West Seattle, Washington
25 Monday
The report is from Virginia:
I am a resident of Alaska House at The Junction. My catalytic converter was stolen sometime before Saturday morning (the 6th) while my car was parked in the Alaska House garage. A care-support person, who was also parked in the garage, reports that his was stolen as well.
Alaska House is the building between the 42nd SW parking lot and Junction Plaza Park. Virginia has filed a police report.
ORIGINAL REPORT, SUNDAY AFTERNOON: A woman says she was attacked in The Whittaker‘s garage and has started an online petition to ask the property management to increase security. Her story has been circulating on social media and the victim, Hillary, sent it to us early today:
I was in Whole Foods parking garage at 9:30 am Tuesday. A woman approached me very quickly mumbling something. I stopped like huh? She grabbed my purse and began punching me in the face about 5x. I tried to get my purse; she ripped my keys out of my hand, and I realized she was trying to take my car. I tried to stop her but she began hitting me in the back of the head with my keys. There were 3 women and a man that saw the whole thing but did not intervene. She took off in my car with my purse. The cops came but I was kind of out of it and left to try to track my phone. They never even marked my car as stolen despite that I called police later and asked if they needed more info or what was my incident #? Just no help and transferred to non-emergency line and nobody ever picked up. I called WF and they said there’s no cameras in the garage.
Hillary said she later found her car herself, near the truck stop/gas station at Detroit SW and 1st South. Her online petition is directed to Kimco, the current managers of The Whittaker’s retail spaces, and Whole Foods, the largest commercial tenant; the petition page says in part, “I definitely think that we as a community need to let large profitable companies know that they need to do more to protect their customers and clients.”
ADDED MONDAY AFTERNOON: The police media-relations office was able to find the report for us, though we couldn’t find an incident number (as noted in comments below). Here’s how the officer wrote the report (names were redacted by the media office before the narrative was provided to us):
I was dispatched to investigate a carjacking incident which took place in a parking lot located 47XX Fauntleroy WY SW.
This call came out as:
AUTO THEFT JUST OCC’D VEH DROVE UNK DIRECTION OUT OF PARKING GARAGE
Upon arrival, I observed witnesses with the victim who appeared to be very agitated. I tried to speak with the victim, who per dispatch was identified as XXXXXX, however, XXXXXX did not want any police assistance.
I noticed that XXXXXX had some redness on her nose, but I could not verify if that was a result of an assault. XXXXXX kept on saying “XXX took my car.”
As I attempted to investigate the incident by questioning XXXXXX, XXXXXX decided to leave the scene without providing me with any information.
I could not verify if the suspect had permission to drive XXXXXX’S vehicle.
Due to the lack of information I was unable to determine if there was probable cause to arrest the unknown suspect. XXXXXX had stated that her bag and cell phone were in the vehicle.
I spoke with two witnesses regarding the incident. The first witness identified as XXXXX, stated that he observed XXXXXX and the suspect exchanging punches. XXXXX stated that it appeared that the two parties knew each other, but he could not say for sure. XXXXX stated that the suspect entered the vehicle and drove away.
I spoke with the second witness identified as XXXXXX, who stated that XXXXXX had been in a yoga class with her, and they were walking to their cars in the garage when the incident occurred. XXXXXX stated that she observed when the suspect approached them from the garage elevators, and upon reaching XXXXXX began to assault her. XXXXXX stated that she was afraid to intervene and because it all happened so fast, she was not able to get a better description of the suspect. XXXXXX stated that the suspect entered the vehicle and drove away.
The incident is classified “suspicious circumstances” in the SPD system, incident # 21-290889. P.S. Hillary described the woman as “white, 5’7”, about 170 lbs, brown hair pulled back, in sweat pants.” The archived radio exchanges we listened to last night added the details of purple sweatshirt and black pants, apparently from the witnesses.
While routine lost/found items can be posted in the WSB Community Forums, some “found” items seem likely to have been stolen and dumped, so we mention those here. The latest examples:
JEWELRY: Gretchen emailed to say that she found, near Genesse Hill this morning, “a collection of personal jewelry items. Watch, bracelets, 2 necklaces, earrings. Fashionable but not high value.” If you’re missing jewelry, let us know and we’ll connect you.
