West Seattle, Washington
30 Sunday
From the Southwest Precinct Public Safety Newsletter just sent out by SWP Crime Prevention Coordinator Benjamin Kinlow – don’t miss the last paragraph:
The T9 Traffic Squad focuses on aggressive drivers. They drive the Dodge Charger Police cars. The T9 Squad, along with other members of the Traffic Section, issued the following school zone citations between September 01, 2007 through February 11, 2008:
* Arbor Heights – total – 94
65 Speed, 1 Pass School Bus, 28 other –
* Highland Park – total – -540
363 Speed, 4 Pass School Bus, 1 R/W Ped, 172 other
* Holy Family – total – 245
189 Speed, 1 Pass School Bus, 55 other
* Sanislo – total – 56
47 Speed, 9 other –
* Total – 935
Last week the T9 Squad started working the school zone at Gatewood Elementary in 7000 block of Fauntleroy. Yesterday Officer Cavin stopped a driver traveling 45 mph while using the center turn lane to pass 6 other cars in the 20 mph school zone. The driver said he was late getting to the Ferry Terminal. He was cited for Reckless Driving.
From TLR, a car break-in last week that isn’t in one of our roundups, but carries an important reminder:
I wanted to report to my neighbors in the 6500 block of 37th Ave SW that my car was broken into sometime last Tuesday night (02/26/08) or Wednesday (02/27/08) morning, which was parked in our completely fenced backyard. My iPod Touch and radio tuner were taken when I forgot to take them inside. Just a reminder to everyone to make sure you take everything inside, even if you have a fenced yard.
One of the city council’s newest members, Tim Burgess, blogged tonight about the light sentence given to West Seattle rabbi Ephraim Schwartz for the November 2006 47th/Admiral crash that killed Tatsuo Nakata — who worked as chief of staff for the then-councilmember that 
Burgess defeated a year later, David Della. In his blog post, titled “Wrist Slap for Traffic Death,” Burgess (left) — a former detective — recaps our city’s pedestrian-vehicle crash stats, as well as calling the Schwartz sentence “inappropriate.” (Side note: Before publishing this, we looked to see which other city councilmembers blog; looks like only Sally Clark. Her newest post is mostly about Burgess’ blogging, which she seems to be saying he does too often; not sure what that’s about, since if you scroll down his main page, you’ll see he doesn’t even post daily.)
Postponed from last night: the latest reports from the Southwest Precinct:Read More
Per KOMO website: Ephraim Schwartz, the West Seattle rabbi who hit and killed city council aide Tatsuo Nakata at 47th/Admiral in November 2006, must pay a fine and do community service, and loses his driver’s license for 2 years, but no jail time. 10:36 PM UPDATE: Many more details in this P-I story, including City Attorney Tom Carr calling the sentence “outrageous” and the judge calling Schwartz “a lousy driver.”
Out of the WSB inbox, from Trissa:
Just wanted to let you know that someone tried to break into a house on the 4000 block of 23rd Ave SW tonight at 8:00 pm. There was a lot of police activity and they brought dogs to try and catch the person or persons. So a thank you to our police and hopefully they will catch the person(s)!
Side note, we were at the Southwest Precinct reviewing police reports, including last night’s pit-bull shooting incident, just before going to the school-board meeting, and will be writing that all up after the Denny-Sealth wrapup report.
Steve lives in the 2400 block of 44th SW and just sent this (we’ll be looking for the official police report during our forthcoming trip to the Southwest Precinct):
Yesterday (Tuesday 2/26) we were disturbed to learn that our next-door neighbors’ house was shot at by a group of five young boys. There is a sizable bullet hole in their front picture window, and police who responded to the incident confirmed that the hole was made by something larger than a BB gun. According to our neighbor, she was returning home from walking their dog when she noticed the boys congregated on the landscaped parking strip in front of their house. The boys appeared to be of middle-school age. One of them was holding a gun pointed at the house. The gun holder tucked the weapon into the front of his pants took off running south down 44th Ave SW with the rest of the boys when she called out to them asking what they were doing. She began to pursue them but pulled up short when one of the boys called out to the others “She’s after us!” followed by something about using the gun.
