West Seattle, Washington
27 Sunday
3:25 AM: Police investigating reports of suspected gunfire along Harbor Avenue SW have found at least four shell casings, according to radio communication. We haven’t heard exactly where; their search had included the Salty’s/Seacrest vicinity.
3:35 AM: Officers also have reported finding an unoccupied vehicle that might be related, and blood nearby, but so far no victim.
Two items in West Seattle Crime Watch:
HIT-RUN: Anybody know who might have done that to Rebecca’s car in Seaview?
She says, “Came out (Thursday) morning to find my car had been hit while parked overnight in front of my house on 45th between Juneau and Findlay. I think I heard something (Wednesday night) around 9:30 pm. I’m interested if anyone has any information or saw / heard anything.” It’s been reported to police.
SUSPECTED GUNFIRE: We received multiple questions this morning about possible gunshots heard around quarter to 4 this morning near 40th/Edmunds, so we checked with police. They tell us they got multiple calls: “Officers searched the area, no damage, no evidence located.”
The photo is from Steve, who hopes you will be on the lookout for his car, stolen overnight from Arrowhead Gardens in southeast West Seattle. It’s a Subaru Legacy Wagon, plates ARP2064, gray with cracked windshield and scrapes and dents, and he discovered it missing just as he needed to leave for work this morning. He adds, “Just got my Good to Go sticker and it has an SHAG Arrowhead Gardens sticker on the back window.” If you see it, call 911.
Phil reports his 2017 gray Kia Sorento SXL was stolen from his driveway on Wright Avenue SW north of Lincoln Park last night. License #KJF9263, “matching scratches on middle passenger doors on left and right sides.” If you see it, call 911.
(WSB photo, Sunday night)
Busy weekend in West Seattle Crime Watch coverage. We followed up today on a Sunday night case in which two suspects were arrested, the burglary at an under-construction home in the 5600 block of Beach Drive. The 36-year-old male suspect tracked down by a K-9 team remains in jail, bail set at $2,000. The jail register shows it’s his fifth booking this year; the others were related to warrants. The 53-year-old female suspect does not have recent bookings but does have a decade-plus record of arrests. Both are facing burglary charges; she also is facing a possible drug charge, as police found a baggie of suspected meth in her purse. The police report reveals that a major factor in their inability to make a getaway was that their pickup truck was stuck in the “wet, deep, slippery mud” at the construction site. One other note: The report also explains why SFD was called to the scene – the male suspect claimed he had “overdosed,” but he was eventually cleared for jail booking. The report indicates the burglary was interrupted before anything was removed from the construction site.
8:59 PM: Police are investigating a shooting reported at 15th SW/SW Holden, and they’re closing Holden after finding at least two shell casings. One person is reported to be injured, but she’s not at the scene – she either was in, or got into, a car, and is at 4th/Michigan, just off the north end of the 1st Avenue S. Bridge.
9:09 PM: Police are searching the area near the shooting scene, with a K9 team. Meantime, the victim, reported to have been shot in the hip, is being taken to Harborview Medical Center.
9:32 PM: Police say the victim’s injuries are not life-threatening. They expect to reopen Holden shortly.
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: SFD tells us the victim is a 20-year-old woman, assessed as being in stable condition when taken to the hospital.
7:26 PM: Busy night for police. Now they’re on a reported hit-run at 35th/Morgan, with a possible suspect/vehicle located a few blocks east, according to radio communication. Avoid that stretch of Morgan for a while.
7:58 PM: Police have 1 person in custody.
(Added: WSB photos)
5:35 PM: Here’s why police, with K9, are searching along Beach Drive just south of Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook: They have one person in custody but are still looking for another after a reported burglary. We don’t know exactly where that happened but police were centered around Beach Dr/Angeline.
5:50 PM: A second person is now reported in custody near the burglary location, 5600 block of Beach Drive. We were nearby when we got word so we’re confirming firsthand.
5:59 PM: At the scene we have also learned the break-in was at an under-construction house on the east slope. A vehicle apparently associated with the incident will be impounded.