And two bicycles:
48TH/CHARLESTOWN: Steve 37TH/spotted this one:
37TH/98TH: Lorraine spotted this one:
She adds that as of yesterday, it had been there “for at least 3 days now.”
SATURDAY MORNING: Last night we published Amy‘s report about someone stealing her car from outside an Alki business. Hours later, this happened:
Last night, I reported that my Audi A7 was stolen near Alki around 5-6 pm. It contained my registration with my address. At 4:30 am today, a white SUV (don’t know what kind this is yet) pulled up directly in front of my house, idling as this guy looked around my house. He then attempted to get in the front. No luck.
He went to the back door, threw a rock through a window, and entered the house.
He grabbed my purse with wallet from the kitchen, and then went into my teenage daughter’s bedroom. (Thankfully she was sleeping upstairs with me.)
He stole her computer and phone. He then left out the front door. I discovered this when I got up at 6 am. He is using my credit cards.
He has very distinctive tattoos on his face and neck. Thin, 5’10 to 6’ 1. He wore a Patriot jersey with 12 on the front, necklace, long offwhite coat, light pants.
It’s all on my nest cams. If you know who this is, please let me and/or the police know.
We’ll add the report number when available.
SUNDAY AFTERNOON: An update from Amy:
Update: 11/7: The police received an anonymous tip from the community and located him this am. Thank you whoever you are! They found a credit card tying him to the home invasion among other things in his GMC vehicle. They now know his identity. They impounded it.
Your continued help is vital to ensure this does not happen to other families.
If you see him, please let the Southwest Precinct police know ASAP or respond to the editor to pass along messages.
The case # to reference is 21-294795.
10:38 PM: Getting a few questions about this. The Guardian One helicopter crew was passing by when, they told dispatch, they picked up a Lojack signal indicating a stolen car, so that’s what it’s helping police with right now. They’re over Morgan Junction right now.
10:47 PM: They have the car in sight; police should be arriving on the ground momentarily.
10:49 PM: Officers have arrived; the car’s unoccupied, and the helicopter should be moving on.
Your help is sought in these two cases:
THEFT TURNS TO ROBBERY/ATTACK: From Lara:
Yet another catalytic-converter theft. However, this one escalated into assault, battery and robbery of a witness resulting in a significant head injury. We are trying to help SPD identify the suspects.
On 11/3/21 at around 3:10 pm, my friend witnessed two men stealing a catalytic converter on her street (34th Ave SW and Cloverdale) with a power saw. When they saw her, one of the men approached her, stole her phone and assaulted her by punching/shoving her backward. She fell down, hit her head on the street, and was knocked unconscious.
A neighbor came upon her, lying in the street, and called 911; however, he did not see the attack. We found out that there was an actual witness who was driving by. He also called 911 but wanted to remain anonymous.
My friend ended up having a cracked skull and brain bleed. It was very scary and potentially life threatening. Thankfully, it ultimately ended up a best-case-scenario and she is going to be okay. Such a huge relief!
Suspects: Two Black males, driving a very distinctive, multi-color “beater” car with red, blue, and silver paint. We believe it is an old Nissan Sentra. **See attached photo from a DIFFERENT incident earlier in the day by the same suspects and car. Note the man under the car on the right
One of the men had a beige pit bull on a leash and outside of their car – presumably for security. Thankfully, he didn’t release it to attack her, but it was aggressively barking at her during the altercation. NOTE: Another witness saw the dog off-leash at a different location.
Lara posted about this on social media and was told of sightings around West Seattle and White Center. If you have any information about them, the SPD incident to refer to is 21-252198. She adds, “Also, please be careful and do not approach these men if you see them.”
STILL SEEKING HALLOWEEN SHOOTER: This also happened on 34th SW, a little ways north. We published this report about a prowler who shot at a woman around midnight last Sunday night – just after she opened her front door to see what was going on. She was not hit, but police found bullets lodged in the house. The victim’s husband provided this photo from a neighbor’s camera:
He hasn’t yet been identified, according to an update today from the victim’s husband, but if you have any tips, you can directly contact the sergeant on the case at 206-684-5562 or spd6864@seattle.gov. The incident # is 21-290133.
Just in from Amy:
I left my Audi down near Harry’s Beach House, in front of 2137 60th Ave. SW. I left it at 4:45 pm today (Friday) and returned at 6:45 … no car.