When she returned to her house she noticed for the first time the large bullet hole in her front window and called the SPD. The bullet passed through the main living room where the family often spend time. Fortunately no one was home when the shooting occurred.
This happened around 9:30 am on Tuesday.
This is circulating among Junction businesses — We received it from the folks at Jan’s Beauty Supply (WSB sponsor):
ATTENTION!!!
On Thursday February 21, 2008 at about 4:45 PM, two girls entered the back door to our business. Girl 1 proceeded to the front of the store; girl 2 entered our employee room. We caught girl 2 in the room and she then ran out the back door. She had taken a wallet, check book and digital camera from an employee’s purse. She was chased through Capers, down California Ave. and into Zamboanga where she was cornered. The wallet and check book were retrieved, the camera is still missing. Girl 1 and girl 2 continued north on California Ave.Many merchants said they had seen these girls through the day and a few had the same experience. If you have found anything missing and remember seeing these girls please call the SPD. Please refer to our case number 2008-068225.
Girl 1: Caucasian, early 20’s, 5’8”, thin build (145lbs.), gap in front teeth, dark brown hair pulled tightly in a pony tail, Black and gold “Baby Phat” hoody and dark “Baby Phat” jeans.
Girl 2: Hispanic-American, early 20’s, 5’6”, heavy set (165lbs.), thick dark brown or black curly hair pulled into a pony tail, tattoo on the right side of neck, black Northface jacket, distressed light blue jeans, black coach bag.Be on the look out for these girls!!! We can’t let our community go this route!
JAN’S BEAUTY SUPPLY: 206-937-9224
(JAN, SHERI & ALISSA)
From the files at the Southwest Precinct: A dog is believed to have been shot by its owner’s drunk, enraged boyfriend. 
This all played out in the 5600 block of Delridge last Thursday night. Police were called after a woman was heard screaming, “He shot my dog!” They found the woman’s 45-year-old boyfriend holding a .357 handgun, which he promptly dropped when ordered to. She told officers they were arguing when he pulled the gun from his pocket, fired a shot into the ceiling, then shot the dog; she fled the apartment and the dog bolted too. Officers found a trail of blood but no sign of the dog; they also found a significant criminal record for the boyfriend, who admitted firing the gun into the ceiling and shooting at the dog, a pit bull that he described as “vicious.” He also told police, “I was drinking Mad Dog 20-20 and it affects me fast; I drank too fast.” He was taken to jail. NEXT: Ferry rage, bridge rage, phone scam, break-ins, and more:Read More
From Patricia:
My neighbor let me know his car parked in his driveway was broken into Friday early morning. We’re at 64th & Hinds. He had left an I-Pod Nano visible in his sportscar, the thieves busted the side window to get in. Guesstimate on break-in, most likely early morning between 2-4 am.
If you mailed any checks using the box outside the Westwood Village post office earlier this week, you might want to keep a close watch on your bank account. Just got this report from Jim:
A check we wrote to Time magazine for $19.00 on the 19th, and dropped in the mail box at the Westwood station (verified it dropped in the box) showed up at Moneytree in Seatac, about 2:45 this afternoon, made out to a Hispanic man for $600.00, for lawn work.
Moneytree called the house for verification, we were not home, so they refused the check. I was able to verify the draft number and the style of check, and confirmed it was the same draft.
The mail was put in the drive thru box Tuesday night.
Jim confirms this is being reported to authorities, both by him and by the check-cashing business where it turned up. Here’s an online form for reporting it to the US Postal Inspection Service.
Just out of the WSB inbox:
Our car was just broken into in the last hour. We live by 53rd and Andover . Our friend’s car was also broken into several blocks away.
10:55 PM UPDATE: After talking with police, the reader also reports the dispatcher said the thieves appear to be “looking for ID info, car registrations and anything with your photo on it (like work ID’s). We only lost a CD and a video game … I think.”
