West Seattle, Washington
19 Friday
Two reader reports:
STOLEN PICKUP SEEN ON TICKET CAMS: This vehicle was stolen in Burien but its owners live in West Seattle and it’s turned up on two ticket cameras, including the low bridge, so it might be here somewhere. From Jill:
We had our Ford F250 stolen from Maaco, where we were having work done on it.
Address: 13646 1st Ave, Burien.
License Plate: #B25327L
Police (King County Sheriff’s Office) report: #C22023333It is a black and white pickup truck. Since it was stolen it has received a red light ticket in Burien and another ticket on SW Spokane Street. Since it was stolen, the thief has installed a white cab top with two doors that open in the back and also a trailer hitch to try to disguise it.
The image above is from one of the camera-issued tickets
CAR PROWL: The video below spans the entire length of the 3 minutes that car prowlers were breaking into Sara’s vehicle:
Our Subaru was broken into (Saturday) morning at 5:10 AM; corner of Findlay/48th. They drove west down Findlay St. Our car manual was stolen as well as vehicle documents. We have a video of the suspects and their extended cab truck with black canopy. Looks like minimum three people: driver, front passenger, and man in back righthand seat.
There is a very good shot of their vehicle as they come in (11 sec in), and their faces show at diff moments throughout the theft. It was at least three people (two on passenger side–front and backseat–and the driver). Unfortunately our shrub and our Subaru hide most of the action. They leave the frame @ 2:56 minutes.
Some have asked if there is anything they can do to help the woman who was attacked and raped in Delridge this past Monday evening, beyond joining neighbors in their awareness campaign (covered here Friday night). Now there is. We’ve heard from Melissa, a friend of the victim, who says they have just set up a GoFundMe page if people are interested in donating to help with her expenses as she recovers. Friends say she is an immigrant who had been working as a nanny and planning to start college this fall as an international student. Meantime, the 18-year-old suspect arrested Friday is expected to have a probable-cause/bail hearing tomorrow.
Last month we reported on the search for witnesses to a shooting near Costco that police originally described as “road rage.” It happened on 4th Avenue South on July 21st, and the victim was a 68-year-old longtime West Seattleite named Bob Jensen. Today, after a tip, we’ve just confirmed via court documents that the man who admitted to shooting Mr. Jensen is in jail, charged Friday with second-degree murder. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office summarizes the shooting as:
On Thursday, July 21, 2022, the defendant was involved in an altercation with the victim close to the Costco parking lot in Seattle, just after 10 am in the morning. The confrontation began when the defendant refused to allow the victim to merge his vehicle in front of the defendant’s car when the street they were traveling on (4th Avenue South, Seattle) reduced from two lanes to one. Both vehicles continued driving for less than a mile and proceeded to stop at an intersection next to Costco. The defendant was the first to come to a stop at the red light, with no cars in front of him, when he saw the victim’s vehicle stop immediately behind his. The victim got out of his vehicle and approached the defendant. The defendant then chose to exit his vehicle and engaged with the victim while armed with a firearm. The victim, an unarmed sixty-eight year old man, was shot by the defendant within seconds of the victim exiting his vehicle.
The suspect, 38-year-old Angel A. Valderrama of Kirkland, was one of five people who called 911 just after the shooting, and was questioned at the scene, but not arrested at the time. The charging documents say Valderrama has no record of criminal convictions and that he did have a concealed-carry permit for the gun, a loaded 9mm Glock handgun that police seized at the scene. The charging documents add, without elaboration, that Valderrama “has had a number of interactions with law enforcement related to his possession of firearms.” He told police that he fired his gun on July 21st because he believed Mr. Jensen had something in his hand that could have been a weapon, but at least one witness said otherwise. The documents also say the shooting was recorded by a camera belonging to Costco, describing the view as “distant and grainy” but saying that the video shows there was “little or no time for any significant interaction between the two men” before Mr. Jensen was shot, and that it contradicts other elements of Valderrama’s story. The documents also say that while Mr. Jensen also had a concealed-carry permit, he was not armed when he was shot, and that no gun was found in his pickup truck, nor anything else that could have been construed as a weapon, aside from a folding pocket knife found beneath papers in the driver’s-door pocket. Valderrama is being held in lieu of $2 million bail; the jail register says he was arrested Saturday afternoon.
From Hannah:
Stolen this morning – 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX wagon
Black exterior with Lifted bronze wheels on off-road tires
License plate # 142-YEO
Last place seen was 49th Ave SW straight up from Me-Kwa-Mooks
Contact: 206-265-3776
Police incident # is 22-220467.