I called, and the police called the towing companies, and there were no reports of it being towed.
It is a 2014 black Audi A7 4-door sedan, with roller derby and WSU bumper stickers. License plate BIF3757.
If you see this (or any other known stolen vehicle), call 911.
Firefighters at Station 36 alongside the West Seattle Bridge [map] have been attacked from above, twice this week.
(Photos courtesy Aaron Patterson)
A station officer, Aaron Patterson, summarizes what happened as: “Five firefighters’ vehicles were targeted and damaged. Objects were thrown off of the defunct eastbound onramp to the WS bridge. Rocks, bottles, eggs, metal pipes, logs, a car radio, and even a shopping cart were found on and around the firefighters’ cars.” This photo shows the shopping cart:
The first attack happened early Tuesday morning. According to the Seqttle Police report, responding officers noted damage to at least two firefighters’ personal vehicles, including windshield cracks rendering them undrivable, and found rocks in the parking lot, including “a large rock approximately 6 inches in diameter.”
The second was discovered around 9:30 pm Wednesday. The report from the station officer says, “Numerous large rocks, lengths of metal pipe, beer cans, large pieces of fallen trees, and trash were found on and around vehicles. Investigations by the responding SPD officers and the SFD personnel present surmised that both attacks were carried out from the defunct West Seattle bridge eastbound onramp.” After the first attack, the report says, “members had parked bumper to bumper on the east side of the station to avoid being directly underneath the overpass. … These vehicles were directly targeted as the distance was much greater from the overpass to the vehicles. The objects were thrown directly at the vehicles with malicious intent.”
The report adds, “This direct and blatant physical attack against members’ personal vehicles causes us to have real concern for our own physical safety. Had any one of the objects thrown stuck a person, it could have resulted in severe bodily harm, including death.”
While there’s no word of a witness, the officer’s report goes on to detail encampments nearby, including one that is described as having frequent fires, including some from which smoke goes into the air intake for firefighters’ living quarters. The report says, “Engine 36 has had multiple interactions with the resident of this encampment and directed him to extinguish the fires. He continues to burn. Also, it is of grave concern to the members of 36’s that this same homeless individual has erected multiple effigies of firefighters surrounding his encampment.” The report adds, “It is currently unknown who is responsible for these vandalism attacks on the members of 36, but we have reason to suspect that they are related to this issue.”
The report also has requests on improving safety for the station: “To provide for the physical safety of Seattle Fire Department employees and to protect the publicly and privately owned property (Marine 80 and a SFD Gator are stored outside) we would request that action be taken immediately by erecting a fence along the onramp surrounding the station, installing a video camera surveillance system surrounding the station, and requesting that SDOT, SPD, and other appropriate City agencies clear all encampments from this area.”
We asked SFD what they’re doing about the requests; spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells WSB, “The department’s Services Division is aware of these incidents and is taking steps to help address the complaints. Right now our focus is on adding security lighting, and we are also looking at possible fencing options.”
Three reader reports:
HALLOWEEN NIGHT GUNFIRE: This happened on 34th SW in Sunrise Heights and the victim’s hoping you recognize the shooter:
Halloween night we had an incredibly scary situation take place in front of our home in West Seattle. We need the help of West Seattle residents identifying the culprit.
We were cleaning up from a small gathering we had in our front yard for neighbors and trick and treaters. At around 11 PM, one neighbor and I during the cleanup witnessed a prowler in his car. We confronted the culprit, who exited the car and walked away from us while my neighbor dialed 911. The culprit was incredibly casual and slowly made his way to 35th Avenue SW as we followed him while talking to the 911 responder. The culprit turned up 35th Avenue SW and eventually we turned around to head back to our homes when he was out of sight. We then heard a bang that we assumed was a firework.
An hour later, I was in our backyard locking up when I heard footsteps again. I looked over our gate and saw the same culprit this time by my vehicles. I began yelling at him in an effort to get him away from the cars and out of our neighborhood when I shockingly realized he had a gun in his hand. My wife heard the yelling and opened our door thinking I was in trouble. As soon as she opened the door — he fired at her twice thankfully missing her but very close to where she was standing.
It was a scary situation and hard to take in. We really questioned for a while whether the gun was real but the Police did confirm it was. There are bullets lodged into our house and we found an unused bullet and shell casing outside of our house.
