West Seattle, Washington
03 Thursday
Southwest Precinct Sgt. Jeff Durden shared this story at last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting: The burglary unit investigated a case back in late July in which uninvited guests showed up for a party, and “three laptops and some purses” disappeared as a result. One month later, investigators got a call from a B.C.-based company called Absolute Software, described by Sgt. Durden as “a LoJack device you can purchase, software to track your laptop” in case of theft. Seems at least one of the stolen laptops had been tracked to Mitchell, South Dakota, 1,470 miles away:
The address first traced to a computer-repair shop, but instead, the laptops turned out to be in an apartment above that shop – where a new tenant happened to be from Seattle. A search warrant was obtained and stolen laptops were recovered. “I’m not necessarily recommending (Absolute),” Sgt. Durden concluded, “but in this case it sure worked.” And as he pointed out (borne out by our West Seattle Crime Watch archives too), laptops are an extremely popular target for burglars and other thieves. (Still more to come from last night’s meeting, including the Gang Unit sergeant’s briefing.)
You might remember the Alki incident Sunday night — shots fired, nobody hit, somebody nabbed shortly thereafter. Tonight at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting at the Southwest Precinct, Sgt. Jeff Durden shared a few more details — Two suspects were arrested, “white males in their 20s” in a silver Lexus with Oregon plates, armed with a Glock; Sgt. Durden added that “five shell casings” were found near Spud, but reiterated nobody hit, no property damage either. (Two more reports still to come from tonight’s meeting – the amazing tale of how a laptop theft got solved, plus Gang Unit Sgt. Jim Dyment’s guest appearance.)
The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council is always on our list of must-attend meetings. We strongly urge you to be there too, if you have any kind of crime/safety concern in your neighborhood (that includes “nuisance properties”), since Southwest Precinct police leaders are always in attendance and you get the chance to bring up questions/concerns – and tonight features a special guest of timely interest, from the Seattle Police Gang Unit. See you at the SW Precinct meeting room, 7 pm (off Webster, just west of Delridge, parking lot’s on the south side of the building, steps away from the meeting room).
The photo at left shows just a segment of the fence tagged at a home at 13th/Trenton (map) over the weekend; homeowner Katie sent us a photo of the entire fence, with the entire tag, but we’re choosing not to show it, after hearing law enforcers make an impassioned case once more against media publication of photos of gang tags and gang signs (we’re interested in your thoughts on that, too). Katie sent word of the huge tag, which read “SW 13” in dark blue paint, saying, “This is the first time our property has been tagged in the 9 years we’ve owned it.” She called the police, then e-mailed us to share the alert, saying: “One of the key points I wanted to share with the WS community is to make sure and report this type of vandalism. Reporting possible gang tags gives the police a heads up on recent activity.” Speaking of which, tomorrow night is your chance to find out a whole lot more about local gang activity, what’s happening and what to watch out for, when a Seattle Police Gang Unit sergeant speaks at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting — all invited — 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room (Webster/Delridge; here’s a map).
Just got a tip about shots fired in Alki/60th vicinity a short time ago – no medic calls but scanner says police are looking for one or possibly more people “firing rounds” – one scanner description was “whitish color 2 door coupe, Maserati, white male, 20s, short blonde hair, cranking rounds off in the air” – haven’t heard the other potential description. Will update if/when we hear more; let us know if you’re in the area and seeing/hearing anything. 11:14 PM UPDATE: In comments, our original tipster says there’s word a suspect was stopped at the Harbor Ave. 7-11.
Rolfe wrote to ask that you be on the lookout for his car, stolen between midnight-10 am today from his home near 46th/Raymond (map): “1991 black Acura Integra 2 door with hatchback with tan cloth interior. Car has distinctive dent above right front wheel.” Call 911 if you see it. SEPTEMBER 28 UPDATE: The car’s been found.
It’s been a quiet few days for crime reports but we’ve received a few today, starting with this one that came in as a comment on this three-week-old post, where it’s unlikely to be seen, so we’re republishing it here – it’s from Mike:
Well, I got hit Friday night. They cut the catalytic converter off my truck. It was parked on 41st between Dakota and Andover. I hope they catch this guy. I would also encourage all of us to contact our legislators to implement regulations on metal recyclers; that’s the only way were going to get control of this nuisance.
Legislations have passed two metal-theft bills in the past two years – the second one, which took effect this summer, specifically addressed catalytic converters; here’s an article mentioning both.
