West Seattle, Washington
25 Monday
Three reports spanning four incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
RELATED ROBBERIES: Police are investigating two related robberies early Wednesday. First, around 3 am, a man was having car trouble in the 9400 block of 30th SW when he was robbed. According to the SPD summary:
The victim saw a white vehicle drive slowly past him and make a U turn. The victim thought the inhabitants were going to assist him with his vehicle. Instead, the two suspects in the white vehicle exited and went to their car trunk. The suspects pulled out two handguns and pointed the firearms at the victim making threats. The suspects demanded the victim’s wallet, keys, and cellphone. The suspects demanded the victim’s cell phone PIN. The victim complied with all the suspects’ demands, and the suspects left on SW Roxbury St. Officers recovered a rifle round on the ground at the scene, so the suspects possibly have a rifle inside their vehicle.
Half an hour later, the robbery victim’s roommate got texts from the stolen cell phone saying, the report says, “he needed to be picked up because his vehicle isn’t working.” He parked in the 3400 block of SW Graham St when, the report continues, two people – possibly the same as the ones who’d robbed his roommate – pulled up in a white vehicle and pointed handguns at him, demanding his cellphone, wallet, and keys. He handed over the first two items but not the keys – and then ran. The robbers chased him for a bit, then gave up. But, the report says, “While the victim was trying to call 911, the suspects poured an unknown white powder inside his vehicle. Seattle Fire responded to check the unknown substance.” The report doesn’t say what it turned out to be, nor does it describe the robbers.
MAIL THEFT: Thanks to Matthew on Puget Ridge for the tip on this, after a neighborhood-group post reporting a letter carrier had been robbed. We talked today with a U.S. Postal Inspection Service spokesperson, who said the incident earlier this week was not a robbery – no force was used – but did confirm that some mail was stolen from a carrier’s truck. She said the USPS would be notifying the customers whose mail was taken,
WARRANT SUSPECT ARRESTED: Back to SPD summaries – just before midnight last night, an officer made a traffic stop in the 4100 block of SW Edmunds; the report says the officer “recognized the front seat passenger as a felony (state Corrections Department) warrant suspect and officers placed him under arrest.” The car’s driver, meantime, told police he had a gun in the back seat: “Officers could not determine ownership of the gun as the driver had no paperwork and the gun returned ‘no record.’ It was placed into evidence.” The passenger, wanted in an assault case, was booked into jail,
Three weeks ago, we reported on an arrest following a police standoff at the Cal-Mor Circle apartment building in Morgan Junction. The 44-year-old suspect was accused of two incidents at Junction businesses, first threatening bank staff unless they gave him money (which they didn’t), then threatening to kill a store employee who asked him to put on a mask. His case ended up referred to Seattle Mental Health Court, where it was dismissed because he was incompetent to stand trial. The judge ruled that the suspect was unlikely to have competency restored in the time allowed by state law for a non-felony charge. He got out of jail after 11 days.
We’re mentioning this tonight because the same man was arrested again early today, same place, again after police obtained a warrant, this time serving it with SWAT help. The suspect is accused of going into nearby West Seattle Thriftway late last night and getting into a confrontation with staff who had previously barred him from the stsore, eventually trying to steal an item and brandishing a two-foot chain when they tried to stop him. (That turned the incident into robbery.) With the help of security video, police identified the suspect and went to his apartment to arrest him, which they did just after midnight. This afternoon a judge found probable cause to hold him for investigation of second-degree robbery. But the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office tells us that’s also what happened in September, when he was arrested for a similar shoplift-turned-robbery at the gas-station mini-mart south of Thriftway, In that case, probable cause also was found for holding him on suspicion of second-degree robbery – but the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office never got followup documents from SPD, so they were unable to charge him. Days later, Municipal Court charges were dismissed in Mental Health Court for the same reason as the case earlier this month – competency and inability to hold him long enough for restoration to be likely.
In this case, he’s due back in court tomorrow for a bail hearing.
The images are from a texter who says this person tried to break into cars and storage at the Village Square condo complex near Westwood Village.
