West Seattle, Washington
26 Tuesday
The Antique Mall of West Seattle in The Junction says someone tried to break in through both its front and back doors last Thursday night or Friday morning (July 15/16) They’re hoping someone nearby with a security camera might have recorded the culprits. They’ve since had repairs done, but they say the would-be burglar(s) “bludgeoned the knob and jammed the back door. It would take a lot of effort to damage that heavyweight set-up, and there are visible marks on the door frame from being struck.” Side note: The Antique Mall hasn’t reopened indoors yet, but they’ve had some sidewalk sales and are going to try to make that weekly, 10 am-3 pm on Sundays.
11:52 AM: The photo and report are from Lisa in Upper Fauntleroy:
Our 2006 white Toyota Sienna – plate ABK5160 – was stolen from in front of our home this morning. The kayak rack was attached. Please keep an eye out for it.
If you see it, call 911
3:51 PM: Update from Lisa – her husband went driving around looking for their car and found it, at 15th/Cambridge.
From the WSB inbox:
MAILBOX PROWLER: The video is from Ryan, who explains: “Sharing video of attempted porch pirates operating pretty brazenly on 48th in Seaview. Sent in to SPD but sharing for awareness.”
ABANDONED CAR: Kate says two stolen cars have been dumped in front of her house and wonders if this is the third:
She says, “This Honda Accord is haphazardly parked on the 3200 block of 44th Ave SW. It’s been here a couple weeks and doesn’t belong to any of the neighbors we’ve talked to. Also looks like the front end is damaged.”
Got something for Crime Watch? Report it to police, and then let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
If you wondered what the big police response at 10th/Henderson [map] in Highland Park at noontime was all about – it was related to a reported armed carjacking. After that happened near 2nd SW and SW Michigan (by the 1st Avenue South Bridge), police tracked the car (in our photo above) up the Highland Park Way hill and southward to 10th/Henderson, where everybody bailed out of it. At least one person – possibly the armed woman who was believed to be at the wheel – was reported to have fled in a second vehicle; two others were on foot after abandoning the car, and police arrested one suspected accomplice found nearby.
The investigation is being turned over to robbery detectives.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
CATALYTIC CONVERTER STOLEN ON THE STREET: Jeff saw it happen:
I witnessed a catalytic converter theft on Alki this afternoon.
At approximately 12:00 PM, I was jogging down the hill at California Way SW leading to Harbor Ave SW (near Marination Ma Kai) when I saw a man underneath a parked silver Toyota Prius. Another man was standing next to the car. They were both white, in their late 20s or early 30s, and wearing backward baseball caps and undershirts. A woman in a parked silver Nissan Pathfinder without rear or front plates was looking back from the driver’s seat at the 2 men. After a few seconds, they had retrieved the Prius’s catalytic converter and ran toward the parked SUV, and then all 3 drove off. I took a picture of the Nissan and attached it.
Hopefully I got the make/model of the getaway car correct, would appreciate input from anyone who might be better at identifying cars from suboptimal pictures. I filed a police report and am awaiting a case number.
Jeff also left a note for the Prius’s owner and has connected with them.
ABANDONED BICYCLE: Mason saw this abandoned bicycle both days this weekend:
There was a bike left on the side of street on Holgate & 44th … (Sunday) it was still around, maybe someone stole it, then left it? Any reports of a missing old blue road bike?
Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
MAILBOXES BROKEN INTO: From AL:
While walking my dog this morning I noticed that my mailbox on Cloverdale and most mailboxes on the 8400 block of 25th Ave SW were busted open. I’ve reported to SPD non-emergency but thought your readers would like to know.
TENNIS COURT VANDALISM: Players arriving at the Solstice Park tennis courts this morning noticed two nets had been tampered with and another appeared to have been cut down and taken, with only this (lower left) left behind:
It’s been reported to police.
