Last night, around the time we were out covering the Myers Way death investigation, a police search was happening in North Admiral. It eventually involved a K-9 team, and an arrest. We asked SPD today what it was about, and here’s the response: “This was a freshly stolen vehicle in the 2300 block of 44th Ave SW around 7:15 pm. The vehicle was later found dumped in an alley. Witness info, coupled with security footage, helped an officer identify both suspects. One suspect was taken into custody in the area of California Ave SW & SW College St, while the other suspect was not located.”

From Andy:

Our 2002 Green GMC Safari with a Thule box on top was stolen on 5/30 at approximately 8:30 pm from the corner of 14th Ave SW and SW Holly St. License plate BUE1614. My phone number is 828-575-3747. Police report # 23-149896.

ADDED THURSDAY NIGHT: Update from Andy: “Van was seen and confirmed last night at the Westwood Court Apartments behind Staples. Thule box was removed and bike rack was removed. Van may have been spray painted. Please look out for a freshly spray painted GMC Safari with a small lift. Contact Andy at 828 -575 -3747.”

FRIDAY UPDATE: Andy says the van’s been found, in Burien.

(WSB photo, Saturday night)

We’ve been seeking followup information today on Saturday night’s three shootings in our area. Law enforcement isn’t releasing any new information in any of the cases. But we’ve learned that the condition of another of the three Roxy’s Casino shooting victims has improved. Harborview Medical Center told us yesterday that the female victim had improved to serious condition, while the two men remained in critical condition; when we checked again this afternoon, HMC said one of the men also has improved to serious condition, leaving one man still critical. The victims have not been publicly identified; WSB commenters say the woman and one man are casino employees. King County Sheriff’s Office detectives continue to investigate the shooting, which was reported just before 11 pm Saturday. The only public comment from Roxy’s/Roxbury Lanes, via social media: “We’re remaining closed until Thursday, June 1st. We’re still processing and coping with the tragic event. There are no words except we want to thank the community for commenting, calling and showing support.”

6:58 PM: We’ve received multiple reports of a wave of graffiti vandalism overnight on the north end of The Junction, on both residential and business buildings.. This report and the photos are from Corey; our policy is to generally not show tagging in full, so we’ve cropped the photos to show just part of the damage. Corey writes:

Some punk went on an absolute graffiti rampage and tagged nearly every building north of the Junction. He got our building too.

Fortunately, the graffiti was on the glass, opposed to the brick like some of our neighbors. I cleaned the graffiti off the glass immediately since I cannot stand to look at this. I wonder if there is something we could collectively do as West Seattle residents to keep an eye out for this activity and call 911 if we see it.

Yes, police DO respond to vandalism-in-progress calls, depending on what else they’re dealing with. Even if you don’t catch it in progress, report it – and after it’s been photographed, remove it as soon as you can, as that’s considered an effective way to dissuade the vandal(s).

9:23 PM: This video shows some of the vandalism – one person etching glass on a building at California/Genesee while another spray-paints:

Four reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

VESPA STOLEN AFTER COLLISION: On Friday night, we mentioned a South Delridge collision that left a Vespa rider injured. Today, the rider emailed to report that their Vespa was stolen after the collision:

On Friday, 5/26 around 9 pm I was riding my 1981 Vespa P200e home on SW Delridge. I lost control when the car in front of me made a sudden stop and when I stopped, my scooter fishtailed and I fell off. I hit my head and was unconscious. Should have been wearing my full face.

Fire and emergency were called. I was taken to the hospital and provided care at Harborview.

SPD rolled my collector vehicle Vespa to the sidewalk on SW Trenton and SW Delridge and left it there with no intent of telling me where it was or notifying an emergency contact, or impoundment. I was even informed by the reporting Officer that the Sergeant said to leave it.

It was stolen from the sidewalk while I was unconscious.

I want my scooter back. It means more to me than anything else in the world.

Monday update: The scooter owner found it – repainted and resold – spotting it being driven around.