UPDATE: The car’s been found.
5:51 PM: Neighbors gathered at the awareness event regarding the North Delridge rape just broke out in applause at this news: SPD tweeted that they’ve arrested a suspect, an 18-year-old man, in Everett. More when we get it.
ADDED 7:42 PM: No additional information yet about the suspect, and SPD tells us they’re not expecting to have anything more to say tonight. Meantime, more than 30 people had gathered at Cottage Grove Park by the time small groups started fanning out into the neighborhood with teal balloons – for sexual-assault awareness – and flyers.
They hoped to reach neighbors who hadn’t yet heard about Monday evening’s attack, but they also wanted to be respectful of the victim’s privacy – they hadn’t spoken with her yet – so the advocacy was relatively low-key. One organizer said that just to see so much community support was heartening,
They shared stories and concerns as they prepared the balloons before heading out, One woman told us she had just been on the SW Graham stairs from High Point minutes before the victim, and apparently her attacker, traveled the same route. She said she’d been followed just months ago and hasn’t “felt safe in the area for a long time.” But she found hope in neighbors talking with each other.
One man circulated a petition with a letter he said he planned to send City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, inviting her to meet with the community on September 10th. He said he’d never seen things so bad in the neighborhood in the 36 years he’d lived there. And while an organizer expressed appreciation that two SPD officers had stopped by, she said the true power will be in neighbors banding together. “What you guys are doing is one of the most important things a community can do.”
The latest stolen vehicle to watch for is this one reported by Marci:
My husband‘s 2001 maroon Jeep Cherokee, license # AGU7905, was stolen sometime after midnight last night. We live on SW Hanford Street near West Seattle High School.
It has a Seahawks bumper sticker and a trailer hitch on the back.
The SPD incident # – which helps for reference if you see it and call it in – is 22-219259.
Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN CAR: From Ben:
We had our vehicle stolen from the street in front of our home (41st & Juneau) last night.
It was a silver 2014 Acura RDX with plates: BGH8437.
Police incident # is 22-218151.
STOLEN E-BIKE: From Heather:
Our white Rad Wagon electric bicycle was stolen around 5pm on 8/18 from outside the ATT store by Admiral Safeway. It has one orange saddle bag (with a dark blue raincoat inside), and a drink holder mounted to handlebars. Serial number WB719J—–.
Police incident # is 22-218637.
ABANDONED BIKE: From Ryan:
I found this bike in Pigeon Point, it had been sitting on the side of the road for about a week. It’s not in rideable condition at the moment and appears not to have been any time recently, so more likely “dumped” than stolen…. If it’s yours, email me at ry.carn@gmail.com
No arrest yet in Monday’s North Delridge sexual assault, nor do detectives have any new information to release, Seattle Police tell WSB today. But area residents plan an action Friday night. “We want to bring awareness and support, and make the authorities look at us and do something,” says one neighbor. Another tells WSB the neighborhood’s reaction began with anger but then led to a search “for ways to bring more attention to this issue.” They plan to meet up at Cottage Grove Park at 5 pm tomorrow (Friday, August 19th) to place teal balloons around the neighborhood; that’s the color for sexual-assault awareness. They’ll also be circulating flyers. They want to ensure everyone knows this happened. The victim was attacked around 6:15 pm Monday; police searched the 26th/Juneau vicinity and beyond for hours, but SPD has released few details and only a description of what the attacker was wearing.
Four items in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN CAR TRACKED, SUSPECT ARRESTED: Officers were looking for a stolen vehicle “that was being tracked by the victim via an app.” First time they caught up with it, “it had fled.” Officers had taken a picture, though, and shared it with the next shift. Then around 2 pm it turned up at 25th/Trenton. Nobody was inside but police headed to the scene spotted a suspect who matched the photo. They caught up with him in an alley in the 8600 block of Delridge Way SW. He tried to run but was taken into custody, the report says, via a “Type II Use of Force” (here are examples). Police say the suspect assaulted an officer in the struggle. He eventually was booked for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle and third-degree assault.
GROCERY-STORE ASSAULT: This happened last Thursday but the victim decided after a few days to send us her story so others could watch out:
On 8/11 morning at 9:55 am, I was walking out the doors of Morgan Street Thriftway, when a woman (white, 40s, approx 5’4”, brown hair [bangs and pulled back into a low bun], wearing a black Stussy long-sleeve tee with a eight ball, black running shoes with a yellow marking) started yelling at me, calling me the B word claiming I was the wife of a Arabic/African man (a very long name she kept repeating. Unfortunately, I was shaken and just trying to get away that I cannot remember it). She kept following me and yelling. I started to run. She ran after me and shoved me from behind with both hands. Luckily I wasn’t hurt. If this had been someone older, they could have ended up on the ground – she was small, but used force, clearly intending to push me down.
She says she reported this both to the store and to police; the store caught the incident on video and told her they recognized the woman as a former employee, so they provided a name that the victim gave to police. The victim says the officer later told her there had been another incident reported with the same person. The incident number in her case is 22-211362.
STOLEN TRAILER: The photo and report are from Diane:
On 8/11/22, our Tilt Trailer was stolen from our jobsite at 7745 Holden Place SW, Plate #09574AH. A police report has been filed, case #22-211269. Please report [to police] if seen: 206-733-9800.
WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: The trailer’s been found, in the 5600 block of 23rd SW.
SUSPECTED CAR THIEF CHARGED: Here’s one of the most recent West Seattle cases in which the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed charges. 37-year-old Jesus R. Perez-Flores is charged with one count of possession of a stolen vehicle. The charging documents say police stopped him June 21st on Airport Way in a Ford Ranger stolen from a Puget Ridge woman almost two weeks earlier. The vehicle caught their attention because it had no plates. Perez-Flores has no criminal record but even before this charge was filed, he’s been in jail since August 3rd in connection with another stolen-car case.
Since this brief mention last night, we’ve been waiting all day for Seattle Police to reply to our request for additional information in last night’s reported sexual assault near 26th/Juneau. Here’s the entirety of what they just released via SPD Blotter:
SPD detectives are investigating after a woman reported she was sexually assaulted Monday evening in West Seattle.
Around 6:15 p.m., officers responded to the Delridge neighborhood for a report of an injured woman.
Officers and a K9 team searched the area for the suspect but were unable to find him. Medics transported the victim to the hospital for treatment.
Police obtained information about a person of interest in the case, a man who was seen in the area wearing a black Air Jordan hooded sweatshirt, a yellow medical mask, black athletic shorts, and slide sandals.
Sexual Assault Unit detectives continue to investigate.
If you have information for detectives, the Sexual Assault Unit is at 206-684-5575.
7:10 PM: We don’t have full details on this but several people have asked about it so we’re making note of what we do know – police have been searching near 26th/Juneau for what was reported as a suspect in a sexual assault. No info yet on circumstances nor even victim description but police have been using at least one K-9 team to search (that’s why you’ve heard short siren bursts – those are part of the warning that a search dog is out). We’ll add anything more we find out.
7:55 PM: SPD spokesperson Valerie Carson says the only information they’re releasing tonight is that they searched the area but so far have not arrested anyone.
TUESDAY NOTE: Still awaiting information from SPD; hoping to have a followup whenever we get it.
One more gunfire incident to report from last night – this time from the SPD report summaries: Around 11:30 pm in the 7500 block of 35th SW, 911 callers reported “hearing 4 shots and a vehicle speeding away,” according to the summary. Police found a driver who told them he was heading southbound on 35th SW when a black Mercedes came up to pass them in the turn lane, and shot at them while doing so. No injuries but, the report says, the “victim’s vehicle was struck one time, incapacitating the vehicle.” Officers found evidence of gunfire and also a Metro bus driver who saw what happened; investigators were checking to see if the bus camera(s) recorded anything related.
Three thefts in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
VAN WITH ROCK-STAR HISTORY: That’s Easy Street Records proprietor Matt Vaughan with the van he reports has been stolen. It’s a black 2005 Chevy Express passenger van, license plate BUB3110, stolen in the Alki area Saturday night/early Sunday morning. This is not the old Easy Street-branded van you might have seen in the area, he explains::
This new van was gifted to us by Brandi Carlile. They put over 180k miles on it, the first thing they bought when they got signed. All their early tours were in this van.
We painted it black. It does not have any logos/branding on it. Has a Brandi Carlile/Maple Valley sticker on the back panel window and two Easy Street stickers on the driver’s side. Has a slight scrape on driver side, where you can see the original white paint underneath.
This has been our daily driver for the last two years. It has been very good to us. Last seen near Alki Beach.
He’s offering a $1,000 reward.
TRUCK WITH TOW PACKAGE: Via email from Abby:
Stolen! 1999 Chevy Silverado 1500
Tan. Light bar & tow package
Saturday night/ Sunday am
License plate C80169L. The note didn’t mention the area in which it was taken so we have a followup question out.
18 GALLONS OF GAS: That’s how much Eric estimates was stolen by whoever drilled this hole in his 2015 Toyota Tacoma’s tank:
This too happened last night, in the Fauntlee Hills area near 40th/Barton.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN 4RUNNER: From Erica:
Our car was stolen sometime last night. The car is a dark blue 2016 Toyota 4Runner with a sticker of a whale in the rear driver-side window. License plate is BPA4310. Stolen from off the street in front of our home last night on the 4100 block of 44th Ave SW.
PACKAGE TAKEN:From Hilary:
This happened today in the 3800 block of 45th Ave SW, between Andover and Charlestown. The video is pretty clear, and although the woman is obviously trying to hide her face with the hat, someone might see her.
Four items in West Seattle Crime Watch:
GUNFIRE: From today’s police summaries – just before quarter till 10 this morning, an officer checked out a report of damage in the 3200 block of Harbor SW. The summary says, “The officer saw damaged windows and a damaged wall” and collected evidence of gunfire. Two businesses were affected, SPD says – but the incidents happened 5 nights apart, with the second one last night/this morning.
‘PROLIFIC SHOPLIFTER’ ARRESTED: Also from today’s summaries, a suspect described by police as a “prolific shoplifter” was booked into jail after two West Seattle incidents this morning. In the first one, he’s accused of trying to steal $50 worth of beer and swinging a bottle at people who tried to stop him, turning the incident into a robbery. Later in the morning, an officer who had investigated that incident was flagged down about a theft at the Marshalls store in Westwood Village. The summary says, “The officer recognized the suspect from the earlier robbery and placed him in custody for both crimes.”
Also today, two reader reports:
CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT: From Lyn:
Reporting another catalytic converter theft in the neighborhood. My CR-V was parked off 45th and Glenn overnight and had the catalytic stolen, along with subsequent damage to the underside of my car.
BIKE BATTERY THEFT: From Ryan, a report with a warning:
I wanted to give you all a heads up that our Rad Powerwagon bike battery was stolen last night. It was locked to the bike but there was no sign of damage. Apparently there is a way to get the battery off without the key or with a different key. I know there are a lot of Rad Bikes around West Seattle so everyone should be aware and cautious. The person who stole my battery did it very quickly and I have no doubt they are living in the area. It was stolen near Alaska Junction on California ave. You may want to keep an eye on your bike battery or take it with you. A replacement is $500.
Via email:
Stolen from 32nd Ave SW. Truck is a maroon-red 1997 F150 with spare on driver’s-side back
License plate : C98438M
Has black toolbox on back window
Police report 2022-209762
UPDATE: Per a comment, and a call from the owner, it’s been found.
From Josiah:
One of my family’s cars was stolen on the morning of August 9th at around 6:00 AM near the corner of 37th Ave SW and SW Olga St. It is a white 2018 KIA Forte LX with tinted windows. The right rear window was removed and left in our front yard. There is no license plate on the car because my family purchased it just a few days ago.
The police-report # is 22-208946.
Since the house fire in the 2600 block of 39th SW early Sunday, we’ve been asking SFD about their determination of how it started. Today spokesperson David Cuerpo told WSB, “Fire investigators ruled the fire as intentionally set (incendiary). SPD is conducting a follow-up investigation.” No details were provided on why that determination was made; we have followup questions out to SPD and have not heard anything back. If you have any information, there’s a statewide tipline – 800-55-ARSON.
1:03 AM: From Jessica: “Our RV was stolen from behind our house on 16th Ave SW (Sunday) night. It’s a 1998 Four Winds 5000 RV, white, with a strip of green running around it. The muffler should be missing.”
ADDED 9:36 AM: Photo, and police report #: 22-208238.
ADDED THURSDAY: It’s been found.
Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
ROAD-RAGE GUNFIRE: From the SPD weekend summaries – this was reported just after 11 pm Saturday, when the victims showed up at the Southwest Precinct “to report a road rage incident in which their vehicle was shot.” They said a black Mercedes “occupied by a male and female” (no other descriptive information in the summary) had tailgated them northbound on Delridge until a red light at SW Henderson, when the Mercedes pulled up alongside them in the left-turn lane. The summary continues, “The victim exchanged words with the driver of the suspect vehicle, who drew a gun and shot once at the victim vehicle,” then headed westbound on SW Henderson. No injuries reported.