AXE SUSPECT CHARGED: One followup today – a felony charge is now filed against the man accused of swinging an axe at a West Seattle Junction 7-11 employee on the Fourth of July. 29-year-old David D. Ailep Jr. is charged with second-degree assault. The charging documents say that the employee had asked Ailep to leave the store because he was acting aggressively, yelling, and throwing items on the floor. Her shift was almost over; her husband was waiting outside to drive her home, and she went out to tell him she needed to do a few more things. Ailep had just left and confronted her outside the store, the documents say, pulling out the axe and swinging at her; she told police that if she hadn’t backed up to get out of the way, he would have hit her in the head/neck/chest. The employee’s husband subsequently got out of his car and used bear spray on Ailep, who police say then fled; they found him in an alley a block away, lying on the ground, the axe under him. Ailep remains in the King County Jail, bail set at $150,000.
(WSB/WCN photo, Monday)
1:37 PM: Thanks for the tips. We’ve confirmed with the King County Sheriff’s Office that the fire which gutted the LumberYard Bar and seven other businesses in downtown White Center early Monday is now being investigated as arson. Though the original tentative determination was that it was likely accidental, KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Tim Meyer tells WSB that they received “new evidence” that led investigators to “reclassify it as arson.” Though the LumberYard has posted on social media that “This most likely is also a hate crime,” Sgt. Meyer would not speculate on a potential motive. Anyone with any information should contact KCSO.
1:50 PM: We went over to the fire scene to see if we could find out more; no one’s around, but we did photograph the signs asking for tips – 800-55-ARSON. That’s reiterated in this statement we’ve just received from the White Center Pride Committee:
The White Center Pride Committee is deeply disturbed and saddened to learn that the fire at The Lumberyard Bar on July 5th has reportedly been reclassified from an electrical fire to arson. The possibility of this being a hate crime targeted at an LGBTQI+ gathering space is also being investigated. Not only was The Lumberyard Bar destroyed, but also 7 other businesses, many of which were minority owned.
We will continue to stand with all of the businesses and individuals that were impacted by this horrible act. Our community is strong and will never back down in the face of adversity. We implore anyone with information to reach out to the King County Sheriff’s Office with any information at 206-263-2070 or 1-800-55-ARSON.
The fire broke out after 1 am on Monday. No injuries were reported. But along with the LumberYard, it devastated neighboring businesses The Boxing Gym, La Tipica Oaxaqueña, John’s Hair and Nails, Rat City Tattoo, Nuggi, and Dottie’s Doublewide.
Two reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
CARS VANDALIZED: The photo and report are from Pelicans:
Sometime overnight, someone broke windows in 5 vehicles on both sides of the street on the 3300 block of Beach Drive SW, at Constellation Park. One had five broken, some one, two or three. The perps worked from the street side, as well as the sidewalk side. All vehicles were SUV’s. The only other cars parked there were a Prius and a sedan, which were untouched.
An SPD officer was cruising by sometime after dawn and noticed all the damage and the glass in the road. He took photos and filed a report. The incident # is 2021-171103. He said he thought this was vandalism versus done for the purpose of car prowling.
Apparently no car alarms nor anything else was heard. Please, if any one has overnight video, or heard/saw anything, contact SPD and reference the above incident number.
AXE ARREST FOLLOWUP: We reported Monday on a Fourth of July arrest – a man accused of trying to attack a Junction 7-11 employee with an axe. Here’s what more we’ve found out about the suspect: He’s 29 years old, still in jail as of this morning, and held not only in connection with this incident, but also on a failure-to-appear warrant in an unrelated assault case, We looked up the documents in that one; it’s a Municipal Court case in which he is accused of attacking a man on Capitol Hill in 2019. His prior criminal history includes an assault conviction from a 2018 random attack on a woman and her father walking downtown. Those case documents say the woman tried to defend herself with an expandable baton she pulled from her purse; he took it away and injured both her and her father. The case ended in a plea agreement and a 9-month sentence; he’d already served that much time when the case was resolved, and he was released. In this week’s West Seattle case, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is awaiting a referral from police for a charging decision.
In West Seattle Crime Watch:
ABANDONED BICYCLE: Ruth Anne says that Peugeot bicycle was abandoned on Puget Ridge near South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) in April, and she’s tried a variety of ways to find its owner, So farm no luck, so she’s trying here too. If you think it’s yours, we’ll connect you.