1:03 PM: If you’re seeing/hearing a big police response near Riverview Playfield – police were trying to catch two suspects in a reported auto theft and it turned into an on-foot chase.
One person was caught by police, another by a bystander. (updated) A vehicle related to this was abandoned nearby on SW Austin.
1:21 PM: 2 juveniles have been arrested. This turns out to be a somewhat complicated case related to the theft of a car that has been reported ditched near 11th/Kenyon. (added) Here’s that car, a Jetta:
Two other suspects reportedly were in it so now there’s a search for them, with a K9 team involved.
2:16 PM: The other car, abandoned on SW Austin, was being sought by Tukwila Police, apparently also stolen. The two people who left the stolen Jetta on 11th SW are at last report still not in custody. We’ll request the report on Monday if no further details emerge sooner.
ADDED SUNDAY: SPD Blotter has a few additional details:
Police arrested two teens after they carjacked a woman in the High Point neighborhood on Saturday afternoon.
A woman was driving through the High Point neighborhood in the 7100 block of 32 Ave Southwest at 12:50 pm Saturday when two teenage boys got into her running vehicle. The two teens then assaulted the woman before pushing her out of the car and driving away.
Officers flooded the area and spotted the car fleeing. The suspects ditched the car near Riverview Playfield. The two suspects ran across the field where a youth soccer game was taking place. Officers caught one of the suspects and the second was stopped by two parents and held until officers could take control of the situation.
Officers booked the 14 and 15-year old boys into the Youth services center for investigation of robbery.
No mention of the other car and the other 2 suspects, so we’ll still be requesting the report tomorrow.
6:48 PM: SPD and SFD are heading to the 8600 block of 18th SW for a reported shooting. More to come.
6:55 PM: At least one person’s been shot. Police are searching with K9 and the Guardian One helicopter – but no one is reported in custody. The shooting is now reported to have happened in an alley west of 18th/Thistle.
7:05 PM: The victim is female, we’ve learned at the scene, and is being taken to Harborview Medical Center.
7:11 PM: We’ve also learned at the scene that the victim is 19 years old. An area resident says the first they heard of this was a group of young people on the run, yelling that someone had been shot.
7:18 PM: SPD says the victim’s injury is not life-threatening. Gang Unit detectives have joined the officers investigating.
8:05 PM: No further updates, nor word of anyone in custody. Our crew’s back and we’ve added two photos above.
ADDED SATURDAY: Here’s what SPD Blotter has today. Not much beyond what we reported last night:
Gang Unit detectives are handling the investigation following a shooting that occurred Friday evening in the South Delridge neighborhood. The victim, a 19-year-old female, was transported to the hospital with a non life-threatening gunshot wound.
At approximately 6:40 pm, Southwest Precinct officers were dispatched to a reported shooting in the 8600 block of 18th Avenue SW. Officers arrived and located the female victim. Officers performed first aid until Seattle Fire took over primary care and transported the victim to the hospital. Fortunately her injuries are not life-threatening.
Officers learned from witnesses that the victim was with a group of other people in the alley just west of 18th Avenue SW and SW Thistle Street. The witnesses stated that an unknown male who was with another group fired a shot toward the victim and her group, striking her.
Officers searched the area for the suspect, including the King County Sheriff’s helicopter Guardian One and an SPD K-9 team, but the suspect or people he was with was not located. Gang detectives responded and will conduct the follow up.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch incidents:
STOLEN CAR: From Joey:
Our black 2015 Honda CRV (license # AXZ7036) was stolen last night from in front of our home on the 1700 block of Alki Ave SW.
If you see it, call 911.
CAR BREAK-INS IN APARTMENT GARAGE: Thanks for the tips on this. At least four vehicles were broken into in the garage at The Huxley (4754 Fauntleroy Way SW) Wednesday night/Thursday morning. We obtained the police report today. It says windows were broken on three victims’ cars. While police were there, the report says, building maintenance told them about damage to an exterior door that leads to the bicycle-storage area, from which the garage is accessible. They believe that’s how the burglar(s) got in. No description in the report, but it says security video was expected to be available for followup.