GREENBELT GUNFIRE: One other confirmed gunfire incident in the weekend summaries – just before 10 pm Friday, police got a call about possible shots heard “in a greenbelt area located on SW Brandon St near 26th Ave SW. Officers located evidence of a shooting, likely from the incident. One witness reported hearing a single shot. No houses nearby, no victims or suspect description.”
ANOTHER BUSINESS BURGLARY: We received a tip that The Missing Piece Café and Game Lounge at 35th and Roxbury had been broken into. Co-proprietor Alex confirmed it via email: “The burglar broke through our glass door at 6am on Saturday. He took a few board games and a big stash of our Magic: The Gathering cards.”
In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, two reader reports and two court cases. First, the reader reports:
STOLEN PICKUP TRUCK: The photo and report are from Omar:
New West Seattle resident here. Less than a month and my truck is already stolen off Avalon. The truck is a 1995 Nissan Truck XE in black with a chrome grille and KC lights.
The plate in the photo is NOT the one on the truck now – its current plates are C99327Y. (MONDAY UPDATE: Thanks to the commenter who spotted it. Omar says he has it back.)
PACKAGE TAKEN: The video and report are from Mike:
Anyone else reporting this idiot? Hope he enjoys the 40 pounds of cat litter… :(
I’m on 9th Ave SW between Thistle and Elmgrove. This was today at 3:30 pm.
And from the court files, we have two West Seattle cases in which the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed charges:
CAR-THEFT SUSPECT INTERPRETS 72-HOUR RULE: 33-year-old Jaime Verdugo-Torres is charged with motor-vehicle theft for allegedly stealing a Jeep Wrangler from the former Seattle Lutheran High School parking lot at 41st/Genesee. Police arrested him July 28th after detecting via Automated License Plate Reader that he was driving a stolen vehicle. After he parked it on Puget Ridge, they stopped him when he got out of the truck, and the charging documents continue:
Verdugo-Torres went on to say the vehicle had been parked in a private parking lot for several days, so he looked up the abandoned vehicle laws in Seattle and said his interpretation of that law was that since the vehicle had been parked, and seemingly unattended for over three days, he could take possession of the Jeep.
He has another auto-theft-related case pending, and a theft conviction, and remains in jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.
SHOPLIFT-TURNED-ROBBERY: 26-year-old Thomas J. Joo is charged with second-degree robbery for a July 29th incident at the Westwood Village QFC. Charging documents say store staff confronted Joo as he tried to walk out with three bags of frozen shrimp without paying for them. Prosecutors say Joo “pulled out a bloody needle, uncapped it, pointed it towards (the employee), and said ‘If you come near me, I’ll stab you’.” The employee backed off; Joo left, and police found him nearby, allegedly still in possession of the stolen shrimp (valued at $75), plus “several used syringes.” The charging documents say Joo has no known record. He remains in jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.
The proprietors of adjoining Youngstown Coffee and HeartBeet Organic Superfood Café in Morgan Junction emailed to say they were burglarized early this morning – “Cash and iPhones and iPads stolen and damage to Youngstown’s front door.” They say security video recorded the burglar but may not be of much use because he was fairly well covered; they describe him as white, male, thin, 5’8″, in a blue hoodie and hat, wearing a medical face mask. Despite having to deal with the burglary’s aftermath, the businesses – which also have been deeply involved with community events – are open. How can you help? “The best way is to just come get some coffee, food, and smoothies. We so appreciate the support!”
Three more reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
TRUCK TAKEN: From Tanya:
:
My husband’s 2009 F150 was stolen sometime today. It is a darker-gray crew cab truck with a Thule paddle board kayak rack on the bed. The license plate number is B21626L. It was stolen from the 8600 block of 36th Ave SW. Please keep an eye out for it. A police report has been filed.
9:22 PM: Update – Tanya says they found it by driving around – it was left seven blocks away from where it was taken.
STOLEN PACKAGE: From Jessica:
I live (in the 2300 block of) 44th Ave SW (right behind Arthur’s) and I had a package stolen today. It’s a pretty big package. Delivered at 2 pm and we got home about 5:30, so in those 3 hours it was stolen. It’s a suitcase, so if anyone sees it please let me know. The brand is Away and it’s dark green.
PROWLER: Mark reports a prowler who lurked on his front porch and others:
We followed him up and down 39th and 38th, between Hanford and Lander. We called SPD but they never showed up or updated us. The suspect did walk up to other front doors and appear to be casing homes.
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