By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:

*Around 5:30 Tuesday evening, a citizen called 911 to report that someone in a passing car had fired a shot toward a home in the 6500 block of 34th SW. As it turns out, a person on the sidewalk had been the target. (And the target wouldn’t answer any questions.) Officers did, however, have a description of the car, which — along with its driver— turned out to be well-known to gang detectives. It was spotted and pulled over in Rainier Valley later in the week. The 17-year-old driver, a Kent resident, was booked into the Youth Service Center for investigation of the drive-by shooting.

Eleven more summaries – and it’s a little grittier than usual this time, so beware – after the jump:

*At 15th and Henderson on Friday afternoon, a 24-year-old realized she was being followed. The man suddenly appeared right behind her, grabbed her class ring from the chain on her neck and ran off. She chased him and demanded her ring back. He demanded her chain instead. When she refused, he pointed a semi-automatic handgun at her head. “That gun isn’t even real,” she scoffed. So the man raised the gun to the air, fired a shot, shoved her to the ground, grabbed the chain and disappeared. Officers recovered the shell casing. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male, aged 17-20, with a fade haircut, white tank top and blue jeans. He wore a jeweled gold “grill” on his teeth.

*Around 7 p.m. Friday, three men stole a case of beer from a store near 35th and Webster and used the case as a weapon against a clerk who tried to stop them. (He was hit in the head but wasn’t seriously injured.) Witnesses saw the suspect run eastbound on Webster and northbound into the alley. Another reported that the three had run into a recreation center on 34th SW. They remain at large.

*As she jogged in the 1500 block of Harbor Avenue around noon on Sunday, a Burien woman was approached by a stranger who swore, grabbed her shoulders, and hit her. Bystanders raced to assist, and one said that the same man had assaulted her verbally but had backed off when she started screaming. The suspect, a 48-year-old transient with apparent mental issues, was booked into King County Jail for investigation of misdemeanor assault.

*After barging into a home in the 6500 block of Sylvan Way, a 37-year-old convicted felon first hit and then pointed a gun at a young woman who dared tell him to get out. A friend dragged him away, and the pair was later stopped in the neighborhood. Though the suspect had tried to ditch the gun, officers found it behind a fence at a nearby community center. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of burglary, assault, firearms violations, and for an existing felony warrant.

*Sunday afternoon, two men were booked into King County Jail for investigation of theft after they were caught trespassing and “looking for scrap metal” … on the grounds of the Nucor Steel plant.

*Overnight Thursday, someone jacked up a car in the 7400 block of Fauntleroy Way, stole the tires and rims, and left the car up on blocks.

*A customer returned a rental car to a local company. Inside the car an employee found sixteen rounds for a .22 caliber rifle. The ammo was donated to the Seattle Police Department range.

*Friday around 9 p.m., two teens confronted a young man in the 2700 block of Fairmount Ave. SW. They first asked if he wanted to buy drugs and then asked if he had any money. The victim gave the pair $3. Both suspects are white males, aged 16-17 and about 5’8” and slim. One had brown hair and wore a gray sweater. The other had blonde or strawberry hair and wore a blue and yellow baseball cap.

*In Admiral on Monday, the large garbage bags cluttering an alley and sidewalk near SW College and California SW raised the suspicions and concerns of a citizen. Officers investigated and discovered the ultimate in “clean green” disposal: The bags were full of marijuana stems and seeds.

*While being driven to Juvenile Court on Thursday, a 15-year-old twice tried to jump out of the car on I-5. Her father was able to prevent her escape until they arrived at their destination, when the girl bolted from the vehicle and hasn’t been seen since.

*The new owner of a vacated home on 14th SW received some special housewarming gifts: Spoiled food, a sleeping bag, clothing, and garbage left behind by people who had broken in and hunkered down for a month. And, living up to their moniker, the “squatters” left special presents in the bathroom — even though the water in the residence had been turned off.

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WSB Editor’s Note: The WSBeat has an archive category of its own. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening.