10:58 AM: Thanks for the tips. That was the scene at Shorewood Grocery, just south of West Seattle at 26th/106th, around 7:30 this morning, six hours after crash-and-grab burglars heavily damaged the store while stealing its ATM. King County Sheriff’s Office will only confirm that deputies found “the side of the building … smashed in and the ATM taken” when they arrived after getting word of a burglary alarm going off at 1:25 am. This KING report shows store-security video of the thieves using a pickup truck, which they quote “a friend of the store owner” as saying was stolen and has been found. A store employee who was there when we went over said they weren’t sure whether they’d be able to reopen today; we’ll be going back at midday to check.

2:42 PM: We went back early this afternoon and they’re open for business.

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

YARD THIEF: This report and security-camera image are from Andi:

Last night, June 10th, 2023, from 11:29 pm to 11:41 pm, there was a person in our yard who stole our bird feeder (most of it as he couldn’t get the post out of the ground). He also stole our potted tree but it was found across the street the next morning hidden under a tree.

Lastly, he moved our bird bath outside of our fence. He might have been coming back for the tree and the bird bath with transportation as they are both heavy. He was in our yard for a long time and appeared to be tracking our movements in the house and also tried looking in our windows. We are in the Morgan Junction south of Thriftway. We are waiting on a case number from SPD.

UPDATE: 23-909750.

CAR PROWL: Not far from there, Christian reports a car prowl early today:

4:30 am car prowlers in the Gatewood area near the elementary school. Got into my neighbor’s car that was unlocked. They were driving a black Jaguar SUV that police mentioned may be stolen.

STORE THEFT: From Christine:

My husband and I are West Seattle locals and frequent patrons of the Super Deli Mart (Barton + 35th). Recently there have been a group of 3+ teenagers who have been stealing from the store on multiple occasions (specifically handfuls of vape cartridges that cost $20 apiece). They seem to have an adult, or two, lurking half a block away (a man and a middle-aged blonde woman, one of which appeared to board the C bus concurrently to evade questioning), and we are concerned that this group may be stealing from other local businesses.

Christine says they also are reported to have harassed the store owner and customers. On behalf of the store owner, she sent this video of one theft incident.

(We’ll add police-report #’s for these incidents when we get them. Update: Added the # for the first one Monday.)

Reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

STOLEN COMPUTER: From Gershon:

I am just grasping at straws on how to get my computer back. It was my work computer with over 2 years of data that I am not able to replace. This hits me pretty hard. My vehicle was broken into in the parking lot behind the Skylark last night. My gray Dakine backpack was snatched, which had my computer and some other personal items in it. Send me a message if you see it ditched somewhere or have an idea on best way to retrieve it (buy it back) or something. The computer inside was a Samsung Galaxy book2, midnight blue.

Police report # is 23-909691. If you’ve found the computer and/or backpack, we can relay a message to Gershon (westseattleblog@gmail.com).

PRIDE FLAG STOLEN AGAIN: The Community School of West Seattle‘s Pride flag was stolen for the second time in less than two weeks. You’ll recall it was taken on May 27th, and replaced courtesy of White Center Pride. Then this past Thursday morning, it was taken, and the flagpole damaged, again:

Police report # is 23-909576. Whitney at CSWS says, “WC Pride is going to stock us up on poles and flags so that the thieves won’t win.”

CAR VANDALIZED: The reader who emailed us is hoping to find witness(es) to this:

It happened on Dawson, between California and 42nd SW, Friday between 5:30 am and 2:30 pm. The victim says, “Maybe someone has info or maybe saw something or has any surveillance cam footage.” It’s been reported to police, though we don’t have a report # yet.

(SDOT camera image from shortly after crash)

Two and a half months after two 18-year-olds died when a wrong-way driver hit them on the West Seattle Bridge, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed charges. 36-year-old West Seattle resident Delfino Lopez-Morales is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving. We have been watching court files closely ever since the crash, and just found the charging documents. In them, investigators say he had a blood-alcohol level of .14, almost twice the legal limit, three hours after the crash, and a THC level suggesting he had used cannabis within a few hours of the crash. Court documents add that an empty beer bottle was found in the truck he was driving. The two victims, Khalea Thoeuk and Riley Danard, both from Snohomish County and on their way to Alki to celebrate Riley’s birthday, were killed instantly. The charging documents say Lopez-Morales, driving a friend’s truck, was going 100 mph when he hit them. He was seriously injured and has been under medical care since the crash, at Harborview Medical Center until sometime in the first half of May, when he moved to rehab. Here’s the investigator’s narrative from the charging documents:

Read More

Two thefts in West Seattle Crime Watch:

STOLEN BLACK ELANTRA: From Ryan:

Reporting stolen 2012 black Hyundai Elantra. License plate AKU4990. Police report # 23-158866. Stolen from (3400 block of) 40th Ave SW between 2:12 am and 3:12 am this morning, Thursday 6/8.