The Police responded quickly after the shooting and also came the next day to take statements and gather additional evidence.
What’s crazy about the whole experience is how casual the shooter was. He never seemed in a hurry. He also never said a thing.
Thankfully our neighbor caught him on video just before I encountered him a second time that night when he entered the neighbor’s carport in the alley in an effort to find items to steal.
We need help identifying the shooter — please contact the Police Department and reference this incident number (2021-290133) if they know anything additional about what happened that night or can identify the shooter or can offer anything to assist in his arrest. He’s incredibly callous and the police and we are worried it could happen again.
One of our neighbors who saw the video recognized him as a shoplifter she saw at the Westwood Rite Aid in September. She also believes he was a frequent shoplifter based on the reaction he received from the Rite Aid manager.
The first incident with the shooter was around 11 PM. The second incident when he fired at my wife took place around midnight. And then later that night we heard a shot again at about 1:30 AM/2:00 AM.
ANOTHER CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFT: Kyre‘s Toyota Highlander hybrid was hit Tuesday;
I would like to report a picture of the car that carried the thieves who stole my catalytic converter in the middle of the day, at a brazen 10 min to noon, on a well=traveled street near Fairmount Park Elementary.
People can keep an eye out so it won’t happen to them. Red Audi, blacked out windows, black license plate. Took 3 minutes!
STORAGE BREAK-IN, KEEPSAKES STOLEN: From Samir:
I just learned that someone was able to break into the storage unit of my (Harbor Avenue) apartment and steal my backpack full of my gear. While the gear can be replaced, I was wondering if you could put out a notice for Philmont bag tags that were attached to the bag.
I got these tags when I was 16 with the Boy Scouts. There will be 2 blue ones and 1 yellow one (2 belonging to me, 1 belonging to my dad). The backpack itself was a blue backpack with orange straps. If the tags are still on the bag they would be attacked to the outside by a carabiner.
The backpack contained items including a sleeping bag and pad, an inflatable pillow, and a water filter.
Two more West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight:
STOLEN PICKUP: Vance‘s.dark green 2014 Ford F-150, “slightly lifted, with an Aloha and a Montana sticker on the back windshield” was stolen. Plate C42998U, taken from the 5900 block of 41st Ave SW. Call 911 if you see it.
CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT ON VIDEO: Sent by Justin:
Justin says it happened on SW Edmunds near The Junction: “Broad daylight on a fairly busy street – unbelievable! Keep an eye out for the vehicle that did it, I bet they’re hitting a bunch of cars.” His car, like the theft target reported here earlier today, is a Lexus RX 400h.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
BIKES STOLEN, ANOTHER DUMPED: Less than a week and a half ago, we published Margaret‘s report about losing a bicycle to a thief/thieves who left another behind. Now it’s happened again:
We had two more bikes stolen from our shed (Sunday) night, and again, another bike was discarded. We live on Andover between Admiral and Alaska Junctions. The blue Schwinn bike and black Diamondback bike were the ones that were taken. The orange bike was the one that was discarded.
Please let us know if you are looking for an orange bike or if you see the ones we are missing.
CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT: Just in from Matt: “The catalytic converter was stolen off my car while it was parked in the parking lot of the YMCA on Snoqualmie yesterday, between 6 pm and 7 pm.” (Added) Matt’s car is a It is a 2006 Lexus RX 400h.
The photo and report are from Derek:
Once again I have to report another stolen vehicle. On Thursday or Friday our gray 2003 Ford F-250 diesel was stolen from our shop on West Marginal Way SW. WA license plate B70024X. Police report 21-290159.
Call 911 if you see it. (Derek’s previous stolen-vehicle report was this, in August.)
Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
7-11 ROBBED: Thanks for the tip on an early-morning Sunday robbery at the 35th/Avalon 7-11; we weren’t able to get details until today. The police summary says the robber walked into the store around 4 am Sunday, “possibly grabbed food and masks … waited for all the customers to leave, and walked up to the victim and demanded money.” The victim said no; the robber “implied that he had a gun and became verbally aggressive,” then took $100 in cash, cigarettes, and the previously suspected stolen items, before leaving on foot. Officers searched the area with a K-9 team but didn’t find him.
