West Seattle, Washington
18 Thursday
We’ve been following up on the 13-year-old boy arrested for investigation of a robbery and assault at the Westwood Village Rite Aid last Saturday night. According to prosecutors and court records, he already has two other cases pending – and was wanted on warrants for both. (We are not publishing his name, as he is in the juvenile prosecution/detention system.)
The first case gained regional media attention – also a business robbery and assault, last September at a mini-mart in Normandy Park, where security video (aired in TV reports like this one) showed someone – allegedly this same suspect – beating and kicking the clerk. The suspect was charged with second-degree robbery, fourth-degree assault, and third-degree theft. Court documents say he was identified to authorities by his parents – his father is quoted as telling authorities he had taught his son to box and recognized his movements in the store security video. He was held in secure detention for some time but then, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, he was placed on electronic home monitoring this past February 14 (though the KCPAO says they have “consistently” argued for detention). One week later, prosecutors say, he cut the monitoring device, and a warrant was issued. One week after that, on February 28, he was charged with taking a motor vehicle without permission in connection with the theft last October of a Hyundai Elantra in Renton. Two weeks after those charges were filed, he failed to appear for arraignment in mid-March, and prosecutors sought another warrant. Since his arrest last weekend, he has pleaded not guilty. Tomorrow is the deadline for charges in the new case; prosecutors asked that he remain held in secure detention, and a judge agreed.
MONDAY: Reported by Lisa:
Our 2016 Kia Sedona minivan was stolen overnight from in front of our house in 5600 block of 41st Ave. SW. We went out to find it missing at 4 am. It is a dark gray van with a mountain decal on the left side of the car above the back tire. The license plate is CJL4195. The police (incident) number is 24-94634.
THURSDAY: Lisa says it was found in Ballard.
4:27 PM: Just sent by Gary:
My bike was just stolen from the bike rack at West Seattle YMCA. Between 3:10 and 3:50 pm 4/7/24.
Description: white mountain bike, no name brand. Has a black bag/rack over back tire. Front suspension.
Seat has a tear on one side.(added) Also, the stolen bike has (large) wheels so it’s extra tall.
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: Gary sent a photo (and adds that the bike has “straight black handlebars”):
ORIGINAL SATURDAY NIGHT REPORT: Firefighters treated a 58-year-old woman for minor injuries after what was reported to police as a strong-arm robbery and assault at Westwood Village tonight. We don’t have full details of the circumstances, but it was reported to have happened near the Rite Aid store just before 5:30 pm. The victim told police that at least five teenagers – some boys, some girls – attacked her, taking her purse and wallet, according to dispatch. Officers found suspects a few blocks away and made at least one arrest. We’ll be following up.
MONDAY UPDATE, 11:37 AM: We asked SPD for the report narrative. Here’s their reply in its entirety:
On April 6 at about 5:20 p.m., Seattle police were called to a pharmacy in the 2600 block of Southwest Barton Street for reports of a strong-arm robbery. A woman (the victim) reported an employee confronted a group of teens inside the store for not paying for items and she also commented on the situation. She told police one of the teens, a 13-year-old boy, approached her and took her purse before running toward the exit. The woman chased after him. She told police she caught up to him at the store entrance and he grabbed her shirt and threw her to the ground. As she got back up and chased him, he punched her in the face. The suspect and the group ran eastbound on Southwest Barton Street. The victim called police. Officers found the suspect and two other teens near 18th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Barton Street. The 13-year-old boy was arrested and booked into the Judge Patricia H. Clark Children and Family Justice Center for investigation of robbery. The two others were identified and released. The victim was treated by Seattle fire crews on the scene.
We’re also following up with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to find out what happens next with the 13-year-old suspect.
Two stolen vehicles reported this morning:
BLUE CHEVY WORK TRUCK: From Terri:
We had our 2001 blue Chevy truck stolen this morning around 5:30 am 4/5/24 at our home at the Willow Court Apt @ 6901 Delridge Way SW. It is our work truck and has a side white tool box located in the bed, is an extended cab and has a long bed. Please call 911 if spotted. A police report has been taken: Incident # 24-91913
STOLEN BLACK SPORTAGE: From Michelle:
My car was stolen last night around 2:30 am on California Ave, close to Austin St. It’s a black 2017 Kia Sportage. License plate BKN1299. The police report number is 24-92019.