HIT-RUN #1: From Mike, who says this happened around 8:40 last night:
I wanted to report a hit and run that totaled the front end of my car on 39th and Stevens in Admiral. Luckily no one was hurt and the person was caught by SPD. But I really wanted to give a huge shout-out to my neighbors, who all came out of their house to share video doorbell footage, told me what they saw, and help clean up the debris on the street. One my neighbors who got outside first, flagged down another neighbor who was driving by, and it was that neighbor who was driving followed the vehicle, called the police while she driving and got the police to stop the person who hit my car. It’s good to know that even we’re in a big city, we still have good neighbors that come together and help each other out.
HIT-RUN #2: SA reports this happened Saturday:
I was in my living room when I heard the sound of multiple impacts on vehicles. I ran out the front door in time to hear tires screech as somebody sped off south, and saw a white car pull over with the driver emerging. His car was pretty damaged, leaking radiator fluid everywhere, and he was very shaken.
Apparently a black or dark gray Toyota (Camry?) hit him from behind, and pushed him into the blue Ford truck (parked), which ramped the curb and came to rest partly blocking the road. The victim then tried to steer away from the Camry and veered into the parked Ford Focus which was facing north in the south-bound lane. That car was also leaking radiator fluids.
This was reported to SPD but we don’t have the incident number, so far.
One more incident from the Fourth of July. The preliminary police summary says this was reported just before 9:30 pm last night – here’s the narrative:
Officers responded to the 7-11 located on Erskine Way to a report of an assault. Upon arrival, officers contacted the victim, who is an employee. The victim told officers that an unidentified male came into the store acting “crazy” — throwing things around and yelling. When the male left the store, the victim followed him outside. The male turned and retrieved an approx. 2-foot-long axe from his pants pocket. The male swung the axe at the victim — who managed to get out of the way — narrowly missing the victim’s head and neck area with the blade. Another store employee pepper-sprayed the male, who fled the area on foot. The suspect was located by officers a short while later a short distance away — still in possession of the axe.
He was arrested and booked into jail.
Police investigated an armed robbery Friday night at the Lucky 5 gas station/mini-mart (35th/Henderson). Their preliminary summary report says it happened around 9 pm; the robber approached the counter, pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the employee behind the counter, and demanded cash. The employee gave him what was in the register but the robber demanded money from the safe, holding the victim at gunpoint until that was handed over too. He fled with cash and the employee’s cell phone. Police responding to the area used a K-9 but weren’t able to find the robber.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:
PEEL & PRESS BURGLARIZED AGAIN: In Morgan Junction, burglar(s) have again struck Peel & Press (6503 California SW), whose proprietor Dan Austin sent the photo and report:
This should be a celebratory weekend with the Fourth of July and 100% capacity for the first time in 16 months at the restaurant. Instead we walked in and found that we’ve been burglarized again. We are frantically trying to replace some critical equipment with hopes of being able to open later tonight.
ADDED: Some followup information:
Security hard drive was taken. They also got a week’s worth of my kitchen’s tips :-(. I just want neighbors to be aware and if folks want to buy some food over the next … it wouldn’t hurt. Thanks to White Center Glass for moving as fast as possible to get the glass replaced early next week and to the folks at The Bridge for helping me, temporarily securing the back door. The business community and neighborhood always rally.
CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THIEVES’ GETAWAY CAR: The video is from Sarah:
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My husband caught these guys taking our catalytic converter on our Prius. Older model white Dodge Durango, tinted windows, silver rims. End of the license plate is 793P or 723P. Contact police if you see this vehicle.
This happened before 6 am today in the Fairmount Park area.
Be on the lookout for Tom‘s stolen car, a dark-blue 1997 Subaru Outback, license AXH 2450, taken from the 3900 block of 42nd SW (corner of SW Bradford) on Wednesday night. If you see it, call 911.