(more photos added to the bottom of this post late Friday night – scroll down)
Thanks to Rebecca for the tip. Holden is blocked for a few blocks starting at 41st and heading east; the first officer we saw at the scene said simply, “Drug raid.” We’re gathering more information; stand by. 4:14 PM UPDATE: Added photo of police vehicles near the scene; cropped it closely because we have no idea whether there is some sort of standoff involved, and it’s always been SOP not to publish anything during a standoff that might alert someone to the position of police at the scene. 4:21 PM UPDATE: Witnesses tell us one person was “taken away” by officers shortly after this all started 45 minutes or so ago. 4:32 PM UPDATE: The street’s open again now, though there are still officers outside the house where the “raid” apparently happened. We’re checking for additional information. 4:37 PM UPDATE: Lt. Norm James confirms one suspect arrested, but can’t elaborate beyond the fact this is a drug case; he says police are just wrapping up administrative-type details on scene now. ADDED LATE FRIDAY NIGHT: Thanks to Brian Hartman from photoelan.com for these photos taken as police moved in:
Earlier today, we reported that West Seattle-based Southwest Youth and Family Services (headquartered just southeast of the Delridge Community Center) is tabbed for a big role in the new youth-violence-prevention initiative announced by the mayor. SWYFS director Steve Daschle was among the West Seattleites at today’s announcement (others included Southwest Community Center coordinator “Junior” Kitiona); we talked with him this afternoon in search of details about what this new role means to his agency:Read More
As promised when this was previewed yesterday, we’re sharing the info issued by the mayor’s office at his Garfield High School appearance this morning to announce a “youth-violence-prevention initiative.” Here’s a document with the overview – which includes “southwest Seattle” as an area of emphasis and lists West Seattle-based Southwest Youth and Family Services as one of the agencies that will help develop plans for this part of the program:
We will establish three youth-focused neighborhood networks in central, southeast and southwest Seattle to identify the children at-risk for violence, and surround them with services tailored to their specific needs.
Read on for the full text of the city news release with toplines:Read More
Since some WSB commenters have pointed out that the mayor has been focusing on bags and trees lately but hasn’t made any major announcements about crime/violence, we feel duty-bound to pass along word of the media advisory we just received – he’s planning an announcement at Garfield HS tomorrow morning about a “new initiative geared to decrease youth violence.” We’ve got WSB commitments closer to home so we won’t be there, but we’ll link city-provided details and citywide coverage when it’s announced.
Just announced by the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Special guest at its next meeting (next Tuesday 8/16, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct meeting room) will be Sgt. Dyment of the Seattle Police Gang Unit. The WSCPC staff liaison from Seattle Neighborhood Group, Jennifer Duong, is inviting those who plan to attend to send questions in advance, to help make sure the sergeant can pre-research specific West Seattle gang-related issues. Anything in particular you’d like to know about? E-mail jennifer@sngi.org – and be there one week from tonight.
Tina shares this alert:
Not sure if anyone else has been hit lately, but we noticed this week that some 6-7′ heating pipes were missing from inside our yard. This is the second time something has been taken in the past week. The pipes were tucked away near our fence so the person or persons must have been searching. I know these “scrappers” may be after only what seems to be junk right now, but I’m concerned that once the well runs dry they’ll up the game. We have seen the infamous red pick-up in our alley – a couple of Saturdays ago, right around 6 p.m. We live on 37th between Fauntleroy and Genesee (map). Obviously they like this neighborhood now. Please keep an eye out. I also saw a white male in a tan/gold sedan (Chevy or Taurus type) leaving our alley (Saturday), going directly across the street to the north and thru that alley. I waited and they turned around at the end of that alley, which would be Dakota (?). I didn’t wait because I felt silly for being suspicious, but perhaps I should have. Beware.
Heading back to WSB HQ a few hours ago after the Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza ceremony, we spotted three Seattle Police cars rushing from Fauntleroy to northbound California, with rollers and sirens; we lost track of them, and couldn’t pick up anything obvious from the scanner, so later when we ran into Lt. Steve Paulsen on Alki, we asked what that call was about – he didn’t have tons of details but said it was a burglar “on Beach Drive” and “we got him.” Then a bit later, we got the rest of the story in this note from Megan:
Around 2:25 this afternoon I came home to a very panicked neighbor on her cellphone. She walked in on a well-dressed 5’8ish African American robbing her. This was in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. In a secure condo building. Luckily, a nice husband and wife heard her yelling for help and came to her aid. The African American ran down Beach Drive. The husband in pursuit. As she was on the phone with 911, a cop drove by, who she flagged down. A description was given. I had a friend I was meeting down on Alki and it looked as if they had arrested a suspect by 2:40 p.m. Great Job, SPD! I did want to give a heads up to everyone though, considering that this was in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. I would have never thought such a thing would happen like that.
P.S. To be a little more specific about the location – this happened around the 4200 block of Beach Drive.
