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.

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.

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.

SATURDAY: The report and images were sent by Rich:

My 2003 Ford E250 plate BLG3758 was stolen out of my condo garage 5001 California Ave SW on Monday Aug 1st

It is the same van that was involved in a car theft on New Year’s Eve a couple years ago

From the description of the video, the thieves knew what they wanted and got it. Here is the description from a fellow condo member.

Van was stolen on Monday August 1 at approximately 6:37 AM by two individuals in a gray Audi sedan with license plates blacked out.

Access was through the Hudson garage door. The first individual, apparently a female in a black body stocking, mask and, yes, kitten ears, opened the garage door manually from the inside so that the male in the Audi could drive in.

The female first emerged at about 6:37 AM from the area near the Hudson pedestrian gate. We don’t have a camera at the gate, however it is likely she climbed over the 8′ high gate because the gate lock itself was not damaged. We do have a camera at the taller Hudson wall and she did not gain access there

The female joined the male in the car and parked directly in front of (the) van. The male needed only about two minutes to gain access to the van and start it up. At one point the female got out to assist .

At about 6:40 AM the female drove the Audi out through the California garage door followed by the male driving the van. Both vehicles turned left and headed north on California Avenue.

Here is a link to police contact if people have any info/evidence. Case 2022-205914.

SUNDAY UPDATE: Rich says the van’s been found.

A neighbor sent that photo of a vehicle being towed after an early morning shooting in North Admiral. Here’s what police report happened:

Just after 2:00 a.m., a 911 caller reported a man had been shot near 42nd Avenue SW and SW Hill Street. Police arrived and found a 28-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the back. Officers began first aid and then transferred care to Seattle Fire Department medics, who transported the man to Harborview Medical Center.

According to the victim, he heard someone breaking into his car and went outside to investigate. When he confronted the two suspects, it escalated to a shooting.

Officers recovered evidence at the scene and will continue to investigate this incident. Anyone with information about this shooting should call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.

ADDED 9:04 AM: SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo tells us the victim was in stable condition when transported.

ORIGINAL WEDNESDAY REPORT: A man is in jail for investigation of hate crimes and assault after an incident at Westwood Target on Tuesday afternoon. Police say they got first word around 1:12 pm when a store manager called 911 to ask for help with a “previous shoplifter who had returned and was causing a disturbance.” Target security asked him to leave; the police summary says the man then “made racially biased comments and indicated he intended to fight with someone.” Target security offered him food to try to “de-escalate” while escorting him out, but the man, police say, “began randomly assaulting people, apparently based on their race, resulting in one person being (choked) and four being assaulted by various means.” That’s when police arrived and took him into custody. Seattle Fire says no one suffered major injuries; SFD treated one person, a 36-year-old man, for what they called “minor injuries.” The photo is from a person who texted us about this yesterday; we didn’t get details until today. The texter says they and others inside the store at the time intervened to keep things from getting worse before police arrived. We don’t yet know the suspect’s name so we don’t know whether he’s still in jail.

ADDED THURSDAY AFTERNOON: We’ve obtained the probable-cause documents from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office – in essence a far-more detailed version of the police report. Here’s the narrative, with the 36-year-old suspect’s name redacted as he is not yet charged (though the KCPAO tells us a charging decision could happen later today):

At 1312 hours on 08/02/2022, a disturbance call was generated at 2800 SW Barton (Target store). The following was advised: “INSIDE, MALE SHOPLIFTING, STATING THAT HE WANTS TO HURTS PEOPLE AND “IS WILLING TO GO TO JAIL THE RIGHT WAY”, NO ASLT, NO WPNS SEEN.”

Upon arriving to the location, it appeared the store had been evacuated as dozens of people were standing outside the front door. Officers were guided to the location of (suspect) who appeared to be waiting for police around the checkout area. He was detained by officers without incident.