The burglary attempts were caught on camera around 5:30 am. We’ll add the police report # when we get it.
The photo and report are from Simon:
Woke up this morning to see the beautiful portrait of Angela Davis done by Desmond Hansen [at 30th/Barton] papered over with Patriot Front-branded “Better Dead than Red” poster. Talked with our neighbor who commissioned the piece and he is going to make a police report. We are notifying Desmond as well.
We checked back with Simon, who reports, “It’s been cleaned off. Thankfully the poster was still wet and my neighbor was able to remove it with soapy water without damaging the art.”
If this looks familiar, it’s the same thing, attributed to the same group, that appeared on flyers placed in plastic bags with small rocks and strewn in West Seattle neighborhoods almost three years ago, sparking an SPD investigation. The Anti-Defamation League‘s annual report on white-supremacist propaganda nationwide says this group is by far the most prolific.
Two reader reports:
STOLEN PICKUP: The report and photo are from Terese:
Neighbors, we need your help! Our truck was stolen from outside our house near Alaska Junction on or around Sunday 11/21/21. It is a 2001 dark blue Chevy Silverado 1500 4×4 with extended cab, has decals on rear window of US flag and WSU/Coug. LICENSE PLATE # B68902G. It is (or was!) in great condition – brand new trailer hitch, tires…
If you spot it please call 911.
Side note: before dawn a week or two ago, a neighbor witnessed two men in a tan sedan who parked in front of our house and broke into the same truck (both times locked, with no damage and no idea how they broke in), and pilfered the contents. (All they took was a red bag of wrenches). Not sure if the two incidents are related.
Thank you for any help! I’ve heard great stories of community helping to identify and retrieve stolen property, so here’s hoping.
Terese 206.890.2277
TENT THEFT: From L:
I’d like to report a stolen Thule roof rack and Roofnest roof top tent.
November 23, 2021 – A pickup truck drove by my house at 3:45 AM, and what appears to be the same pickup and a dark van then drove by the house at 4:56 AM. At 5:25, the same pickup backed up and parked next to my car. There were at least 2 individuals but I suspect 3- as it weighs 135 pounds. They quickly removed the tent and put it in the back of the pick up truck. One individual sprinted to what I’m guessing is the dark van. This took less than 3 minutes. They removed the entire Thule rack with the tent attached.
Police Report Number: 21-921995
Multiple break-ins, one person, reports Kelli:
At 5:08 AM on 11/24/21, our car and garage were broken into. A workbench full of tools, an Echo home studio speaker, a Kindle, a leaf blower, and my daughter’s green wagon was stolen. Next the thief went across the street and broke our neighbors’ gate and broke into their car as well.
This happened in the 6300 block of 44th SW in Morgan Junction.
Police have just told dispatch they’re finding shell casings and a “shot-up vehicle” near 16th/Cambridge [map]. So far, 14 casings, they report. No word of anyone hurt,
The report and photos are from Tomba, who :
Our condo garage gate was broken into last night 11/23 at 3:00 am. ‘
Our security camera recorded the burglar checking out the gate at midnight, he arrived on a bike, returned at 3:00 am on foot with tools, broke into the gate, then cut the security cable on the Hand Trike and left at 3:15 am, riding the hand trike south on Harbor Ave.
This is a Top End Force Three Hand Trike, black with red lettering, customized for a young man that uses a wheelchair full time. This is not easily replaced. I would think this will be very hard for the burglar to sell.
Maybe someone in our West Seattle neighborhood has seen this burglar or this hand trike.
We’ve requested the report number. (Update: It’s 21-921955.) Meantime, if you find the trike, let us know and we’ll connect you.
Four days after a desperate father crashed into a stolen car to rescue his kidnapped toddler on Highland Park Way, the suspect is charged – and has a history that includes a case reported here earlier this year. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged 35-year-old Samuel M. Robinson with second-degree kidnapping and auto theft. Robinson has an extensive criminal history, including felony charges in three cases this year alone. One was reported here back in August, and its circumstances also were bizarre: Robinson was accused of breaking into a Westwood home, stealing car keys and the residents’ car, then returning to their cul-de-sac the next night – in the stolen car, to prowl other vehicles.
