West Seattle Crime Watch: Armed ‘parking rage’ on Alki

Publishing this on SPD Blotter this morning, Seattle Police headlined it “Road Rage Incident on Alki.” Reading the narrative, we’re retitling it “Parking Rage.” Nobody hurt, but one man went to jail:

On April 22nd, just before 7:00 pm, a Southwest Precinct officer working as part of the Alki Emphasis was flagged down by a motorcyclist at Alki Avenue SW and Marine Avenue SW. The complainant stated that just moments earlier a man driving a white Hyundai had intentionally struck his motorcycle as he was attempting to park it in the 2300 Block of Alki. The victim stated that after intentionally striking his motorcycle, the suspect got out of his car and went to the trunk of his car, where he pulled out a backpack. As the victim was asking the suspect why he struck his motorcycle, the suspect pulled a handgun out of the backpack. The victim told officers that he asked the suspect, “Do you really want to go there with your gun?” to which the suspect replied, “Yes, I do.” The victim later told officers he was afraid he or someone else might get hurt, so he got back on his motorcycle and left southbound on Alki, until he saw the officer and reported the incident.

As the officer was interviewing the victim, the suspect vehicle drove past them on Alki. The victim pointed out the suspect and told the officer that he believed the gun was in a backpack located on the passenger side of the car. The officer stopped the suspect vehicle and arrested the driver. There was a female passenger in the front seat. The suspect, a 22 year old male, was advised of his rights and stated that he understood them. He later admitted to owning a gun, but refused to answer any further questions about the incident. The female passenger was interviewed and released. The suspect car was impounded, pending a search warrant. The suspect was later booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Harassment and Investigation of Assault. The victim in this case was not injured, nor was there any damage to his motorcycle.

ADDED 12:21 PM: The suspect is still in jail, per the register; according to public databases, he’s from Maple Valley, and has no listed felony record.

MB April 23, 2012 (9:06 am)

The freaks come out at night, sure…but they also come out with the sun! Scary! Glad no one was hurt and that the suspect was caught. Sounds like a real winner.

Seattlite April 23, 2012 (9:26 am)

I saw this happen from 2 cars back! We thought a fight was about to break out, but the motorcyclist was so calm we assumed the people involved knew each other. Kudos to the motorcyclist for keeping the situation calm-his cool head kept a scary situation from becoming worse.

brian April 23, 2012 (9:27 am)

yikes

huh! April 23, 2012 (9:35 am)

I’m glad you’re okay, motorcycle man. Wienies with guns need to get put away.

Yardvark April 23, 2012 (9:37 am)

What a dangerous buffoon.

Glad to hear that no one was hurt and also that the victim had the good sense to leave the scene and get the police.

I’m curious to know if the suspect had a concealed firearms license or if this is another case of an illegally owned/carried gun in our community. Obviously, that’s not the only thing wrong with this picture, but I think it’s an important detail.

Is that information not released until after the search of the car?

JeC April 23, 2012 (9:43 am)

I agree with MB. The heat brings out the odd characters. I think that it is the sleeveless shirts that does it.

Also, it is loose gun laws. Might have more to do with it.

westseattlecodger April 23, 2012 (9:46 am)

A good result. The motorcyclist showed extreme calm and good sense in this confrontation. He did everything right and I sincerely hope the dolt with the gun gets some well deserved time in lock up.

Jeri April 23, 2012 (9:52 am)

Motorcycle man was very smart! That’s how these things should be handled. Wackos should NEVER be dealt with directly. Take a breath, calmly walk away, call 911 or in this case drive away and find an officer. Thank goodness this didn’t escalate. When crazy comes at you, go the other direction!

Noelle April 23, 2012 (9:53 am)

When the weather is good, Alki is a magnet for mayhem.

onceachef April 23, 2012 (10:12 am)

The car owner was arrested perhaps?

WMF April 23, 2012 (10:15 am)

I wish there was a section of Alki reserved for locals only. Gotta prove WS residency to enter. I may be incorrect, but I’m fairly sure the a-… Sorry, the people who do this kind of crap every year are from neighborhoods other than our own.

Kenny April 23, 2012 (10:18 am)

Seriously?? The criminal needs to be glad the motorcycle driver wasn’t armed as well or he probably would have been killed!

WSratsinacage April 23, 2012 (10:47 am)

Alki is a nightmare on nice days. Has been for decades. I stay away. There are nice people/families that come out but a hell of a lot of lowlifes as well.

TMW April 23, 2012 (10:58 am)

Not sure I would characterize this as “parking rage” until we know more about what happened.

M April 23, 2012 (11:12 am)

This was the first nice weekend this year so the traffic was as expected. There are weirdos everywhere.

HC April 23, 2012 (11:42 am)

WMF – Agree that a lot of the Alki crime problems seem to be from people outside of West Seattle. I’m often thinking to myself, “get the ____ out of my neighborhood.”