(WSB photo)
That’s a photo of Tilorae Shepherd, the 22-year-old Federal Way man shot and killed at Alki on Monday night. Just before family and friends gathered at the beach this evening for a memorial, charges were filed in the shooting that took his life and injured three other people.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed a second-degree murder charge and two first-degree-assault charges against 19-year-old Milton Arnold III of Des Moines, who’s been in custody since shortly after the shooting. The charging documents tell the story of what witnesses told police happened that night.
First – the charging documents reveal that while Arnold has no history of criminal convictions, in addition to the domestic-violence arrest last November that we mentioned in our previous coverage, he was also facing possible charges in an incident less than two months ago. Federal Way police say Arnold and accomplices robbed two people at a park there, at gunpoint, then hit one of the victims in the face with his gun, and walked both into nearby woods – still at gunpoint – as they pleaded for their lives. Charges had not yet been filed in that case. One of Arnold’s alleged accomplices that day, prosecutors say, is an 18-year-old friend who was injured in the Alki shooting – the one who was allegedly driven to Harborview, with Arnold in the same car.
Harborview, you may recall, is where police found Arnold. But first, here’s what else is the charging documents:
First, the original assessment of the victims that night as being in their 30s was incorrect. Along with the 22-year-old who was killed, and the suspect’s 18-year-old friend who was wounded, the two other people who survived with gunshot wounds to their legs are described as a woman and man who are both also 22 years old.
One witness told police that those two had “confronted his group about using fireworks” – one 911 caller said the woman had been hit with one – and alleged that Mr. Shepherd came over to defend the man, and “displayed a gun.” Another witness said that the gun was in Mr. Shepherd’s waistband, and that while he lifted his shirt to show it, he did not pull it out nor use it in any other way. As noted earlier, there had been a 911 call about a dispute involving a gun even before shots were fired; then the calltaker heard gunfire while that caller was on the line.
The documents say officers found nine fired 9mm casings at the scene along with two .25 caliber casings
Witness and vehicle descriptions were circulated among police, and when officers got to Harborview Medical Center about 15 minutes after the shooting, they saw a gray BMW arrive with two women and two men. The latter were Arnold and his previously mentioned friend, who had a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Police saw two guns in the rear passenger seat where Arnold had been sitting. Arnold matched a description given by witnesses, so officers took him into custody and impounded the car. (The two women in the car were questioned and said they had gone to Alki with Arnold but weren’t with him when the shooting happened, nor did they know his friend who was wounded.)
The other man who was shot was interviewed by police at the hospital, He said he and the woman who was shot – his partner – were riding scooters at Alki when they ran into Mr. Shepherd, an acquaintance of his. A short time later, he said, a firework hit his partner in the head, They started confronting people nearby, trying to find out who was responsible. At one point when they were asking two men if they had seen who did it, Mr. Shepherd came up behind him. The other men reportedly said, “Don’t come over here with that s—t, don’t come over here with that,” and then, the shooting survivor said, one man pulled a pistol out of his pants and shot Mr. Shepherd from just a few feet away. The survivor started running, and that’s when he and his girlfriend were shot.
Police talked to her too; she said she and her boyfriend got into “a little confrontation” with people over the fireworks but worked it out and were walking away when the two men, believed to be Arnold and his friend, said something like, “why are you beefing with my people” – and then the argument heated up again, followed shortly thereafter by gunfire. She said the two men were with two women who matched the description of the ones who arrived at Harborview with Arnold and his friend.
In trying to sort out who was armed and who fired shots, police included additional information in the charging documents: No gun was found on or near Mr. Shepherd, but a Glock .357 SIG magazine was found on him. A relative later contacted police and said Mr. Shepherd may have had his Glock 32 Gen 4 pistol with him when he was killed and provided the serial number. No casings of that type were found at the scene, just the 9mm and 25-caliber ones mentioned earlier. Detectives believe all the 9mm casings were from the same gun.
Earlier today police got a search warrant for the impounded BMW. Inside it they found a Glock 32 – but with a different serial number than the one given by Mr. Shepherd’s relative – along with a Beretta that fires “the equivalent of” a .25-caliber round, and a 9mm “ghost gun,” made from different parts. Neither the Glock nor the Beretta had ammunition but the 9mm gun had a 21-round magazine with ‘additional live 9mm rounds.” They also found a blue hat similar to what witnesses had described, and a bloody white T-shirt.