FRIDAY UPDATE: Via text, we’ve just been told the car was found in Toppenish (near Yakima).

STOLEN PRIDE FLAG: From Travis: “I wanted to report to you this that someone stole our Pride flag this morning from off our front porch. It happened a few minutes before I get up for work. We live near Delridge Way and Thistle.” This security video shows the thief walking up and pulling down the flag (it’s not embeddable/downloadable but you can see it if you click the link). It’s been reported to police; we’ll add the number when available.

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports today – both the results of multiple tips (thank you!):

EARLY-MORNING GUNFIRE: In the 3 am hour today, multiple 911 callers reported hearing gunfire, from Westwood to north Arbor Heights. In one case, police were able to confirm gunfire, by finding shell casings. Officers reported finding six 9mm casings at 34th and Trenton. No injuries or property damage reported, so far. Neighbors reported hearing vehicles speeding off, but police were still looking for any home security video that might have caught one or more associated vehicles on camera.

STOLEN BOAT RECOVERED: This started out mysteriously – a boat on the rocks at Don Armeni Boat Ramp on Tuesday, as the tide went out. Readers sent photos starting with this one from Jeff:

Police were having trouble finding information for us, though it was clear from one photo from Stewart L. that officers had responded at some point:

SPD spokesperson Officer Shawn Weismiller found the report today, and tells WSB: “Boat was stolen out of a marina in Lake Washington. Officers responded to an abandoned boat at the ramp, but the tide was out, so they had to wait for high tide to recover the boat. While waiting to recover the boat, officers learned someone was in the boat. Officers responded and arrested a 58-year-old-male for possession of stolen property. The boat was recovered,”

From Conrad:

My Ride1Up 700 Series ebike was stolen next to Morgan Junction Park around 7am today. Police report number is 23-156523. The medium-set white male in a pink shirt rode south on California Ave SW before turning right. This has also been reported to the local Bike Index.

Here’s a stock photo of what Conrad’s bike looks like.

The report and photo were sent by local arborist Michael Oxman:

Sad to report my pickup was stolen last nite from Delridge/Findlay St. sometime between 10 PM Sunday nite-10 AM Monday morning. Blue 1997 Chevy 3/4 ton with camper shell. Chainsaws, weedeater, blower were inside. SPD Incident # 23-155797. License plate TREEDR

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Found.

(WSB photo, May 27)

Last week we reported on the arrest of 21-year-old Omar Upham, Jr., in the shootings that killed one person and seriously wounded two others at Roxy’s Casino. Today, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Upham with first-degree murder with a firearm enhancement, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, and two counts of first-degree unlawful firearm possession. As we reported last week, Upham is a convicted felon, having served time for a 2019 holdup at a West Seattle mini-mart.

The charging documents tell much the same story we reported last week, that Upham went to the casino with the intent to kill security guard John Leota, a former friend and ex-accomplice in another 2019 robbery case. The charging documents reveal this may have been the third time since Upham got out of prison last October that he went after Leota – the other two were West Seattle gunfire incidents covered here. Also new in the charging documents, the casino patron who was killed is identified as Hung Q. Nguyen. Upham is alleged to have walked into the casino at about quarter till 11 Saturday night, May 27th, and shot at Leota, who started running, as Upham continued shooting at him. Also shot and seriously wounded was casino employee Chheng “CJ” Oung. In the casino, police found what the charging papers describe as “four .40 caliber casings and two bullet projectiles.” Subsequent investigation, prosecutors write, revealed this:

During the on-scene investigation, the manager of Roxbury Lanes … stated Leota was hired as a security guard less than a month ago (and he) noted Leota told him he had recently been released from prison, and there were rumors that people were after Leota for being a “snitch.” (At the hospital, Leota’s girlfriend) told (a Detective) that there are a lot of people that have problems with Leota and people call him a “snitch.” … Leota’s brother … also advised several months ago, an unknown suspect shot up Leota’s mother’s house, and in a separate incident, Leota’s vehicle was also shot up. Andrew believed those shootings were related and that Leota was being targeted. Those incidents were confirmed through Seattle PD crime reports, Seattle PD 2022-298318, and 2023-080520. The shooting at the vehicle (2022-298318) occurred on November 5, 2022; a bullet projectile was recovered and four shell casings were recovered from that scene. The shooting at the house (2023-080520), located (in the 6400 block of) 29 Av SW in Seattle, occurred on March 24, 2023. Five 9mm shell casings, a live 9mm round, and a bullet projectile were recovered from that scene.

We had reported on both the incidents mentioned in the documents – November 5 here, March 24 here. The court documents say Leota’s mother no longer lives there. They also mention a warrant search of Upham’s residence, which the arrest form says is in Renton; there, police report finding items including an AR-15 rifle, a 9mm extended magazine, and, in the trunk of Upham’s car, “a stolen .40 caliber Ruger P94 handgun and a .45 caliber Glock-type handgun with an extended loaded magazine.” Both were test-fired by police; subsequent testing revealed a “presumptive match” between the .40 caliber gun and casings found at the casino shooting scene. Upham remains held without bail and will answer the charges at arraignment later this month.

Four West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

STUDENT ATTACKED: From B, parent of a Denny International Middle School student:

My child is a 7th grade student @ Denny and was walking home after school today on 24th Ave SW (between Thistle & Trenton) when a car pulled over and someone jumped out and physically attacked them.

It was an older car (couldn’t get make – possibly early 2000’s), dark colored, 4-door. The attacker was Caucasian, blond hair. Driver was of Asian descent, hair in a bun, purple hoody. All possibly in their late teens/early 20’s. The attacker swung on my child app. 5 times to the head before getting back in the car and taking off. Something of note – one of the people in the car threw a sandal/slipper out of the car while driving away too.

I’ve reported this to (non-emergency) SPD, Incident # 23-155932.

B says their child is shaken up but otherwise OK.

TWO ATTACKED ON MYERS WAY: A police summary says this happened around 9:20 pm last night at or near the encampment on the east side of Myers Way: “Officers responded to a report of an assault call which involved a large number of motorcycle riders. Two assault victims were located with significant, non-life-threatening injuries and transported to HMC.” Around the same time, we received a report of what looked like a memorial gathering at the scene, where 35-year-old Reginald Moore was shot to death last Tuesday; we don’t know if that was related to the attack.

BURGLARY THWARTED: Last night a suspect was taken into custody after a reported home burglary in the 5600 block of SW Admiral Way. We obtained the report narrative. It says a neighbor called police after seeing an intruder in the house. They saw the intruder filling a backpack and carrying items to a nearby bus stop. Police arrived and found a suspect matching a description given by both the neighbor and the homeowner, who saw him on security video. The items they found included a wallet, speaker, iPhone, camera, glasses, clothes, and guitar. Police say they tried to get him into a parked car but he resisted and eventually an ambulance was called. He eventually was taken to Harborview.

Two more small local businesses hit by crime:

TONY’S MARKET BURGLARIZED: We just heard from Tony’s Market proprietor Joey Genzale about this by phone. Overnight, someone broke into his business at 35th/Barton and got away with thousands of dollars in produce. Nothing else stolen, he told us – only the produce. The display boxes were left in disarray. He’s hoping somebody saw something – maybe a vehicle there late last night (he left around 9 pm) or early today? We’ll be following up on this tomorrow.

BUSINESS VAN STOLEN: This 1995 Ford Econoline van belonging to the proprietor of 9th & Hennepin Donuts was taken while he was at the commissary kitchen, a friend tells us on his behalf:

My friend Justin Newstrum is the owner of beloved 9th and Hennepin Donuts. His van, which is outfitted as a camper, was stolen while he was working at 5604 Delridge Way SW today. He’s currently making a police report.

Plate # is C14296S. (added) Police report # is 23-154959. Here’s an interior photo:

TUESDAY UPDATE: Thanks to a tip, the van’s been found.