ARMED ROBBERY WITH BLOW TORCH: Around 10:30 am Sunday at the Westwood Village Bed Bath and Beyond store, according to a police summary, this shoplift-turned-robbery happened: Two people walked into the store; one went into the kitchenware section “and grabbed a pasta roller machine (valued at $199.99),” then “pulled out a yellow blow torch and burned the security tag. An employee smelled the burning and confronted the (thief),” who then “concealed the pasta roller and walked toward the employee with the blow torch. The employee feared for her safety, so she left the area.” The thief-turned-robber left the store with the stolen item. The second person was questioned by police.
FIRE STATION DAMAGED: Just before 1 am today, police were called to a report of two people ‘damaging” Fire Station 29 in North Admiral. We heard the dispatch but not how it turned out, so we requested the report this morning. After hearing footsteps on the roof, a firefighter found four people up there. Two jumped into a tree, climbed down it, and ran away. The other two stayed there with station crew until police arrived. The report says the station’s fuel meter was damaged because that’s what the four climbed on to get access to the roof. The report says one of the two suspects that officers talked to “wanted to climb something, and the fire station appeared to be climbable.” Police found a backpack with a case of beer, which apparently belonged to one of the two who ran away; the suspects who did not run had beer cans in their backpacks, though they were under 21. The two were not booked but will be investigated for property dsestruction and unlawful possession/consumption of alcohol, the report says, We’re checking with SFD regarding the cost/extent of damage to the fuel meter. (Added) SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley says the damage was minor and the station is operating normally.
Lura‘s yellow 2015 Nissan Juke was stolen in the Beach Drive area overnight: “The key fob was accidentally left in the car – we had traded who was driving the car but the key didn’t get handed off. So this may have been purely opportunistic – someone checking doors, finding it unlocked, pressing the “START” button. Police report made. License AXH4237.” The car looks like this stock photo. Call 911 if you see it.
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
SHOPLIFT TURNED ROBBERY: Last night at 9:18 pm, according to a police summary, a man shoplifted “three large containers of laundry detergent” from the Jefferson Square Safeway. Store security confronted him, and he showed them he had a handgun in his waistband. They backed off and he left. The only description in the report is that the getaway vehicle was a “green sedan,”
BROKEN-GLASS MYSTERY: Police were called to the Shell station/mini-mart in the 6500 block of California SW eqrly Wednesday for a possible burglary. The owner told them he’d found glass broken in the front entrance and suspected a break-in. But police “concluded that a person could not have entered the store because it was at the top right corner of the door and was too small in size. Additionally, the door was locked chained with a lock; therefore, the suspect never opened the door.” Officers checked “for other signs of possible entry,” according to the report, and found none. They checked security video and saw the glass break just before 3 am – but the video didn’t show anyone breaking the glass. It did show two men “wandering near the front door a couple of minutes prior to the window breaking,” and officers found “large rocks” on the side of the store. They concluded, “It is possible that the suspects attempted to break the window with a rock and left the window in a weakened state, allowing a gust of wind to shatter it. Also, a possible stray bullet or pellet gun could have caused the window to break. Officers could not locate any evidence of a stray bullet. At this point, the cause of the damage is unknown.”
IN CASE YOU WONDERED TOO … We were asked about what a reader described as a “tactical team” on Avalon Way this morning. SPD says those were officers from Bellevue Police serving a warrant. No further details available so far.
On October 16th, we reported briefly on a street robbery in South Delridge. Today police are releasing more details of the case, including a description of the robber, in hopes of finding him. From SPD Blotter:
Detectives are seeking assistance identifying a man who robbed a woman at knifepoint in the Delridge neighborhood.
Around 10:30 PM on October 16th, the victim had gotten out of her car in an alley in the 8800 block of Delridge Way Southwest when a man came up behind her, grabbed her by the throat, and held a knife to her ribs. The suspect then grabbed the woman’s purse, punched her in the face, and fled. The woman called 911 a short time later. Officers and a K9 team searched the area but were unable to find the suspect.
The woman told police the suspect was a Black man in his late 30s, 5’10, wearing a black jacket, white shoes, a black mask with three white stripes on it, and sunglasses. While police do not yet have photos or video related to this case, detectives are hoping the description of the distinctive mask will help lead them to the suspect.