The report and photo were sent tonight by Chelsea:
Our car was stolen today from in front of our house – a blue Highlander, license plate BKT2250. 36th SW in the Hansen View neighborhood.
That’s southwest of The Mount (which is in the 4800 block of 35th SW). Call 911 if you see it.
ADDED: SPD incident # is 24-090308.
Thanks to Brenda for the tip. Seattle Police investigated a burglary at Advance Auto Parts (4505 38th SW) early today. SPD says they investigated a reported alarm around 5 am and found someone had pried open the back door to get inside. They weren’t able to reach the store’s owner/management at the time so they secured the door after confirming the burglar(s) were gone.
Two reader reports:
SCOOTER STOLEN AT SCHOOL: From Jody:
Yesterday while my son was at school (Madison Middle School) his electric scooter was stolen while locked on the school’s bike rack. This happened sometime between 8:50 am and 12:20 pm. I am assuming it will be dumped once the battery dies so thought I would put this out there in case a reader sees it. Or a student arrives home with it. The school did check their surveillance video and they state they show it there one minute and gone the next without ever seeing anyone near it. They state it just ‘vanished.’
The scooter is shown in the photo; we have a followup question out for a little more descriptive information. UPDATE:
It is a Navic T5, it has a grey base, black handle, with yellow rims. It is also foldable but currently has black electrical tape over the folding latch as it kept opening while in motion.
I just confirmed with the school the surveillance video shows it went missing at 10:05 am.
I filed a police report and it shows it is pending. The tracking number is T24006814.
ABANDONED-LIKELY-STOLEN SOUL: From Tim:
We discovered an abandoned vehicle obstructing the roadway in High Point this morning and called Parking Enforcement… where we were told first contact would be 7-10 days, and given Report #24-00080981. They transferred us to the Seattle Police non-emergency line, but after waiting nearly an hour on hold we have to get on with our day.
The Kia Soul, cream/off-white, has a broken passenger window and damaged ignition. It is parked on SW Morgan St alongside (a house in the 6400 block of) 29th Ave SW. The car was left over a foot away from the curb, facing the wrong direction and across from another large vehicle. We are concerned that emergency vehicles will not be able to pass through if needed, as other cars are barely getting through or opting to turn another way.
UPDATE: It’s since been moved.
On Friday, we published a report from Angela at Budget Blinds-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) about someone stealing one of their company vans and the sample books inside, some of which turned up in Seaview. Today, she emailed to say the van was found in Sunrise Heights: “The van and a lot of missing books have been recovered. … It was the WSB post that a police officer read and realized the van he saw down on 34th and Holden was the stolen one.” Thanks to everyone who watched for it (and those who’ve helped find past stolen vehicles, too).
King County Sheriff’s Deputies are reported to be searching with a K-9 after an armed robbery at the 30th/Roxbury 76 station/mini-mart. Two robbers were reported to have left on foot, westbound on Roxbury, after acquiring an additional gun by stealing it from an employee, according to the dispatcher. A “gray sedan” might also be associated with the robbers, as was the case in what was reportedly a similar robbery earlier this evening in South King County. Seattle Police are helping KCSO look for the robbers.
From Robert:
There’s a red Chevy Extended Cab 4×4 2500 LS pickup that appears to have been abandoned at the 4800 block of 46 Ave SW in West Seattle.
Condition of truck is pretty good; driver’s-side window down and tail light assembly has fallen off. Inside cab is in pretty good shape; however, the entire steering column and ignition is trashed. Police have been notified.
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
ASSAULT SUSPECT CHARGED: The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged the man arrested on Tuesday for allegedly shooting at his girlfriend at the just-cleared 1st/Cloverdale encampment. 42-year-old Pascual Ferrer-Gonzalez is charged with second-degree domestic-violence assault and first-degree unlawful gun possession. Charging documents say he “got upset with the victim and began hitting her. After hitting her he armed himself with a rifle and then fired a round at her.” After police arrested him, prosecutors say, they obtained a search warrant for the RV where they found him, and that’s where they seized the weapons and ammunition mentioned previously. He remains jailed, bail set at $300,000, with his arraignment scheduled for April 9th.