As we reported when Robinson was charged with burglary in that case, the suspect already had been charged with felonies in two other cases earlier in the summer – on July 8th, auto theft for stealing a pickup truck in southeast West Seattle, and on July 28th, second-degree burglary for a break-in at a Kent business a few days earlier. Despite all that, after the Westwood burglary/auto theft, King County Superior Court Judge Melinda Young set bail at half of the $50,000 that prosecutors had requested.
But the case gets more complicated from there. Robinson was found incompetent to stand trial, and was supposed to be admitted to Western State Hospital for 45 days of attempted competency restoration. Apparently there was no room, so in October, Robinson’s lawyer sought a dismissal for a due-process violation. Judge Young denied that motion but agreed to release Robinson on personal recognizance, with conditions including taking prescribed medication, so Robinson got out October 19th. After Robinson failed to show for a hearing November 8th, a warrant was issued. Robinson’s bail is now set at $315,000. The charging documents say the defendant, who has a Westwood address, claims to steal cars because of “projection” in which the cars communicate that they’re intended for Robinson’s use. In this case, Robinson acknowledged becoming quickly aware of the 15-month-old boy in the car but continuing to drive anyway, thinking about possibly taking the child to a relative’s house.
Yet another local business is dealing with the aftermath of a broken window. The photos and report are from Floors Plus Northwest (6959 California SW) co-proprietor Liliana Morales:
We just wanted to let you guys know that unfortunately this past Sunday we had our window broken. Someone threw a brick into the store. Luckily no one was hurt & nothing was stolen.
If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 21-308686.
From Lori:
(Saturday in High Point) we found a shoulder bag with some electronics and other items in it sitting by the side of the road on Juneau Street, between 32nd and 33rd Streets. We brought it home and looked through it to see if we could find any name or contact info, but there wasn’t anything like that. Among other items in the bag, there was a PlayStation5. Happy to return it if someone can claim it by describing the bag and other items in it.
If this might be yours, contact us and we’ll connect you.
Two weeks ago, we published two reader reports from Amy – first, that her car had been stolen on Alki, then that hours later, a burglar had broken into her home while she and her daughter were asleep.
Images from the break-in led to a WSB reader tip pointing police to a suspect, but he evaded at least two arrest attempts. Tonight, we have an update from Amy:
Our intruder has been caught!
He had taken his white GMC with his wife to Nevada and was caught in a high-speed chase with police. When they apprehended him, they found my kiddo’s phone, my wallet with most of the cards in it, along with other people’s stolen items. And a gun.
He’s in jail in Nevada … he will be charged in Nevada and then after he serves time he will then be sent up to Seattle to serve time here.
P.S. Still no sign of my stolen car.
Amy says the arrest happened Thursday in Mineral County, Nevada, and she found out via a call from a deputy there. We’ll follow up with their authorities and SPD to see if we can find out more.
In July of last year, we reported on a local doctor charged by federal authorities with fraud for allegedly fraudulently seeking more than $3 million in pandemic-relief loans. Today, the Department of Justice announced that a federal jury found Dr. Eric Shibley guilty. From the announcement:
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Eric R. Shibley, 42, of Seattle, submitted several fraudulent PPP and EIDL loan applications to federally insured financial institutions, other Small Business Administration (SBA)-approved lenders, and the SBA, in the names of businesses with no actual operations or by otherwise misrepresenting the business’s eligibility. In the applications, Shibley falsified the number of employees and payroll expenses and concealed his own criminal history. To support the fraudulent applications, Shibley submitted fake tax documents and the names of purported employees who did not, in fact, work for the businesses for which Shibley claimed they worked. Shibley received over $2.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds as a result of the fraud.
Shibley was convicted of multiple counts of wire fraud, multiple counts of bank fraud, and money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 22, 2022, and faces 20 years for each count of wire fraud, 30 years for each count of bank fraud, and 10 years for money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
According to the online inmate roster, Shibley is in custody at the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac. The announcement says the feds have “prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds.” They accept tips online here.
Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch today:
HOME-INVASION ROBBERY: According to a brief SPD summary, officers were called to a residence in the 7900 block of 8th SW last night around 10:10 pm. A home-invasion robbery was reported there, with two armed men coming in and robbing a couple of money and jewelry.. The robbers then fled and got into a vehicle. No one was hurt. No description information in the summary; we have requested the detailed report narrative and will add anything more we find out.
BUILDING BURGLARY: The report and security-camera image were sent by Rick:
We have had some recent security issues in our building. We are on Harbor Ave SW right by the water taxi. Recently someone tried to break into our main entry door, damaging the lock and rendering it unusable. Over this past weekend this man pictured broke into our building, broke into a secured room, and stole keys.
Prior to this, an outside camera was stolen by the main entrance. It’s obvious these are professionals and our building is being targeted for theft and who knows what else. The police are being contacted, and yes, I realize we can’t expect much from them right now, and we are replacing locks and codes and stepping up security. Neighbors on Harbor Ave and in the area at large, be on the lookout for this individual. He carries a duffel bag which likely has tools for picking locks, which is how he gained access to a secured room to steal keys. Incident occurred early Sunday morning 11/14.
We’ll add the case number when/if we get it.
5:54 PM: We’re hearing that traffic is slowed or stopped on and near Highland Park Way hill. SPD and SFD have responded to a report of a collision. No other details yet.
6:06 PM: Officers have just told dispatch they’re going to reopen lanes except for one southbound (uphill) lane.
6:24 PM: There’s a King County Sheriff’s Office case related to this somehow, as well as the SPD crash investigation.
6:55 PM: All lanes reopened.
7:14 PM: Thanks to the readers who saw TV reports linking this to a car theft. We’ve just talked to King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Tim Meyer, who says this started with a car theft in White Center around 5:10 pm – a Nissan Leaf taken near 15th and 100th, with a toddler inside. The child’s father somehow traced his vehicle and a collision ensued at Highland Park Way and Othello. The suspected thief is in custody, Sgt. Meyer says; the toddler has been taken to Children’s Hospital “as a precaution.”
Police investigated possible gunfire in South Delridge last night, according to a report summary filed today. Officers were in the 8800 block of 17th SW around 8:45 pm Wednesday for a “civil standby” situation, as a man took his belongings and left an apartment. The report says he “walked to an alleyway, where he had presumably parked his vehicle. A few moments later, an officer heard a vehicle quickly accelerate out of the alley and then heard approximately six gunshots. Officers conducted a search for damage and shell casings, but nothing was found.”
Earlier this week, we reported on the arrest of a man accused of molesting and exposing himself to two children in West Seattle on Sunday. He was accused of approaching the elementary-age victims at 8th/Roxbury as they walked home from a park, This afternoon, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged 39-year-old Anthony M. Bell with two felonies – indecent exposure and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Bell was already a registered sex offender because he was convicted of third-degree rape in a domestic-violence case in 2008. The photo at right is from the sex-offender registry. Bell has other previous convictions including indecent exposure and assault. Prosecutors asked the judge to keep Bell’s bail set at $250,000 and the judge agreed; he remains in jail tonight and will be arraigned later this month.
A 39-year-old Boulevard Park man is jailed tonight, bail set at $250,000, after being arrested for suspected child molesting and indecent exposure. Court documents say the man was arrested Sunday evening, about two hours after the two elementary-school-age victims told their parent about the incident. A Seattle Police investigator wrote in probable-cause documents that the children were at 8th SW and SW Roxbury, walking home from an unspecified nearby park/playground, when a man approached them and asked for “a hug.” They said no but he touched them both and then exposed himself. At that point, the report says, a person yelled from a car that was stopped at the intersection, telling the man to stop, and the children ran away. Both that witness and the children’s parent reported the incident to police, and the description led to the suspect’s arrest near 16th/Roxbury. The suspect, who is not yet charged, was convicted of indecent exposure almost three years ago following an incident in Top Hat.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
GAS THEFT IN ARBOR HEIGHTS: Bill reports, “Our son’s truck had its gas tank drilled last night. We’re right on 35 Ave SW at 110th, this was before 11:00 p.m., under a street light, at a bus stop.”