A judge set Arnold’s bail today at $2 million. He remains in the King County Jail and will be arraigned later this month.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes today:
ANOTHER OFFERUP USER ROBBED: The newest post on SPD Blotter spotlights three recent armed robberies of people who say it happened after they responded to OfferUp ads – two of them in West Seattle. We’ve already reported on the first one, two weeks ago in Riverview. SPD says the other West Seattle case happened this past Tuesday (June 29th), in which “a man reported he had met a man purportedly selling a car on OfferUp in the 6500 block of 30th Avenue SW, only to have the seller pull a gun on him, demand cash, and threaten to shoot him.” If you have any information about these cases, you can call SPD’s Robbery Unit at 206-684-5535.
SUSPECTED CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFT ATTEMPT: Emailed by a reader:
We scared off a trespasser the police believe was attempting to steal our catalytic converter at approximately 6:30 this morning, 5400 block of 49th Ave SW. A white male, 30’s, dark T-shirt and jeans, was brazenly checking our vehicle in our driveway, near our open front window. When the trespasser saw/heard us, he ran to the passenger side of a small, ‘90-’00 black sedan, headed north on 49th. SPD was quick to respond but our cameras did not get a vehicle plate number so these folks are likely still prowling.
You might have seen regional-news reports about more than a dozen arrests today in what federal agents describe as “an investigation involving armed drug trafficking.” We’ve learned that one of the warrants was served in West Seattle. A reader told us a major law-enforcement response including federal agents and local officers had been at her apartment building near Westwood Village early today. We didn’t get an address but did confirm with authorities that one of the search warrants involved today was for an address on SW Barton. We don’t know yet if an arrest resulted at that location; the court documents made public so far don’t match addresses to names. In all, the U.S. Attorney’s Office says 12 people were arrested today in King and Pierce counties, indicted for alleged drug-distribution conspiracy. Its announcement adds, “Today alone officers seized 48 guns, 2 kilograms of cocaine, 2 pounds of methamphetamine, several thousand fentanyl pills and two illegal marijuana grows. An additional $120,000 cash was also seized.” Agencies participating in the raids included FBI, DEA, Seattle Police, HSI, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, King County Sheriff’s Office, Valley SWAT, Kent Police Department, ATF, and Narcotics/Currency/Firearms K9 support from seven agencies.
(Early Tuesday photo by David Hutchinson)
3:35 PM: Seattle Police have announced a 19-year-old man is in custody for investigation of homicide, suspected in the Monday night shooting that killed one person and injured three on Alki (WSB coverage here). The update on SPD Blotter says the suspect actually was arrested “several hours after” the shooting, though SPD told us yesterday afternoon there were no new developments. Working on more details, which we’ll add as we get them.
4 PM: The jail roster shows the suspect was booked around 9 am yesterday. So far the only thing we’ve found on his record is an arrest last November for allegedly threatening to shoot a cousin at their mutual great-grandmother’s house in Seattle’s Judkins Park area. The police report from that case shows a Des Moines address for the suspect (added: today’s court documents confirm that).
4:37 PM: A bit more information from the probable-cause documents just received from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. First: The suspect is the person we mentioned in our original coverage as having been detained at the hospital after one of the shooting victims was taken there in a private vehicle. Police say that where the suspect was sitting in that car, they found “two semi-automatic handguns.” Also in the court document: One of the shooting survivors, who had a gunshot wound to the leg, told police the gunfire was preceded by “a dispute over fireworks.”
10:13 PM: The victim’s family identifies him as Tilorae Shepherd, 22, of Federal Way, and is crowdfunding for funeral expenses.
Our photo shows a Seattle Police car we saw at Alki Beach early this evening, as the first night after a shooting that killed one person and put three others in the hospital (WSB coverage here). No new developments in the investigation today, SPD tells us. We asked Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Kevin Grossman about the plan for police presence in the days/nights ahead. Here is his reply:
I have requested that the SPD Community Response Group (CRG) increase its presence on Alki on weekday afternoons and evenings, and as we have been doing on the weekends, we will have on-duty officers from the Southwest Precinct assist the Parks Department on the weekdays in encouraging beach fires to be extinguished by 9:30 pm and in closing the beach at 11:30 pm.