From the latest reports filed at the Southwest Precinct: A nine-year-old girl had to be rushed to Harborview Medical Center yesterday afternoon after a dog bit her in the face. It happened in the 7900 block of Delridge around quarter past 1; the dog’s owner wasn’t around when it happened, but the girl’s parents were. The report describes the dog as a 3-year-old pit bull named “Cain” and says it was taken away by Animal Control, along with another dog found at the location. Next, the cabbie attack:Read More
Some news from tonight’s West Seattle Community Safety Partnership meeting at the Southwest Precinct: Community Police Team Officer Adonis Topacio told the group about a shots-fired investigation under way earlier tonight near the South Delridge 7-11 — at least half a dozen shots fired, nobody hurt, but a parked vehicle was hit. He says the search for suspects is focusing on a “suspicious apartment” in a building on 20th SW, and the SPD Gang Unit is looking at this case. (10:03 PM UPDATE: Coverage we just watched on TV tells a slightly different story – KING 5 reports the car hit by gunfire belonged to Chief Sealth HS employee Barry Ray, who says he was driving when the bullet hit – here’s the link to the story.) Topacio and fellow CPT Officer Brian Ballew also had updates on some of the investigations we’ve followed in previous West Seattle Crime Watch coverage:Read More
Out of the WSB inbox this morning, a reader reports her house getting egged — for the third time in the past few months — in the Seaview neighborhood, and wonders if it happened to anyone else. (Otherwise, we haven’t heard much about this particular brand of vandalism since last month.)
ELECTION: Presidential primary, 7 am-8 pm if you haven’t voted by mail; more info here.
RAPIDRIDE: Last of 4 West Seattle open houses to share information and take comments for this phase of Metro’s West Seattle RapidRide bus-service planning, 6-7:30 pm @ Southwest Library.
CRIMEFIGHTING: West Seattle Community Safety Partnership, under new leadership elected last month, invites you to tonight’s meeting, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct. If you have a neighborhood crime or nuisance concern and would like to ask local police what’s being done, or what can be done, about it — this hour is well worth your time. (WSB coverage of last month’s WSCSP meeting is here.)
Just out of the inbox from Olympic Heights Laundry (7347 35th) owners Paul and Dave:
Just wanted to let you know, that I just spoke with one of our customers who was using the Laundromat last night about 10:30 and she was attacked and robbed. She is one of our regular customers who comes in to do laundry around 10:00 PM, we allow our customers to start as late as 10:00 PM, and the door has an auto lock on it. She said that 2 heavy set African American girls came in and asked to borrow 50 cents, and then left. They returned a short time later to “warm up” and when she was in the back of the laundry they pinned her and took her credit cards, phone, and some change. She did state that they appeared to not be very good at their robbery, with one giving all the directions and the other doing the job. She did report this to the police and I believe I know who these suspects are as they wait for a bus right across the street.
They say they plan to beef up laundromat security. Meantime, as in any crime case, let police know if you have any information that might help them make arrests; 625-5011 is the nonemergency lin.
Topping our latest review of reports from the Southwest Precinct, quick-thinking workers and fast-responding officers saved the life of an 84-year-old woman at the Daystar center across from Westwood Village. It happened at 2:44 am Thursday morning; the woman’s 46-year-old granddaughter showed up to see her, and things took a terrifying turn very fast. Daystar employees heard screams and called 911. Officers say they found the granddaughter holding her grandmother down on a bed with one hand while the other was raised high above her head, holding a claw hammer. They demanded – at gunpoint – that the woman drop the hammer; she didn’t, but she did lower it to her side. They told her again to drop it; though she still didn’t, they managed to get it away from her and arrest her without having to use potentially deadly force. The victim is quoted as telling police afterward, “She was going to kill me — I begged her not to do it — I could tell she wanted to kill me … I thought I was going to die, I didn’t think anyone would help me, I didn’t think you could get here in time.” The suspect has a history of mental illness and drug abuse, and admitted to police she had imbibed a “large quantity of Everclear” that night. She also has a heart problem and had to be taken to the hospital; she was booked into jail later that morning and is still there at this writing, facing possible charges of assault and harassment. Next: Yet another car prowl …Read More
This one came in just before our Friday afternoon visit to the Southwest Precinct, where we verified a police report is filed in the case. Here’s the e-mail from Chris:
I was attacked by a German Shepherd dog yesterday while taking my walk at Lincoln Park (West Seattle) at about 5:45 pm. It happened at the South Side near the Gas station. The dog was not leashed and it came attacking me from my left.
Man, it sure was a powerful dog and brought me down. I am 5ft 9in and 170 lb. I was lying on the sidewalk and could see his white teeth coming at me again and finally the owner came and pulled his dog away.