WSB April 23, 2012 (12:19 pm)

We always like to truth-squad assumptions if possible – the police writeup did not mention a name or hometown (which is standard) but we have found that info; we generally don’t publish names until and unless people are charged but his most recent address in public databases is Maple Valley. No felony record. – TR

Danny April 23, 2012 (12:52 pm)

Aren’t there any beaches in the south end? Why do people have to come up to this neighborhood, litter and act like idiots? There should be a felony charge for “Lack of Respect Towards Other Human Beings”.

datamuse April 23, 2012 (1:03 pm)

What makes you think they’re all from the south end, Danny?
.
-A South End Resident

WSratsinacage April 23, 2012 (1:04 pm)

Amen HC and WMF

elana diamond April 23, 2012 (1:19 pm)

Glad I live in such a nice area that people drive that far to come see it. The bottom line problem seems to be lack of parking. Maybe the entire area by the million dollar condos (that want an unobstructed view) open up that area to parking again? Also, people get stressed out when there are too many people in a small area. Maybe on the weekends we could restict all cars, make them park in a parking lot, and shuttle van the people in for $5., the admission fee will slow down or eliminate the hot heads. It would be just like the bite of seattle, or the New Jersey beach access cost. Parking is the problem, and too many people wanting to come to a beautiful tiny area. For the person who wanted an only Alki resident area, you may want to move to Maple Valley where they have gated communities.

scout 1 April 23, 2012 (1:37 pm)

Thankyou WSB for the information. I do not care about names, etc..just was glad to hear that the individual was apprehended.

Barbara April 23, 2012 (1:49 pm)

Pretty safe bet the dolt with the gun doesn’t even live in West Seattle. Other than that, all I can say is that if I were in the same position I can only hope that I’d respond as calmly and with such a cool head as the motorcyclist in this situation did.

Mike April 23, 2012 (1:54 pm)

Aww man, is the season already over for locals to go to Alki? I was hoping for at least another month I can take my family there and not be shot or deal with garbage thrown all over the place on weekends. Guess I’ll have to listen to the sirens and watch the show from up the street as usual.

A April 23, 2012 (1:56 pm)

There should be a felony charge for “Lack of Respect Towards Other Human Beings”

Reading Danny’s comment above, I find myself wishing there was a “thumbs-up” button.

Wendy Pugh April 23, 2012 (3:11 pm)

Elana,

I may be mistaken, but it is my understanding that it is the City, not the people in the “million dollar condos” that do not want parking across from buildings. Space is needed for police and fire vehicles to get through.

resident3 April 23, 2012 (3:37 pm)

To all locals… Go to Alki all summer and call the cops when people are doing bad things. They won’t know to treat it like a neighborhood if there are no neighbors walking around. I’ll be there.

Doris April 23, 2012 (4:01 pm)

A couple of boxes of nails dumped out on the harbor ave exit every time it’s nice out would probably help too.

Harry Reems April 23, 2012 (5:01 pm)

“A couple of boxes of nails dumped out on the harbor ave exit every time it’s nice out would probably help too.”

Really? That’s an interesting “solution” to a problem.

J J April 23, 2012 (5:37 pm)

I really dislike comments about “people in those million dollar conds ” being the reason that parking is restricted.Could it be you are envious ? It has nothing to do with the homeowners. Picture this….. you or a loved one suddenly has crushing chest pain. You call 911 and they can’t get to you in time because you live on Alki and it is a sunny day. Guess it’s adios amigo

datamuse April 23, 2012 (6:12 pm)

I know, we could close Alki to car traffic…

West Seattleite April 23, 2012 (6:38 pm)

Wow. I didn’t know Ted Nugent was in town bear hunting. LOL

WSLady April 23, 2012 (7:44 pm)

Come on people! We aren’t going to close the street to car traffic. Just ask all the business on Alki how they feel about that idea and while you’re at it ask them how they do in profit on sunny days. Alki is a great beach and a fun place to go. West Seattle is already losing its small town friendly feeling so charging to get on Alki will push more of the “true” neighbors out of here faster.

interrobang April 23, 2012 (10:32 pm)

… I’m sorry, but how did this isolated incident turn into the West Seattle Elitist Club? By no means does living on Alki afford people special rights, and same to West Seattle, and to even hint or suggest that is laughable. Sometimes people on this blog really make me sick. There are plenty of local jerks, just fyi… I suggest the nearest mirror if you really think that Alki should be private in one way or another.

datamuse April 24, 2012 (12:08 am)

…perhaps my sense of humor is too obscure.

Danny April 24, 2012 (7:12 am)

“What makes you think they’re all from the south end, Danny?
.
-A South End Resident”

Somewhere I saw that the person was from Maple Valley. I could see how it would come across as me denigrating people from the south, however that wasn’t my intent. Issues like this, and the trash seem to be caused by overcrowding. With my comment I was implying that additional beaches in the south end might pull more weekend traffic from Alki.

Dizzle April 24, 2012 (8:10 am)

So, no one that is ‘from’ W. Sea owns a gun or ever does anything against the law?