We constantly attempt to match resources with predicted needs, which is why we have emphasis patrols on Alki on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This year, an additional challenge is the reduced police staffing citywide — to include the Southwest Precinct — combined with a rise in gun violence across the city. We want to staff events and areas appropriately, which means utilizing the right amount of police resources for potential hotspots while maintaining sufficient staffing to answer 911 calls.
The man killed last night – whose identity we do not yet know – was the fourth homicide victim in Seattle in a week noted on SPD Blotter. As for police staffing, we’ve been reporting on that for months – here’s some local information and discussion from a report back in January. There have been some major shows of force at Alki, though, most notably one month ago, on the night a crowd estimated at thousands thronged the beach for a party organized via social media (WSB coverage here) and the night after.
(Added: Photo by David Hutchinson)
12:03 AM: Police and fire are responding to 60th/Alki for a report of gunfire with at least one person possibly injured. Updates to come.
12:07 AM: Police are now saying there are three victims at 60th/Alki, one more headed to the hospital via personal vehicle. One of the victims at the beach is reported to be getting CPR. Police are closing off Alki Avenue at 61st.
12:15 AM: Police have told dispatch that one victim is dead.
12:26 AM: Police are detaining one person at Harborview.
12:38 AM: They’re also investigating a vehicle at the hospital that may have been associated. No confirmed information yet on the other victims’ conditions.
1:33 AM: Just got victim updates from SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley. She is aware of three victims, all believed to be in their 30s: One man who died at the scene, one woman and man taken to the hospital, in stable condition.
2:46 AM: This is the first homicide of the year in West Seattle, first deadly shooting on Alki in four years.
3:37 AM: Police now confirm the fourth victim. They say witnesses report the shootings were preceded by an argument between two groups. SPD also tweeted a video briefing at the scene from Chief Adrian Diaz (click to watch):
Chief Diaz speaks about Monday night homicide at #AlkiBeach. pic.twitter.com/FtWSpmYiav
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) June 29, 2021
The tip line mentioned by the chief is 206-233-5000.
4:27 AM: After 4 1/2 hours, police are about to clear the scene and reopen the street.
11:41 AM: No new information on the investigation yet – we will likely have a separate followup report later. Two notes from early police summaries: First – the shooting happened when police were already on their way to the area after a report of a “disturbance involving a handgun.” Before they arrived, dispatch updated it with reports that people had been shot.
During the investigation, there was one related arrest – the police report about it says officers were dealing with a “chaotic” scene and “hostile crowd” including one person who “refused to step outside of the crime scene, which was clearly marked by crime-scene tape. Officers made numerous attempts to reason with this person who refused to leave the active crime scene. Officers attempted to escort the suspect (after numerous futile attempts at reasoning) outside the crime-scene tape whereupon one officer was struck in the face by the suspect. Officers then placed the suspect under arrest for assault and obstruction, and the suspect spat on an on-scene supervisor.”
Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes so far today:
PEDESTRIAN HURT BY HIT-RUN DRIVER: The preliminary police summary says this happened at 42nd/Alaska in The Junction just before 7 am today. A woman in her early 50s, walking in a marked crosswalk, was hit by a driver who took off. She suffered a broken ankle and was taken to the hospital. A witness later called police with more information about the suspect vehicle, believed to be a black Kia Amanti with a license plate that begins with BYM. If you have any information, the incident number is 21-161387.
CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT INTERRUPTED: From Aaron:
Someone was about 30 seconds from getting our catalytic converter from our Honda Element this morning just before 5 am. We live between Henderson and Barton on 34th. Our lovely neighbor was going to ask me what I was doing that was so loud, so early, and scared them off. SPD was interested in our videos, which I provided them.
At about 1:50 in, you’ll hear what the cutting tool sounds like. Police report # is 21-161330.