STORE SUSPECT CHARGED: Early Thursday, police were called to the Marshalls store in Westwood Village for a report of a possible burglary. They eventually found a 33-year-old woman hiding under a clothing rack inside the store and arrested her for investigation of burglary, though they found no sign of forced entry. The jail docket indicates she was charged with misdemeanor trespassing and released from jail today; the Municipal Court system isn’t bringing up documents to corroborate that so far, though, so we’re not identifying her.
POSSIBLY STOLEN/DUMPED PACKAGE: If you’re in the 4800 block of 42nd SW and are missing a package, Eric may have found the box, tossed into his yard. Contact us and we can connect you.
From Angela at Budget Blinds-West Seattle (2403 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor):
This morning between 6-7 am one of our Budget Blinds vans was stolen. It was seen around 6:50am between Brandon and 46th Ave SW. A wonderful & helpful neighbor spotted the van and as it drove past her many sample books flew out and onto the street. They were picked up and stored for us to come pick up. We’ve collected 5 so far. Here are a couple photo for reference. If anyone happens to see any more books, or any info on the van, please message me?
License Plate D27632B
2006 Ford Econoline
9:27 PM: Police are searching by ground and air right now for three people suspected in what they’re describing as a “home-invasion robbery” in the 3600 block of California SW [vicinity map]. The descriptions broadcast so far are a white man, 18, 6′, 190 pounds, white Nike Tech sweatshirt (whose identity may be known), armed with a bb gun; a Black male (age not mentioned), 5’8″, slim, all-black clothing, red Jordan shoes, armed with a hammer; and a Hispanic male (age not mentioned), 6 feet tall, white shoes.
9:46 PM: The helicopter moved on as they’d exhausted the possibilities, plus there was a lag of up to half an hour between when the robbery happened and when it was reported. But officers are still searching on the ground, including checking for video cameras in the area.
FRIDAY MORNING UPDATE: We asked SPD for whatever summary/narrative they have. So far: “At (9:08 pm), the victims were inside their apartment located at the 3600 block of California Ave SW. Three (people) entered through the front door and began grabbing items inside the apartment. (They) grabbed the victims’ cell phones, long BB gun, and marijuana products. The victims were able to recover their cell phones, and the (robbers) exited the apartment. Patrol, K9 and Guardian 1 responded to the scene. The suspects weren’t located. The SPD Robbery Unit was notified about the incident. This is an open and ongoing investigation.”
STOLEN SUV: From Jennifer:
(Photo altered to obscure face)
Our 2002 white GMC Denali was stolen from in front of our house this morning around 6:15 am. We live on Holly Pl SW and Fauntleroy Way SW. License plate number is AFN5614. Police report: 24-084094.
TRUCK-THEFT VICTIM: Just a few blocks south of there, near The Kenney, one of its workers’ trucks was stolen recently. Rick from The Kenney’s new management company says the victim is crowdfunding for help:
I’m sure you’ve heard about a couple of vehicle thefts that have occurred in the neighborhood around The Kenney. One of the thefts involved a vehicle owned by one of our staff members, Erick. Seattle Police were able to recover his truck but with substantial damages. Erick is working to help support his parents in Eritrea and the repairs are over $4,000. We are supporting his fundraiser on GoFundMe to help cover the costs.
STOLEN LAPTOP: Sent by Beth:
I had my car broken into at the Westwood Target (Wednesday) evening. I made the mistake of leaving my work bag on the floorboards of my front passenger seat while I ran in to grab a pickup order. While I’m sure my belongings are long gone, thought it was worth a mention as I was parked very, very close to the front of the lot/ front of the store so this seemed incredibly ballsy.
I’ve shopped/parked here a million times and never imagined I’d be in this situation so if it can save someone else the headache to be extra careful, at least there is some solace in that.
On the off chance it shows up as dumped somewhere, the most important thing that was stolen was a Microsoft Surface Pro 9. It was in a black carrier inside a pink/beige Anthropologie bag. It’s password protected, so if someone happened to find it I can prove ownership.