Court documents reveal that revenge related to a West Seattle robbery case is the alleged motive in the Roxy’s Casino shootings that left one casino patron dead and two employees wounded. The suspect – whose arrest we reported last night – is not yet charged but we are identifying him as he is still in Department of Corrections community custody – our state’s version of parole – for a different West Seattle robbery case. He is 21-year-old Omar A. Upham Jr.; we reported on the charges filed against him in 2019 for a holdup at the 35th/Henderson gas station/mini-mart then known as Lucky 5. He was eventually sentenced to just under four years in prison and was released into community custody last October, according to information we obtained this afternoon from Corrections (which also provided the photo at right).

Now, Upham is being held without bail after a hearing this afternoon. The probable-cause documents provided by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office say his alleged target Saturday night was actually one of the shooting survivors, a casino security guard. From the court documents:

… Witnesses and associates of (the guard) were interviewed, and several of them stated (he) was being sought after (because) he “snitched” on someone involved in a robbery. (The guard) later provided a recorded statement identifying Omar Upham as the person who shot him. (He) and Upham were once friends, but their friendship ended when (he) informed on Upham when they were arrested for robbery. When Upham entered the casino on 5/27/23, (the guard) immediately recognized Upham by his eyes and ran. When asked why Upham was after (him), he replied, “I told on him four years ago.” A search of … criminal history showed an arrest by Seattle PD in 2019, where (he) had identified Upham as an accomplice in a robbery (Seattle PD case no. 2019-441721).

We cross-referenced that to a street robbery in The Junction early Thanksgiving morning 2019, days before the Lucky 5 holdup. His arrest and that of another suspect in December 2019 had numerous West Seattle links, as explained here. Upham pleaded guilty to one count of armed robbery in 2021 and was sentenced to 46 months, the low end of the standard sentencing range, though he had prior convictions – as a juvenile – for robbery and assault. His current community-custody supervision was scheduled to run until March 2024. The court documents say he was most recently living in Renton and was arrested early Thursday morning at a Georgetown business described in the documents as his employer.

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

(WSB photo, Tuesday night)

MYERS WAY VICTIM ID’D: In addition to releasing the Don Armeni shooting victim’s name (reported here Thursday), the King County Medical Examiner’s Office also has publicly identified the man killed at a Myers Way encampment Tuesday. He was 35-year-old Reginald Moore. The Medical Examiner says his cause of death was “gunshot wound to the chest” and that the case is officially ruled homicide – police initially weren’t sure when Moore was found dead with “signs of trauma.” No additional info on the investigation so far. This is now the fifth unsolved shooting death in our area in less than two months.

JUNCTION BUSINESS BURGLARY: Thanks for the tip. The West Seattle Smoke Shop in The Junction had a smash-and-grab burglary overnight:

We went to the shop to find out what happened. They tell us somebody broke the glass to get in around 6 am and stole just one specific item – dozens of disposable vape pens. Security video is under review.

HOME GARAGE BREAK-IN: Reader report from Kira:

We live on 12th Ave SW near SW Henderson in Highland Park and had our garage broken into. A black and red backpack with tools was stolen and a couple of moving boxes with clothes and fabric. There may have been more stolen, we are still reconciling.

SPD report # is 23-909224.

(WSB photo, Saturday night)

9:15 PM THURSDAY: A suspect is in custody in the Roxy’s Casino shootings. That’s according to King County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Glen Brannon, White Center’s new “storefront deputy,” who just announced today’s arrest during the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting we were covering for partner site White Center Now. We’re attempting to get more details from KCSO. The deputy described the shootings as not random, and said they involved a “beef” between two people, the suspect and one of the three victims. Two other people – both casino employees – were not intended targets. (A crowdfunding page is set up for one of them, identified publicly as CJ.) The casino and adjacent Roxbury Lanes, meantime, reopened today; they had been closed since the shootings just before 11 pm Saturday.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON: KCSO’s media-relations office has confirmed the arrest but offered no details – aside from confirming that one victim has died.

(Sunday morning photo sent by Doug)

The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the name of the 49-year-old man found shot to death at Don Armeni Boat Ramp early Sunday morning. He is identified as Peyman Shojaei, and his cause of death is listed as “multiple gunshot wounds.” Still no information from SPD on circumstances (we just asked again). Online research suggests Mr. Shojaei was local; his funeral is planned for next week at Forest Lawn Cemetery in High Point, and his name cross-references to an independent trucking business in North Shorewood. If you have any information about the case, SPD’s tipline is 206-233-5000.

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.