PRIDE FLAG STOLEN FROM SCHOOL: From Whitney at the Community School of West Seattle (22nd/Roxbury):

Community School of West Seattle’s Pride Flag was removed/stolen (Saturday) night and the flag pole was damaged.

PLANTS STOLEN FROM GARDEN: A North Admiral resident reports:

I had quite a theft of plants in my yard & was wondering if anyone else had this. Some had been there for prob 60 years & others for around 15 years. Just about wiped out one part of south side garden of all herbs and flowers, took ferns on other side of house plus stones.

DUMPED/POSSIBLY STOLEN: Reported by Katherine:

I found a debit card and some keys with an AirTag in the bushes by my house. Looks like they may have been stolen and dumped. The keys have an AirTag with initials. The debit card first name is Z—— and a photo of the keys is below.

I’m happy to reconnect them with the owner/owners, if they can provide a last name or the initials on the air tag.

Email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we’ll connect you.

6:30 AM: Thanks to Stewart L. for the photos. Homicide and CSI detectives are at Don Armeni Boat Ramp after a shooting victim was found dead.

It happened around 4 am – the initial SFD dispatch was that “armed security found a man down and a bullet nearby.” They tried CPR but it was too late. We’ve just talked with SPD spokesperson Officer Shawn Weismiller, who confirms that a male victim was found dead, and no one is in custody. No other details on the circumstances yet. This was the third shooting incident in our area in the span of five hours, after the Roxy’s Casino and Lincoln Park incidents. And it’s the fourth deadly shooting that SPD has investigated in West Seattle in less than two months, with no arrests in any of these cases yet – 20-year-old Ka’Don Brown, found dead on the Chief Sealth IHS campus April 8th; 41-year-old Chad Anderson, found dead on 15th SW in South Delridge on May 8th; and 25-year-old Davonté Sanchez, killed near Alki’s Whale Tail Park on May 13th.

7:11 AM: The Medical Examiner’s Office has arrived on scene, as shown in that photo from Doug, who says police are asking nearby residents if they saw anything or have any video that might show what happened. The victim was found by the path along the south-end vehicle parking spaces. If you have video or other information for investigators, the SPD tip line is 206-233-5000.

ADDED 9:18 AM: SPD says the victim was 49 years old.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

OFFICERS ASSAULTED: A 24-year-old man is in the King County Jail for investigation of assault, malicious harassment, and burglary after an early morning incident in Fauntleroy. The SPD preliminary summary says this happened just after 1 am:

Officers responded to the 9300 block of Fauntleroy Way SW after a 911 caller reported a man trying to break down their door, and then attempting to break into another property at the same location. When contacted by police, the suspect assaulted officers as they took him into custody. Three officers sustained minor injuries and were treated by Seattle Fire at the scene.

STOLEN CROWN VICTORIA: Shannon‘s father’s car was stolen near White Center overnight:

Police case number: 23-144960

License plate number: CCX3694

Car color, model, and year: 2009 white Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

Car Identifiers: 2 spotlights and a wraparound push bar in the front of the car

For the second time in three days, we have a reader report about a stolen Jeep Wrangler. This time, from Caitlyn:

Date: 5/25-5/26 between 5 pm and 8 am
Location: 42nd and Genesee, car was parked in front of the West Seattle Christian Church.
Vehicle: 2001 Jeep Wrangler, dark blue, hard top.
Vehicle was locked and no keys were inside.
License: CFV5778

If you have a sighting to call in to police, the report # to refer to is 23-144737.

Here’s another stolen vehicle whose owner hopes you might help find it – Chris sent the photo and report:

2000 Ford F-250 XLT Regular Cab Long Bed
Color: Gold
Stolen between 8 am and 10 am on Wednesday 5/24
40th SW between Brandon and Findlay

It still had a dealer plate on it (Marketplace Auto) but with a temporary License #A6347336 (where they put a paper in the window).

(Images from charging documents, suspect at West Seattle Target allegedly using stolen card)

A suspect in the theft of multiple US Postal Service vehicles and mail – including two West Seattle incidents on which we reported in January – is due in court this afternoon on federal charges. Here’s the announcement from the US Attorney’s Office (we’ve marked the West Seattle-relevant paragraph in bold):

The suspect in a series of mail vehicle and mail key thefts was arrested today on a federal complaint charging him with theft of mail and possession of stolen mail, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.