If you have any information about this incident, please contact SPD’s Robbery Unit at 206-684-5535.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
ONE BIKE STOLEN, ONE LEFT BEHIND: From Margaret, who says this happened on SW Andover “between the Admiral and Alaska junctions’:
HI. Our black Novara bike was stolen, but someone’s else’s bike was left in its place so we thought we would reach out in case the original owners might be located.
The black bike is the one that belongs to us and is missing.
The white and blue bike is the one that was left with us.
If you’ve seen Margaret’s bike or recognize the dumped one, let us know and we’ll connect you.
CAR PROWLER: Texted report and photo:
Car Prowler on camera in Gatewood neighborhood this morning of 10/25/2021 at 5:30 am.
This car prowler was walking west on SW Austin Street and at 5:30 am came into my driveway and tried getting in our vehicles. At 5:50am he was spotted walking east on SW Austin street. This is the same location in Gatewood and same truck that has been targeted more than a dozen times in the last 6 months.
Also note – he is wearing a blue Adidas gym outfit and appears to have a Ace bandage wrapped around his left leg shin area. Following up the above- I made a police report online and they game me incident tracking number T21021940.
SUSPECTED INTRUDER ARRESTED: A 40-year-old woman was arrested Sunday afternoon for suspected burglary after two incidents in the Alki area. According to the police-report narrative, first police were called to the 3200 block of Alki SW after a report that a woman broke into a residence, briefly, and then walked out onto Beach Drive. Then what’s believed to be the same woman turned up in a back yard in the 3400 block of Beach drive, trying to enter that residence. Police arrested her there. The only thing taken, according to the Alki SW resident, was several pieces of candy. The suspect was booked into the King County Jail and the roster shows her still there now.
11:11 AM: We missed these in real time and no one texted, but we’ve confirmed with SFD that two early morning “scenes of violence” responses in West Seattle were both shootings. Neither victim is reported to have had life-threatening wounds, but both were taken to the hospital. The first was in the 1700 block of SW Barton at 1:51 am; SFD says the victim was a 36-year-old man; the second was in the 7800 block of Detroit SW at 3:05 am, and SFD says the victim was a 27-year-old man. No information on the circumstances in either but we’re seeking that from SPD.
2:07 PM: SPD has released a few details on these as part of a roundup of five weekend shootings in the city. In the Barton incident, police say they “were dispatched to investigate a man who had been shot in the abdomen … Officers spoke with witnesses who said they heard the shot come form the street or sidewalk and found the victim laying on the ground. Police searched the area and found a single shell casing but were unable to find anyone who could describe a possible suspect.” Regarding the other incident, police say officers got a call that a man had been shot, then “found the victim with a gunshot to the groin. The victim was able to tell officers that the suspect was last seen in a white Ford Fusion fleeing the area. Police searched the area but were unable to locate any additional witnesses or evidence.”
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
SHED BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: Scott reports that a storage shed break-in was “interrupted at South Seattle CrossFit (2653 SW Yancy) around 8 pm Thursday night. Police responded within a few minutes. Including catalytic converter theft and other vehicle damage this is the third incident/report filed in 18 months for this location.” You can see the suspect in video here and here. We’re awaiting the police-incident number.
CAR PROWL: From Ray:
Last night between 10 PM and 5 AM, my car on 17th and Thistle was ransacked. They took the toolbox but dropped it after 100 feet realizing that it’s old tools only. The only thing missing is my University of Georgia lanyard with my work keys on it.
BULLET DAMAGE: Police say a semi-truck driver reported that their truck “had been struck with one round in the rear passenger side of the vehicle” between 2 pm Wednesday and 10:50 am Thursday. It happened while the truck was parked in the 7100 block of West Marginal Way SW. The “fired bullet fragment” was found in the truck; police collected it as evidence.
Three notes in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
GUNFIRE: We’ve been trying all day to get the police report on this but haven’t yet succeeded. Multiple readers reported hearing gunfire in the Fairmount Park area around 11:15 pm last night. No shooting victims were reported but police apparently found some evidence, as the call was classified “drive-by shooting” with the address listed as 5400 block of Fauntleroy Way SW. If we get the report in the hours ahead, we’ll add details here.
(Updated Friday morning) Just got the police-report narrative from SPD:
At approximately (11:19 pm) I was dispatched to a Shots Fired call … Upon arrival, I performed an area check at Fairmount Playground and found no individuals or suspicious circumstances inside the playground.