Store security provided a recorded statement relating the following: He observed (suspect) steal two energy drinks earlier in the day, exiting the store without payment. Store security observed (suspect) reenter the store, talking to himself. Store security approached (suspect) who related he was in his predicament due to privileged white people. Wanting to get (suspect) out of the store peacefully, store security offered to provide (suspect) with food if he’d leave. (suspect) remarked that he wanted to hurt people. Store security was alarmed, raised his palms in defense, and made a, “whoa,” remark. (suspect) replied he would not harm the store security officer because he was a person of color. (suspect) then remarked loudly that he wanted to hurt white people. While in the store, (suspect) approached a family of four adults, yelling it was all their fault whilst kicking their cart and trying to get the family to fight. (suspect) threw an open energy drink in the face of one, causing the liquid to enter his eyes and struck the same subject in the lower left hip with an avocado from a distance of between 5-15’, causing significant swelling. The victim’s father was struck in the back of the head by what he believed to be a muffin which did not cause injury.

(suspect) approached an adult male and punched him in the back of the head without any provocation, causing pain. (suspect) threw a full, unopened plastic water bottle which struck an adult female in the back of the head, causing pain. (suspect) approached an adult male, placed his hand around his throat and squeezed for a duration of approximately ten to fifteen seconds. The victim (name redacted), related he did not think he lost the ability to breathe but had visible redness/bruising around his throat and stated it hurt to swallow; he was seen by SFD medics on scene. All of the aforementioned victims appeared to be either Caucasian or of fair complexion. (suspect) was placed under arrest for investigation of hate crime and investigation of assault. I am additionally requesting charges for the four other victims of assault in the fourth degree.

(suspect) was advised of his “Miranda Rights,” which he stated he understood. (suspect) wouldn’t speak at length with me, but when asked why he assaulted the people inside the store, he related they knew why. He declined to speak further. (suspect) was transported to KCJ for booking.

The suspect’s bail was set at $25,000, as requested by the KCPAO.

ADDED 3:50 PM: The KCPAO has just charged the suspect, Kevin Parkman Jr., with one felony count of hate crime. The documents filed with the charge have the same narrative as published above. The document also mentions Parkman has “five active warrants and seven convictions for violating court orders.”

A man charged with raping a Highland Park woman will be arraigned tomorrow and is also facing possible charges in another rape two weeks earlier. So far, 46-year-old Sonny Borja (Department of Corrections photo at right) is charged in a July 14th attack, in which he is accused of breaking into the 38-year-old victim’s apartment while she slept and raping her repeatedly. According to the charging documents, his apartment was in the same block as the victim’s, and he had approached her multiple times in the days before the attack, including following her to a park and asking her to unnecessarily jump-start his car. Borja was arrested July 20th and charged two days later, at which time his bail was set at, and remains at, $1 million.

At the time of that incident, Borja had been out of jail for eight days, having spent five days there for allegedly raping another woman on June 30th, this time in his own Highland Park apartment. Court documents say he was released in that case because prosecutors did not yet have the evidence required to consider chargesm, but the case remains under investigation. In the documents for the charges on which he’ll be arraigned tomorrow, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says Borja has a “shocking and extensive” history of violent crimes. The cases comprising that history happened in Thurston and Pierce Counties, as far back as 1999, when Borja was in his early 20s. One of those cases began with a rape charge but ended with a plea to a reduced charge of assault.

Five reader reports received for West Seattle Crime Watch this morning:

THREE STOLEN CARS: Please be on the lookout for all of these. First report:

Stolen 2016 Subaru Crosstrek from 14th Ave SW and SW Cambridge street area last night. License plate BKZ1717. Currently does not have storage topper on roof. Please contact Heather at 513-709-9205 if found.

–Molly reports a dark-blue Honda Pilot stolen last night in Gatewood, license BYP8289. (TUESDAY UPDATE: Found.)

-And from Ashley (image is as-sent):

My neighbor’s little red Honda Civic hatchback was stolen this morning around 4:45 a.m. at the 4800 block of California Avenue.

We’ll add the license-plate # if/when we get it. UPDATE: BSN9988

ARMED PROWLER: The security-camera image and report are from Leah:

House prowler around 2:00/2:30 am on 25th Ave SW, off of Delridge. Man was armed with a hatchet (out in the open in his hand) and possible gun. White, mid to late 50s, long curly hair in a ponytail.

ADDED: incident # 2022-200434.

CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFT: Via email:

I’d like to report a catalytic converter theft from our SUV parked outside our house on 41st Ave SW between 100th and 102nd. I believe this happened Saturday night the 30th. I first noticed it the following morning when I got in the car to go to work. I did see a suspicious character with a loaded backpack on 106th and 39th Saturday evening. Please see attached photo of the remaining exhaust.