Johny Mixayboua, 27, is accused of a string of mail theft incidents involving stolen postal vehicles, stolen postal keys, mail theft, and associated crimes such as identity theft. Mixayboua will appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle at 2:00 today.

According to the criminal complaint, 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 were 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 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.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) has worked diligently to get Mixayboua and his coconspirators into custody. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Elyne Vaught.

We’ve just taken a first run through the charging documents; they note that Mixayboua used a stolen credit card for purchasing items from at least three stores and one gas station in West Seattle. We’re still researching and will add anything more of West Seattle relevance here. He is charged with two federal counts, mail theft and possession of stolen mail, so far.

ADDED 12:13 PM: Mixayboua has eight auto-theft-related cases on record in King County, between 2014 and 2018. In the documents for the most-recent case, he was described as a “prolific auto-theft suspect throughout King County.” The 2018 case involved three auto-theft-related counts and one count of eluding; he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

From Castle:

2003 Jeep Wrangler TJ

Stolen from 5611 California Ave SW
5/22/23
License # AAV0983
Case # 23-140296
Bumper sticker ‘Eddie Would Go’

Another Kia theft. This report is from KG:

Stolen 2014 white Kia Sorento. Plates AVL7377. Last seen May 23 [today] around 10 am by SW Admiral Way & 60th Ave SW. Police Report # 23-141978. If seen, please call 911.

From Phoebe:

2011 Infiniti G37 Sport – 4-door with silver lining and white interior. Stolen last night around 8 from just outside Hall at Fauntleroy – if seen please call 911. License # CGH4399. Police report # 23-141027

5:07 PM: Matt reports this happened around 3 pm today:

During our CYO Pentathlon event at West Seattle Stadium, two parents were bear-maced when they encountered someone stealing catalytic converters in the parking lot. One car had one taken, one car partially damaged when the theft was interrupted.

911 called for paramedics and police. Parents are both as okay as they can be after being maced in the face. Police are off tracking the truck – they believe they saw it hanging around Alki earlier. Picture of the person and their truck attached.

We don’t have the report # yet but if you think you’ve seen the truck, call 911.

ADDED 5:46 PM: Report # is 23-139719.

Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch today:

SHORT-LIVED STANDOFF: Thanks for all the tips about a big police response at 35th and Barton. We heard via police radio that someone was holed up in an apartment, but not why. It was just wrapping up when we got there to find out more. Police say it started as a domestic-violence call – a man allegedly pulled a gun during a “heated argument.” A short standoff ensued; officers arrested him around noon. No injuries reported. MONDAY UPDATE: Here’s the SPD summary of the incident:

At 1116 hours, officers responded to a DV disturbance involving a firearm. The suspect grabbed a handgun, made a threat, and pointed it at the two victims. The suspect eventually exited the apartment and was placed in custody. Officers obtained a warrant and recovered two handguns from inside the apartment.

BUSINESS BURGLARY: While out, we got a tip about this – another Morgan Junction business burglary, this time at Whisky West. So we went there to find out more.

That’s the boarded-up front door – two burglars broke the glass to get in around 3:30 am, WW told us. They subsequently sawed open the safe and stole cash. This security-camera image shows one of them leaving:

A neighbor who saw them break in and called 911 said the burglars got away in a silver Subaru Crosstrek.

1:02 AM: SPD and SFD are headed to an apartment in the 7500 block of 24th SW for a report of a robbery and gunfire. Officers told dispatch the victim reported being pistol-whipped but responders aren’t sure yet if they also were shot. Updates to come.

1:08 AM: The victim apparently was not shot, but was assaulted, responders have determined. They’re calling in a K9 to help search, so people in the area may hear the obligatory PA warnings police use to let a suspect know a dog is after them.

1:26 AM: They’ve confirmed gunfire in the apartment, finding at least one shell casing so far.