in the 6700 block of West Marginal Way SW, where there is indeed a Subway. Meantime, no word on what might have been taken from the Wine Academy – we’ll follow up with SSC tomorrow.

9:40 AM: Here’s what we found out from SSC spokesperson Ty Swenson. The burglar was inside for about four minutes and “did not appear to have left with anything of value” – aside from possibly a few bottles of wine. The NWWA will be open today as is usual on Fridays, 1-6 pm (also note there’s an added day this week, 1-6 pm Sunday during the West Seattle Garden Tour).

Last month we reported on the arrest of Johny Mixayboua, suspected in a variety of mail-theft-related crimes including stealing two USPS trucks in West Seattle. Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a 9-count federal indictment:

The suspect in a series of mail vehicle and mail key thefts was indicted today by a federal grand jury for nine federal felonies, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Johny Mixayboua, 27, was arrested on a criminal complaint last month and is now charged with three counts of theft of government property, unlawful possession of a postal key, mail theft, possession of stolen mail, illegal transactions with a credit or debit card, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition.

According to records in the case, on December 28, 2022, a U.S. Postal Service vehicle was stolen from the 6300 block of South Bangor Street in Seattle. In the vehicle was a postal key that is used to access the cluster mailbox units in the 98178 zip code. The key allows the postal worker to open the back of the cluster box to deliver mail to multiple households. Since the theft of the vehicle and postal key, there have been numerous reports of cluster boxes in zip code 98178 being opened and mail stolen.

Working with neighbors, the Postal Inspection Service was able to get door camera footage showing the person accessing the postal boxes. Neighbors reported credit cards being stolen and attempts being made to use them. Inspectors were able to review images from when the credit card attempts occurred and ultimately identified Mixayboua as the person stealing the mail and attempting to use the stolen credit cards.

Additionally, local law enforcement determined that vehicles used in a number of the mail theft incidents were reported stolen.

On January 17, 2023, two more Postal Service vehicles were stolen. One in the 3000 block of Beach Drive SW and a second one in the 3600 block of 57th SW. Both are in zip code 98116. Using doorbell camera footage from the block where one of the vehicles was recovered, investigators allegedly saw Mixayboua removing mail and parcels from the stolen postal vehicle and putting them in another vehicle. Again, law enforcement traced credit cards stolen from the mail and obtained surveillance footage that appears to show Mixayboua attempting to make purchases with the credit cards.

On January 30, 2023, a fourth postal vehicle was stolen – this time from the 2000 block of S. Columbian Way in Seattle. On March 28, 2023, a fifth postal vehicle was stolen from the 5700 block of S. 129th Ave. One of the people associated with the theft matches a description of Mixayboua. In late January and February, the mail theft incidents continued — this time in the Snoqualmie, Washington area. The cluster boxes were opened with either a counterfeit or authentic postal key. Again, credit cards were stolen, and one was linked to images of Mixayboua making purchases at Target.

Throughout April, mail thefts continued from as far north as Lake Forest Park and as far south as southeast Seattle.

The postal service halted deliveries in zip code 98118 for about a week while investigators worked to track down and arrest Mixayboua.

Mixaboua apparently was living in a vehicle near a relative’s home. When he was arrested, law enforcement found a firearm that he threw into the bushes while attempting to run away and ammunition in the vehicle, resulting in the last two counts in the indictment. Mixayboua is prohibitied from possessing firearms due to multiple felony convictions in King County for auto theft, possession of stolen property, and bail jumping.

Mail theft and possession of stolen mail are punishable by up to five years in prison. Theft of government property and unlawful possession of postal keys are punishable by up to ten years in prison. Illegal transactions on an access device, possession of ammunition, and being a felon in possession of a firearm are punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Mixayboua remains in jail at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center.

Both of these reports are from Ty in North Delridge, whose truck was stolen:

My truck was stolen sometime on 6/16/23. It is a 2001 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 4×4, license plate C78292T. There are cracks on the rear fender on the passenger side. Police report # 23-168808

Shortly after that report, Ty sent this:

I ran across this truck down from my block. It’s a F350 FX4. There aren’t any plates and it’s been vandalized. It’s just south of Juneau and 26th Ave SW across from the Seattle City Light substation.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Ty says the Silverado’s been found, in Lakewood.