TC reports seeing mail theft happen just before 4 pm today:
Two men smashed the window on the mail truck parked on my block and drove away with a tray of mail. The men were white but I couldn’t say how old they are or anything like that. Both wore face masks and hoodies pulled up. I got a picture of their SUV and submitted a police report online, and I talked with the postal worker and helped clean up the glass.
We’re at 47th and Andover. The mail carrier told me that there’s a shortage of mail trucks because so many are out of commission, waiting on window replacements.
11:30 AM: SPD has released information today on the Tuesday investigation that blocked traffic at 1st/Cloverdale, alongside Highway 509, as mentioned by a commenter following our daily traffic roundup. Police say it started as a domestic-violence report just before 6 am. Officers talked to a woman near “an RV trailer close to an encampment” who reported that she was almost hit by a bullet when a man shot at her. They arrested the suspect “after several calls for others to come out of the RV” and booked him into jail, eventually recovering the weapons shown below in a photo from SPD, which describes them as “an AR-15 without a serial number, a bow gun, arrow, and ammunition.”
Police say the suspect is “lawfully prohibited from having any guns.” We are checking on his status; since he was booked yesterday, he would likely be scheduled for a bail/probable-cause hearing today. The victim was not injured.
12:28 PM: The suspect is still in jail, and we discovered in past court documents that he was already wanted in another case in which he is charged, so we are identifying him: 42-year-old Pascual Ferrer-Gonzalez, whose last known address on one document was in Burien. That other case is an auto theft in which he was charged in October 2021 but had yet to go to trial – there’s a long case history online; we downloaded some of the documents. He was found with the stolen car on I-5 in SeaTac in December 2020, and charged in October 2021. (One document notes that was two months after he was convicted in an assault, domestic violence, and burglary case.) He didn’t appear for arraignment in the auto-theft case, so a warrant was issued, and he was arrested two months later. Judge Veronica Galvan granted his release on personal recognizance. Various case delays ensued; he ended up in jail again for four weeks last November and December, until he was granted release again on personal recognizance, this time by Judge Johanna Bender, on condition he show up for a day-reporting program. A little over a week later, court documents show, he didn’t, so another arrest warrant was issued. He didn’t show up for a hearing this past January, either, so a warrant from that hearing was still in effect when he was arrested yesterday.
7:55 PM: We don’t yet have the documents from this afternoon’s hearing, but the jail docket shows Ferrer-Gonzalez’s bail is now set at $305,000 – that’s $5,000 for the unresolved auto-theft case, $300,000 for this new case.
Police, including a K-9 team, are searching for two people who held up the Harbor Avenue 7-11 shortly after midnight. They’re described as two Black men in their early 20s, (revised) one about 6′ and the other around 5’9″, slim to medium build, wearing black hoodies, face masks, and jeans, both armed with handguns, one with a black backpack with “rainbow numbers reading either 100 or 1,000.” They were last seen leaving on foot northbound on Harbor. If you have any information, the incident number 24-082819.
Residents near 47th/Admiral report “a man with his pants down masturbating and yelling at kids walking by” around 7:45 this morning. He was reported to still be hanging around outside nearby residences this past hour; police were dispatched again, but we haven’t yet heard back from them, so we’re reporting this as a general alert, now that it’s afternoon. We don’t have a detailed description but a distant visual shows the man in bulky clothing including a brown puffy jacket. The original SPD incident number is 24-081992.
12:36 PM: First Crime Watch reader report of the day, from Jennifer:
Someone broke into our car that was parked in front of our house close to Stevens and 36th Ave SW, either last night or early this morning. They took my son’s wallet and all his baseball gear, which was in the trunk. There wasn’t much in the wallet, but the baseball gear was important to him. Hopefully, the thieves may not find that useful and disposed of it. It was in a large navy blue duffel bag.
If you think you’ve found it, let us know and we’ll connect you.
1:18 PM: Second Crime Watch report of the day – Megan‘s stolen car:
My car was stolen last night sometime between Sat 8:30 pm and Sun 10:45 am.