(video added 9:48 am, shot about an hour and a half earlier in Pigeon Point/Puget Ridge)
ORIGINAL REPORT: Thanks to those who have e-mailed/texted about major police activity in the South Seattle Community College vicinity, mostly around 16th SW – we’re checking to see what it’s about, both by phone and in person. Will post when we find something out; let us know if you know anything. 8:27 AM UPDATE: We’ve seen King County Sheriff’s Office personnel involved in this as well as Seattle Police so we have inquired with both departments; KCSO’s Sgt. John Urquhart says “we’re looking for a suspect who ran off on us” but can’t elaborate on exactly what the suspect is wanted for – he says they’d received a tip the suspect lived in West Seattle, then about 7 this morning the suspect “took off” — Seattle Police are helping with the search. More information as we get it. 9:01 AM UPDATE: Scanner information (and one text message) suggests the search is also moving into other parts of east West Seattle – just letting you know in case you see the officers. 9:53 AM UPDATE: A description was just put out over the scanner: Black male, 28 years old, thin, no facial hair, black jacket/blue jeans but “possibly changed clothes to unknown T-shirt and boxer shorts.” Call 911 with any info. 10:09 AM UPDATE: Sgt. Urquhart just confirmed, the man they are looking for was being sought in connection with last night’s double shooting in Burien (here’s tv coverage). They now believe he may have escaped the area. If any photo or further description is made available later today, we will post it in a separate report.
Just posted at partner site White Center Now: Surveillance photos from the FBI, showing the man who held up the White Center Washington Mutual Bank yesterday. The FBI thinks he’s also to blame for two Burien robberies earlier this year.
It’s been gone a while, but CSR wonders if perhaps someone in WSB-land has seen the birthday-gift bonsai (photo at left) stolen from her home earlier this summer. From her e-mail: “On the weekend of July 5th while my husband and I were away, someone entered our fenced-in backyard in the Admiral neighborhood of 48th Ave SW and Lander and stole a 30-year old Chinese Elm bonsai and planter that I had given to my husband for his 70th birthday. The tree, about 2 1/2 feet high, is beautifully shaped and was the focal point upon entering our yard. When we filed a police report, we were told that it is not unknown for unscrupulous gardeners and landscapers to steal plants (even digging them up) and sell them to their customers. We believe that someone who knows the value of bonsai trees saw ours when the gate was open and waited until the time was right to steal it. Bonsai Northwest told our insurance company that stolen bonsai sometimes show up on Craig’s List. I suspect that too much time has gone by for this post to help us recover our stolen bonsai, but I am attaching a photo to alert our community and on the off chance that someone may have bought it from the thief not realizing that it was stolen.” If you’ve got a tip, the SPD non-emergency number is 625-5011.
From the WSB inbox, CB tells the story:Read More
Out of the WSB inbox, from Don, who wants you to be aware of what happened to him:
In the neighborhood due south of Alaska Junction’s Jefferson Square, we discovered that mail had been taken from our box, opened, and gone through, in search of credit card information and anything else of value. The perps tossed the remainder in our yard, which was ironic, as one thing of value turned out to be some expensive train tickets for an upcoming vacation trip. The only thing we actually lost was one of those fake credit-card-like things on a junk-mail come-on from American Express, but we found pieces of the neighbor’s mail near our house as well. When we mentioned this to USPS personnel, they told us to call the police and file a report, and let the local postmaster know as well.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT. These creeps take advantage of unlocked mailboxes and have no problem committing local and federal crimes. They are probably working neighborhoods across the area.
In a later e-mail exchange, Don told us police would not take a phoned-in report because nothing of value was missing. We will be checking with local police leadership after the holiday to see if there is a baseline for reports to be taken in this kind of situation; Don’s filing a report online with USPS, in the meantime.
A few miscellaneous notes to share, including one from the scanner moments ago:Read More
Some of what was discussed at last night’s South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting will be of interest to anyone living/working in south West Seattle – including some good news about ongoing issues in the area — so we’d like to point you to the full report we have just posted on partner site White Center Now; you can read it here.
From the WSB inbox:
My name is Cody, and I live on the corner of 35th and Roxbury. Monday morning my car was parked across from the Freedom Church on Roxbury and I had found that someone had flexed my window damaging it and broke in trashing my car and throwing everything out of my glovebox trying to find something. Living in Seattle I’ve learned to keep nothing of value in my car so the only thing they got was a broken iPhone charger :). This morning I walked out to my car parked on 35th and found that someone had side swiped me, taking out my back tail light, and mirror and leaving a nice big white scrape all along the driver’s side. This has not really been my week. I just wanted to let people know to park at your own risk on 35th and Roxbury.
Christopher just sent this – in light of this recent discussion, you might want to be on the lookout:
Just a few minutes ago I watched a man walk down my alley (just off
Oregon between 40th and 41st). He was white, thin, in his 20’s, about
5 foot 7, wearing blue jeans, a blue jacket and a baseball cap. He
drew my attention because he seemed to be acting
suspiciously…looking around at my neighbor’s doorways. When I saw
him pick-up and examine a copper garden ornament in a neighbor’s
garden I decided to go out there to see what was up. When he saw me
he put the item down and walked away. I called the SPD non-emergency
number and filed a report while I followed him on foot for a few
blocks until I lost him. He may or may not have driven away in a
small red Chevrolet that was parked at 39th and Oregon. Just wanted
to spread the word. From what I heard, 11 am seems to be prime
burglary time. I’m not sure if he was looking for metal in general or
if he was just opportunistic. Just thought I’d pass this along so
folks can be on the lookout.
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