I got punctured bites on my left calf and thank God the doc said I have my shots updated.
What pisses me off is this:
I asked the owner for help and asking him for his name/info and he said he was getting the dog to his car and promised to come back. He did not come back. I wanted to take his picture on my cell but he ran away and drove off. He is a White (dark skin), crew cut, 5 ft 10’, quite built, no glasses, drove an older Honda or Toyota hatchback.
The police said chances that he lives nearby and not many people own a German Shepherd.
A lady saw him driving away too.
If I had not worn a thick sweat pants, my left calf would be gone!!!
Anyway, you dog lovers, I know most of you are responsible but this one got away!!
The police have an open case on this so if you have any tips, call the non-emergency line @ 625-5011.
Just out of the WSB inbox from Jeremy M, who’s on 51st in the Charlestown Hill/Schmitz Park area (map), and offers a clue that might lead to the culprit(s):
My Land Cruiser was broken into early this morning. Silly really. The “thieves” traded my car stereo faceplate and some really crappy speakers for a “Bombay Gin” swiss army style knife and a small flashlight. While I believe I got the better end of the deal, it was a bit of a bummer that they left my door open and the dome light on. I’ll have to jump my truck to get it going now and that’s always a pain in the butt. Seems that we were the last of three on our street (51st SW near Avalon) to get broken into. You’ll notice that I mentioned that they stole the faceplate of the stereo. The funny thing is that I did such a crappy job installing my stereo (there was cardboard wedging it into the dash!) that when they tried to steal the body of the stereo, they managed to push it further into the dash and couldn’t get it out! I can just imagine a couple of big kneed, baggy pant kids sitting in my front seats laughing nervously while getting more and more frustrated as they try to retrieve the stereo from deep inside the dash. Something must have spooked them as they left in a hurry, leaving the above-mentioned “Bombay Gin” Swiss army style knife and a little red flashlight (the flashlight might have actually been mine, I really can’t remember).
So, if your son/daughter/cousin/neighbor or other person you might know had a silver “Bombay Gin” Swiss army knife, or maybe you had one and you’re missing it, ask a few questions. I’m not looking to get my stuff back but in the interest of safety it might be a good idea to nip this in the bud as the police aren’t as understanding as I am and these “thieves” aren’t all that slick. They will eventually get caught.
You know our pitch – be sure you report everything to the police – if it’s not happening right this moment or a matter of safety, 625-5011 is the non-emergency number. Here’s a page with the official Seattle Police advice on preventing “car prowls” (the term for break-ins like this).
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Bree:
Last night someone broke into my neighbor’s car. The only thing they took was the $20 in her glove box and the change in her ashtray. They didn’t take anything else, not even CDs. I live (in the 3400 block of) California Ave SW, which is directly across from Swedish Physicians. Our cars are parked in a back alley, which is dimly lit. I would highly advise everyone to lock their cars and be on the lookout.
And we add, as always, be sure you report everything to the police as soon as possible – if it’s hours later, the non-emergency SPD number is 625-5011, always available on our Crime Watch page.
From the latest reports at the Southwest Precinct, we begin with yet another round of rock-throwers, this time on the south end of West Seattle: A man in his 80s who lives in the 9400 block of 9th SW called police around 8:30 last night, complaining that four or five boys have been throwing rocks at his house for the past week and a half, on non-rainy nights, always between 7:45 and 9 pm. Last night, he spotted them crouching behind a tree on the south side of Roxbury; he yelled to his wife to call the police, and the boys bolted. He told police he’s lived in the house 45 years and never had a problem like this. No description of the suspects, though. Next — another throwing incident, and a masher at the mini-mart:Read More
From our most recent round of report-reviewing at the Southwest Precinct: A couple in the 2600 block of 52nd SW called police after discovering an alarming anomaly in their bank account: In late January, they wrote a $30 check to their newspaper carrier, put it in the self-addressed envelope he provided, and put it in their mailbox for pickup. Unfortunately, someone else apparently got to it first; in early February, they discovered their bank account was running a lot lower than it should have been. Checking online, they discovered the $30 check had been forged into $800, and that the payee name had been altered too. Next: Car-cutting, indecent exposure, and more:Read More
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