I live (in the 3600 block of California SW). It was in a locked and gated garage. It is a 2018 blue Kia Forte, license plate BMH6881. Has a UW sticker on side window. Lahaina Crossfit sticker on rear window. And Green Bay Packers license plate brackets front and back. Police number is 24-080233.
Call 911 if you find it.
We have more information tonight about the home-invasion suspect arrested by SWAT officers near Fauntleroy/Hudson on Wednesday. We’re identifying him because he’s being held on another case in which he’s charged, as well as this one in which charges are still pending. Total bail for 20-year-old Tyler L. Taylor is $700,000. A half-million of that is for the home-invasion robbery in which he’s accused, while most of the rest is for the case in which he’s charged. That case involves domestic-violence assault and unlawful gun possession, stemming from a January incident at his home in North Seattle, in which he allegedly threatened to pistol-whip family members. Though Taylor does not have a felony record, he was not supposed to have the gun under terms of a protection order against him. He was arrested after that incident; the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office wanted his bail set at $350,000, but the (unidentified) first-appearance judge set it at $75,000, and after a week, Taylor got out on bond.
According to probable-cause documents from his hearing today, that was almost two months after the home invasion for which he’s being held now. It happened in North Seattle on December 2nd; four men broke into a house and held a couple at gunpoint for more than an hour while stealing items including a car and forcing them to access their bank accounts online. (The narrative notes that the robbers at one point argued over how debit and credit cards work.) Taylor and other suspects were eventually found through use of the victims’ stolen cards at stores and ATMs from which security video was procured, plus cross-referenced cell phone records. The probable-cause documents also say Taylor used a stolen card to buy a $550 virtual-reality headset from a Best Buy store and linked his own account to the purchase.
None of the court documents in either case give any hints as to what Taylor was doing in West Seattle at the time of his arrest Wednesday, nor how police knew to find him there, but one document does say he threw a handgun over a fence before he was taken into custody. It was recovered, and found to have been illegally modified to automatic. Taylor was one of three suspects arrested yesterday; the other two arrests happened outside West Seattle. Potential charges Taylor faces in this case, according to prosecutors, are first-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping, ID theft, motor-vehicle theft, and second-degree unlawful firearm possession.
5:06 PM: At midday today, we got a tip about an apparent warrant arrest, with tactical officers, at (corrected) Fauntleroy/Hudson (and the security-camera image above). The operation was wrapping up and everyone was gone by the time we arrived, but officers had told dispatch they had one person in custody. There were also indications that other agencies were involved, so we’ve been following up to try to find out more. SPD just told us, in response to our inquiry, that the West Seattle arrest was one of the suspects mentioned in their newest post:
This morning, at various locations throughout the city, detectives arrested three suspects involved in a series of home invasion robberies.
During one of the robberies, in the Lake City neighborhood, the suspects were armed with handguns and rifles. They allegedly entered the victim’s home while they were sleeping, woke them up, and demanded the victims unlock electronic devices found inside the house.
Over the past several months, Seattle Police Robbery detectives and Mountlake Terrace Police Department detectives have been investigating similar robberies and were able to identify three of the involved suspects.
Today, in a joint arrest operation with Seattle SWAT, North Sound Metro SWAT, all three suspects were placed into custody. During one of the arrests a firearm was recovered.
A 21-year-old male was booked into King County Jail (KCJ) for investigation of robbery. A 20-year-old male was booked for robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. A 27-year-old was booked into Snohomish County jail for robbery.
We’re now trying to find out which suspect was the one arrested here, and exactly which incident(s) he was wanted for.
6:06 PM: Seattle Police say the man arrested at Fauntleroy/Hudson was the 20-year-old they mentioned. He was just booked into King County Jail, where the docket shows other cases in which he is charged; we’ll be reviewing those documents soon as we can download them.
Maybe you’ll help find Cameron‘s scooter:
I just moved to West Seattle from Belltown about a week ago and am excited to be in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, within a few days of moving, my scooter was stolen.
Make and model: Genuine Hooligan 170cc
Color: black
Year: 2016
License: 2K8049
We’ll add the police report # when we get it. (Added: It’s 24-069706.)
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