FOLLOWED: We heard a little about this via emergency radio just after midnight, and now have the police summary. A 911 caller said she was heading for the Southwest Precinct because someone was following her. That driver followed her into the precinct parking lot. Officers made contact with him and he claimed a man he had just met in a North Seattle bar asked him to follow her home. But, the report continues:
“… (his) story continued to change, and after finding out (he) had a suspended license and ignition interlock requirement (with no ignition interlock), officers asked (him) to exit his vehicle. Officers then observed a kitchen knife on the front driver’s seat, previously concealed under the suspect’s legs. (He) claimed to have been following the (victim) from the bar, but (she) stated she had been driving to her home in West Seattle from Burien. (The suspect) advised (police) he was a convicted felon, stemming from a stabbing murder. A wallet (with Washington driver license) not belonging to (the suspect) was seen inside the car, and later recovered with the (suspect’s) permission. (He was) arrested for DOL Suspended 1st Degree and Ignition Interlock Violation.”
We are still researching this one; the suspect is 43 and the murder case apparently dates back to when he was a juvenile.
GUNFIRE: If you thought you heard gunfire in southeast West Seattle around 5:40 am, this might be related. Police got a call about that time from someone in the 9400 block of 9th SW who heard suspected shots to the east. They found no evidence of gunfire in that area, but less than an hour later heard from someone near 7th and Trenton in South Park who had video of someone shooting out a car window. Officers found casings; no reported injuries.
The report and photo are from Jonathan:
Seeking the help of our West Seattle neighbors to locate my daughter’s powder blue bike. Her Jamis Coda Sport, size 18”, was stolen from the back yard of a friend in the 3600 block of Othello, late night Saturday (June 26) or early morning Sunday (June 27). The bike had a gel-style white front LED headlamp and red LED rear light.
Here’s a stock photo of a similar bicycle. We’ll add the police-report number when it’s available.
Four notes in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
SHOPLIFTING ARREST: Another big-ticket shoplift thwarted tonight at Ulta Beauty in Westwood Village, according to the preliminary police summary. It says officers answered a 911 call around 6 pm; with description information from the caller, they found the suspect “sitting at a nearby bus stop.” Nearby, a backpack that turned out to have 22 items inside, valued at almost $2,000. Police say the suspect confessed to the theft and gave consent for them to search the backpack, The stolen items were returned to the store; the suspect was booked into jail. SIDE NOTE: This is the second four-figure shoplifting case arrest involving that store this month. We checked online records to see what has happened to the suspect arrested in the early June case, 31-year-old Jake Erickson. He was charged with felony theft and awaits trial on other unrelated cases we mentioned in our previous story; he was released from jail last Wednesday after 19 days, required to live with his mother under electronic home monitoring.
PORCH THEFT: Emailed video and report:
We live in Gatewood and recently had someone come onto our porch and steal a leaf blower we had left out.
ABANDONED BICYCLE: Texted photo and report:
Abandoned bike on 16th Ave SW and Myrtle. 7000 block. Looks like a well-maintained bike. It was on its side.
CAR PROWLS: Two in Upper Fauntleroy early this morning, both at WSB HQ. We apparently left the cars unlocked. Nothing taken; the glove boxes were emptied, worthless contents (pen and paper for story notes, half-used bottles of hand sanitizer) strewn on the front seats. As we’ve done following previous prowls, we’re filing an online report.
That’s Margarita‘s food trailer, when she’s using it, which she can’t do until she gets it back. She sent the photo and report:
I’ve owned and operated Mamacita’s Bad Ass Mexican Food for a couple of years. I own a small food trailer. In that time the trailer has been attacked and almost stolen 3 times. Well, today someone finally succeeded. It was stolen from 46th & Lander St. in West Seattle. 2020 complexly shut us down. We are just getting started for the year, and I have 3 events booked that i now cannot do. This is my livelihood for me and my daughters and granddaughter. I have been through hell and back in the last 6 years and this business was supposed to be my saving grace.
The trailer was last seen at 1:30 AM by a neighbor, and I believe I heard commotion around 5 AM which could have been the trailer being stolen. Police report number is #21-159383
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