Get serious, there are bad people everywhere, regardless of what you think about your precious Alki. To the poster who said a section of Alki should be reserved for locals only, what are the stipulations? Should it just be for the real natives to this area or just people like you that moved here from Cali 15 years ago? God forbid people visit W. Sea to enjoy the beach/parks, patronize restaurants, stores, etc. I would assume that you never go anywhere outside of W. Sea to work, shop, visit, etc!!

WSratsinacage April 24, 2012 (9:06 am)

This is not an isolated incident, it happens quite frequently so much so that the police used to set up a command center RV all summer long until it got torched by that convicted cop killer from a few years ago. Closing Alki to locals only is not a foreign concept, the police do it on the 4th of July. It’s not an elitist thing, it’s just the reality of the situation. It’s what happens when people don’t play by the rules. A few bad apples, no matter where they live, always spoil the bunch and the result is everyone suffers.

Dizzle April 24, 2012 (9:23 am)

Again, so only non-residents break the law?

Terry April 24, 2012 (10:09 am)

Hiding behind a gun speaks volumes about yout manhood ( or lack thereof ) Have a ball in jail, cupcake.

WSratsinacage April 24, 2012 (10:18 am)

Dizzle, I think you and I are in agreement but here is my quote from my above comment “A few bad apples, no matter where they live, always spoil the bunch and the result is everyone suffers.” There are @holes in West Seattle and all over the metropolitan Seattle area. Alki is a magnet which is why the police used to set up shop all summer long.
.
Alki has been closed off to everyone but locals for the 4th of July in the past. I think this a good idea. I did not mean to imply that this should be done all time.

Elana April 24, 2012 (10:34 am)

Hello, to the person who thought I was envious – I live on the beach, and I am not a renter :).
Great point about Alki being closed on 4th of July. That is where I got the idea. I could ride my bike freely and saw many families with blankets, chairs and throwing frisbee’s that day.
I DO NOT think Alki should just be for locals, I think there needs to be more parking, a shuttle lot and/or close it off to traffic on the weekends.
I do not go to the beach on weekends, I have never seen any of those kids here on a Tuesday. Alki also looks like the United Nations on the weekend, one day I walked by 4 groups of people who were all speaking a different language and it is nice to see some diversity for a change. And it has been a “cruising” destination since I was in highschool 35 years ago. The car cruisers are not parking, they are just making it take 30 minutes to get down Alki ave. The people come from Everett all the way to Kent, this is just a great area to come to.
Traffic is the problem. Crime will always increase where the population increases. Monday through Friday I am happy, 5 days out of 7 to enjoy the most beautiful area in Seattle is A.O.K. with me.
Anyone want to start a W. Seattle volunteer police assistant program on the weekends? You would just be the eyes and ears and use your cell to report problems, and pick up trash if you really are proud to live here. Some things come with added responsibility. Move to Carnation if you want some peace and quiet.

Doris April 24, 2012 (11:32 am)

“Again, so only non-residents break the law?”
.
Hang out at the intersection of harbor and spokane next time it’s a sunny weekend to get an idea of the proportion of people coming into the alki area. Non residents outnumber locals 50 :1. And yes, they are the cause of the problems.

lookingforlogic April 24, 2012 (2:03 pm)

Cowards need guns.

Paul April 24, 2012 (4:54 pm)

I think just having more police – a lot more police – on sunny weekend days would calm things down a lot. Write some tickets – early and often — to the douchebags driving wild and things will settle down fast. Besides – we could use the revenue, right? It’d pay for itself in an instant.

Mike April 24, 2012 (8:49 pm)

Paul, I agree 100%. It would be a great way to get cash in the bank for the City of Seattle. The other weekend I saw a lifted Chevy pickup in the handicap parking spot. I drive a 4×4 with a lift and my eye was level with the axle…no joke. I’m curious to know what handicap that person had, other than brain damage.

Paul on Capitol Hill April 25, 2012 (11:04 am)

I lived in WS for three years before moving recently, and found Alki to be a much more pleasant place when the weather was less than ideal. Sun brings crowds, including a faction that causes trouble. It’s too bad. I will come back and visit for sure, but probably will avoid sunny weekend days. Too many overgrown children with something to prove, and with no respect to the rights of others.

v April 26, 2012 (11:10 am)

Interesting that many think there are no dangerous criminals that live or commit crime in West Seattle. Just for a searchable example, check the Registered Sex Offender listing. Crime and criminals exist everywhere. If you choose to be naive to make yourself feel better about your neighbors and community, that’s your perogative… just seems a little silly to make public statements about your denial like there is any truth behind it.

Dawn May 3, 2012 (12:19 pm)

I don’t understand. If parking is restricted in front of the condos to allow access for police and emergency vehicles, why isn’t parking likewise restricted everywhere on Alki? When traffic is gridlocked west of the condos from May through September, wouldn’t it would be easier for emergency vehicles to get through if there were no parked cars? Alki has a higher incident rate because it’s so accessible. Maybe it’s too accessible. Let the crazies shoot it out somewhere else. As the crime rate has increased on Alki over the years, I find myself spending less and less time there during the summer months because the incidents are so random. I don’t relish the idea of getting caught in the crossfire just because I wanted a damn burger from Pepperdocks.

Sorry, comment time is over.