From Carolyn:
My son’s car was stolen from our gated parking garage at our apartment Sunday night south of The Junction near RiteAid on Sunday night or early Monday morning. It is a charcoal 2016 MAZDA6 iSport. License plate: BAY 5124. A police report has been filed. Please keep your eyes out for it. Hope to get it back soon!!
Call 911 if you see it.
Early Sunday, someone fired a gun outside a home in South Park. A man in his 50s who had lived there for 19 years was hit and killed. He lived there with his wife, daughter, son, and 13-year-old grandson. Your South Park neighbors are circulating word of crowdfunding to help the family. If you would consider helping, the page is here.
In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
GUNFIRE INVESTIGATION: 911 calls about suspected gunfire along SW Roxbury – one report was near 35th, one near 23rd – have police out investigating right now. They told dispatchers they’ve found at least one shell casing, near 26th/Roxbury. No reports so far of any injuries.
Two reader reports:
STOLEN ART: From Flóra:
Sometime last week a Swiss Gear suitcase was lifted from my minivan parked in front of our house on 46th Ave SW. I thought the car was locked but apparently only the driver’s door was. I am a textile artist, and the suitcase was full of my work: hand-felted scarves, some vests and the dress in the picture:
I am hoping to get my suitcase and my inventory back as I have some shows coming soon. Any leads are appreciated!
You can reach Flóra at fl***@********ts.com.
MORE VANDALISM: In this morning’s Crime Watch, we had two reader reports of car glass deliberately smashed. Here’s another, from Kathleen:
My windshield was a victim last night as well (we live at 49th/Charlestown.) Our neighbor heard it happen at 4am – a loud smash, followed by tires screeching as the perpetrators sped away. Pretty lousy thing to wake up to on a Monday morning! Sorry to hear it happened to others as well.
Comments following the earlier report mentioned damage to two schools as well.
We start West Seattle Crime Watch with the incident that led to a police search late last night:
AWAKENED BY A BURGLAR: We got a couple texts about a K9 search near Delridge/Juneau late last night and have now obtained the incident report with details. Around quarter to midnight, a woman called 911 to say she woke up to find an intruder standing over her bed. She told police she screamed and the burglar fled. She locked herself in her room and called 911. The burglar was described only as “an unknown-race male in dark hooded clothing.” He apparently entered through an unlocked sliding door; nothing was taken. A K9 team joined the search but didn’t find anyone.
One reader report so far today:
CAR VANDALIZED: Emailed by Mary, “Reporting property destruction – smashed car windshield, rock thrown through (it). Found damage this am, cross street 41st Ave SW & SW Hinds.” Police report filed.
(added 12:46 pm) Just received a similar report:
MORE CAR VANDALISM: Adrianne reports, “Parked car on Oregon and 48th Ave sw windshield was smashed with a brick. Car alarm and noise from driving vehicle woke us out of bed.” She sent this photo:
(back to original report) And a reminder:
PAWS ON PATROL: Second informational meeting for this new SPD program is tomorrow (Tuesday, November 5th), 6:30 pm at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster). From crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner:
You can help prevent crime while you are walking your dog! Paws on Patrol encourages dog walkers to serve as extra eyes and ears for the Seattle Police Department. This program trains pet owners to prevent crime, as well as recognize and report suspicious activity.
Well-behaved dogs welcome. Meeting includes brief training and Q&A. No RSVP required. Free dog tags while they last. (Here’s our coverage of the first meeting in September.)
(WSB photo from last Sunday)
Last Sunday, we had a brief report on a big police response at The Huxley apartments (Fauntleroy/Edmunds), explained at the time as a “possible burglary.” The full report wasn’t available when we followed up with police the next day. But today, the King County Prosecuting Attorney‘s Office filed a drug charge against the man arrested on Sunday, so those documents provide details on what happened:
The police report says the initial call was that two men and one woman were in an elevator with bicycle frames stolen from a storage area. Officers spotted the three trying to leave the building. One of them, 49-year-old Mark J. Fleck, fled back into the building; officers pursued him. (The document doesn’t say what happened to the other two.) Fleck was armed with what the report describes as a fixed-blade knife in a sheath hanging from his hip. He also had 3 grams of meth in a baggie in his pocket. And he had an arrest warrant for a probation violation. The charging papers say he has “a significant history of drug offenses.” He remains in jail, held without bail because of the warrant.