BROKEN WINDOWS: We haven’t heard directly from anyone affected by this, but Nate reports the sightings:
“On our walk from Fauntleroy to the Junction, we’ve seen four Audi Q5 and Q3s with broken front windows. It was super weird that three of them were the same car. One in Fauntleroy, two in Seaview and one in Gatewood. One poor guy had walked out and discovered it just as we were walking by.”
Police summaries published today include an armed robbery at the 35th/Barton 7-11, second one there in three months (we reported on a holdup there in August). Police say it happened around 11:30 Wednesday night, and that the robber entered the store, “brandished a handgun, pointed it at the clerk, and demanded money … then fled the store on foot with money and the till.” A K-9 team was brought in for the search but the robber was not found; the summary does not include a description.
1:17 AM: The report and photo are from Jennifer:
My son-in-law’s truck was stolen the morning of November 11th, between 5 and 6 am, from High Point Dr. about two blocks east of Sylvan.
It’s a red, 2001, Chevy S10 pickup truck. The front driver-side headlight is held on with a zip tie. There is a dent in the hood and the metal is exposed, a dent on the tail gate, and a standout black front driver side body panel. These are a few identifiers, along with stickers on the back windshield.
We’ll add the plate # when we get it. Call 911 if you see this pickup – refer to incident 21-299367.
10:40 AM: Update from Jennifer – the pickup’s been found.
Last weekend, we published Amy‘s reports about a car theft followed by a burglary while she and her daughter were asleep in their home. On Sunday, we added her update that a reader tip helped police find the suspect’s car – but not him. Still looking, she says, and wanted to re-enlist the community’s help:
The perpetrator in the home invasion in North Admiral from this past weekend is still at large. We need your help tracking him down. There is a warrant out for his arrest.
Progress so far: The police identified a second vehicle belonging to him, and my daughter’s laptop was in it. He/they tried to reset it so it’s a bit screwed up but we are working on it.
Between his 2 cars, there were several stolen items including more electronics and jewelry. The police have not been able to get a judge to sign a search warrant for his apartment yet.
The case was assigned to the Major Crimes unit yesterday.
If you see him, please let SPD know. It was a community tip that got him identified … let’s help get him where he belongs.
The case # to reference is 21-294795
Multiple readers asked about a sizable police response last night at Cal-Mor Circle (the cylindrical apartment building in Morgan Junction). We had only fragments of information last night but now we have details. After a standoff, police arrested a 44-year-old man suspected of incidents earlier in the day, including this one at 11:40 am Monday, as summarized by police:
An individual walked into a bank in the 4200 block of SW Edmunds, approached the teller, and told her, “give me all your money or I will f-ing kill you.” The suspect has an account at that particular bank, so the teller knew who he was. He left with no money. The suspect is known to officers and suffers from mental illness.
Police tried to find him at his residence after that but were unsuccessful. Then, they say, this happened:
The same suspect entered a store nearby from the rear entrance. The victim said the suspect was very aggressive and threatened to kill the employee because she asked him to put a mask on. When he refused, the victim asked the suspect to leave. The suspect refused to leave. The suspect’s behavior escalated, and he threatened to kill the victim as he was reaching into his jacket as if he was reaching for a weapon. The victim said she was terrified of the suspect’s threat and action. The suspect then fled the scene on foot.
Police found him at home at Cal-Mor Circle later after being dispatched there “because the suspect had threatened to kill other residents and pulled the fire alarm.” Police say he barricaded himself inside his apartment; they called in negotiating-team officers, then got a search warrant and arrested him. The SPD summary makes one final note: “During transport to King County Jail via AMR, the suspect spat on an officer and two AMR personnel.” So far the jail roster shows his bail set at $3,000, and that his case was sent to Seattle Municipal Court. We’ll add anything more we find out.
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