(Another officer) located three 40mm shell casings in the middle of the roadway in the 5200 block of Fauntleroy Way SW. The shell casings were photographed and bagged into evidence.
No visible damage in the surrounding area was noticed.
I spoke with Witness (redacted) who stated he was walking with dog when he saw an individual in a moving vehicle fire a gun out of the driver-side window at approximately (11:18 pm) (and) stated the driver of the vehicle was aiming straight up into the air and fired 3 rounds out of the driver-side window. (Witness) stated the driver appeared to be the only individual in the vehicle and drove away heading northbound on Fauntleroy Way Sw.
(Witness) described the driver as a heavy-set Latino with light skin, a bald / shaved head, between 36-42 years old, and wearing a white t-shirt.
(Witness) described the vehicle as an older white Chrysler 300 with a tinted back window and cheap silver rims (but) did not get the license plate of the vehicle.
CAR PROWL: From Sean:
As I was taking my son to school today, i found my car ransacked. We live on the corner of SW Thistle and 35th Ave SW. It was unlocked, so nothing broken.
Our other car was gone through in late summer – they took the packet with our registration/ title that time.
Today the trunk and all doors were left ajar, and contents of the glove box and center console were strewn everywhere.
I had a bottle of prescription meds taken, and loose change… i don’t think anything else was taken. Please remember to lock your doors!
DUMPED-LIKELY-STOLEN BICYCLE: The photo and report are from Lee:
I recently found this bicycle with child seat attached in the Fauntleroy Neighborhood. It was parked in the back parking lot of the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse on Sunday night (10/17) It is a blue Trek brand, Gary Fischer edition bicycle with front suspension and bontrager tires. I would like to make sure it gets back to its rightful owner as long as they can provide confirmation with a serial number to match the bike, a key that unlocks the still attached U-lock, or other proof of ownership.
I can be reached at fauntleroycaretaker@gmail.com.
West Seattle Crime Watch starts with a reader report:
PORCH PROWLER: Bryan caught someone on his security camera trying his front door twice early Tuesday morning – jiggling the handle and attempting a key code – at 1:30 am (video) and 3:30 am (video). Neighbors caught what appears to be the same person on at least two other porches at different times. Bryan filed a police report, #21-277629. (Added: This was in Morgan Junction.)
SOUTH STATS: On Tuesday afternoon, King County officials convened an online community meeting about public safety in White Center’s downtown business district. SPD and SFD participated too. From the former, Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim presented crime stats and trends for West Seattle neighborhoods adjacent to/near White Center – South Delridge, Westwood, Roxhill, Arbor Heights. We covered the full meeting for our partner site White Center Now but thought you’d be interested in Lt. Kim’s slides (click to enlarge):
Lt. Kim also brought the year-to-date numbers for West Seattle in general:
We checked the SPD data dashboard – that’s actually the entire Southwest Precinct, including South Park. She didn’t bring up/down percentages for those but the dashboard’s stats for all of 2020 show three categories are close now to the entire 2020 year total – rape, robbery, and assault.
Seattle Police, with a K-9 team, are searching in South Delridge right now after a reported street robbery. The victim told police that a man robbed her at knifepoint, getting away with her purse. This is reported to have happened in the 8800 block of Delridge and the robber is reported to have left the scene northbound in an alley. That’s all we know so far.
12:38 PM: The report and photo are from Juan:
I had my car stolen yesterday, 10/14, from the parking lot of the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex at 2600 SW Thistle St (across the street from Chief Sealth HS) around 5:15 pm. The car is a black 2008 Cadillac CTS, Washington license # AHN6141.
The car had been parked in the parking lot next to the temporary COVID testing center for less than 30 minutes before it was stolen. According to a witness, the car was towed away by a white tow truck by an older white male. The car was parked legally and there are no private tow signs in the lot.
Calls to the local tow services (that I could find) had no information on the vehicle being transported or impounded, so I have reported the car stolen to the police.
If you see Juan’s car, call 911.
1:47 PM: Juan says his car was found. It had been “mistakenly towed.” (added) We asked Juan how that happened: “They were supposed to tow another car with the same make and model that was in the lot. The person who had the car towed to their house called me and let me know they had my car.”
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