Two more reader reports since this morning:
STOLEN PICKUP TRUCK: The photo and report are from Justin:
My truck was stolen last night around 3 am from right outside my home in Delridge (12th Ave x Thistle). It’s a tan ’97 Nissan pickup truck with Maryland license plates (license #: 7DD0397). There’s a cap on the bed of the truck, so it should look just like the picture. If you see this truck please let me know!! I really need it for work. If you come across it please call me @ (443) 865-2022! Filed a police report (#2019-406982) this morning that you can reference as well. Thank you!!!
(MONDAY UPDATE: Justin reports in comments that his truck has been found.)
SHOP DECORATIONS STOLEN: Alonzo at Our Secret Garden (4723 42nd SW, on the breezeway) says these decorations were stolen around 6 am:
The theft was recorded on video:
We will add the police-report number when we get it.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
NORTH ADMIRAL E-BIKE THEFT: The video and report are from Mandy in the 4100 block of SW Hill:
Our W bike was stolen from our side yard (Thursday). Locked to our deck. Broad daylight. 8 am … walked it out our front gate. We’ve filed a police report and have video on our neighbor’s camera.
The bike looks like this one.
DUMPED MAIL: A texter reports finding “a ton of other people’s mail near my mailbox” this morning, on 20th SW near SW Trenton. The mail was “from houses between Thistle and Cloverdale”; the texter dropped it off at a Post Office this morning.
(Screen capture from security video last June)
Three months ago, we reported that a warrant was out for Gabriel Putnam, the 39-year-old man arrested and charged after this video-recorded Beach Drive burglary attempt in June. Tonight, in a routine check of the King County Jail register, we noticed he’s back in custody. Two and a half weeks after his June arrest, Putnam was released into the CCAP program, but stopped making the mandatory check-ins, so a warrant was issued. The jail register and court documents show he was arrested in Idaho and was extradited here, booked into jail last Thursday and held in lieu of $25,000 bail.
(WSB photo, September 2017)
Two years after the murder of 25-year-old Edixon Velasquez outside his home in Westwood, his accused killers are on trial. The victim’s former girlfriend, 23-year-old Anna Kasparova, and 21-year-old Abel Linares-Montejo are charged with murder in the deadly shooting. He is accused of pulling the trigger, after she allegedly lured him outside his house. Kasparova was arrested less than a week after the murder; Linares-Montejo was arrested the following month. Recently revised charging documents accuse the two of first-degree murder committed in the course of attempted robbery. The trial is currently in the first phase, jury selection.
Manager Chris at the Westview Plaza Apartments in Morgan Junction wants to alert others to what happened at his building:
At some point late (Saturday) night or early (Sunday) morning, someone pried open all of our mailboxes (see attached – they had all been pried open, but when I took the photo some tenants had re-locked theirs)).
The building is in between Morgan Junction Park and The Bridge pub. Just thought others in this area might want to be made aware of that. A police report has been filed online but has not yet been assigned a case number.
ORIGINAL REPORT, SUNDAY AFTERNOON: Thanks for the texted tip about the big police response at The Huxley (4754 Fauntleroy Way SW). We went over to ask. Police told us they got a report of a possible burglary in the building, and the suspect may still be in the building, so they are searching with a K(. No other details.
ADDED MONDAY AFTERNOON: Still some details we haven’t been able to get, but we did confirm with SPD that one man was arrested. The 49-year-old suspect is in jail right now, held for investigation of drug violations as well as on a warrant related to a prior case.
From Kate:
My friend’s 1999 Honda CRV was stolen last night in front of his house 3200 block of 44th Ave SW between midnight and 10 am. WA License BMA6382. Police report was made. These are pictures of the year/model/color of his car (but not his actual car.) Please call police if you see it. It has this decal on the driver’s side rear window.
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