By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block (whenever)?”:

*Around 7 p.m. on the 6th, two cars raced down the 4600 block of Beach Drive SW. (One longtime resident said he’d never seen such speed on that stretch, estimating that the cars traveled at 100 mph in the 25 mph zone.) Shortly after, one of the cars crashed into a parked vehicle at 45th and Brace Point Drive. The driver of the second racer left the scene but was noticed parking several blocks away and walking back to the incident. That driver — an 18-year-old Alki resident — hurled violent sexual suggestions at the victim who came out to inspect her damaged vehicle and to several older people in the area who were trying to help. He was released from the scene but faces investigation of harassment, reckless driving (racing), and violation of a protection order to stay away from West Seattle High School. (The other speeding driver said the suspect had been following her from the school. It wasn’t clear what charges she, herself, might face.)

*On the afternoon of the 5th, a shoplifter pulled a knife on two security guards who were trying to detain him at an Admiral grocery. The shoplifter dropped the loot and walked north, through the parking lot. Neither guard was injured.

Ahead, more information on the Delridge shots-fired incident covered here on Monday, another one reported elsewhere, plus another car-prowler-interrupted case, and more:

*On the afternoon of the 10th, a citizen felt uneasy about a car that drove by, thinking that the occupants wanted to steal the rims off his vehicle. The citizen got into his car and followed the suspicious car to get its license plate. As the cars reached 26th and Hudson, the suspect car pulled over and fired shots at his follower. Multiple people witnessed the incident and described the suspect vehicle as a white, late ’80s Ford Taurus with dents. The shooter was a black man in his 30s, skinny, wearing a green and purple baseball cap and a plain gray hoodie. The suspect remains at large. No one was injured (though the citizen’s car was hit, as shown in WSB coverage that day).

*Around 3 a.m. on September 4th, an officer investigated a “shots fired” call in the 8600 block of 14th SW. Six .40 caliber shell casings were found.

*Around 9 p.m. on the 4th, a citizen returned to his truck parked in the Don Armeni parking lot and discovered a stranger sitting in the driver’s seat. The suspect ran off, dropping some items and carrying others in a black plastic bag. The victim gave chase but stopped when the suspect suddenly displayed a 5 ½-inch knife. He was a white male in his 40s, about 5’6”, with a husky build, brown hair, white T-shirt and light-colored shorts.

*On the 8th, around 11 p.m., a Home Depot employee called 911 after a disheveled man with a 5-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl in tow asked if he could take a shopping cart. Neither child was properly dressed and it was evident they hadn’t bathed recently. Dad told officers that he had used drugs two or three days before and that he’d been awake for three days. No relatives could be found who would take them in and Child Protective Services had an “open file” on the parents, who had been avoiding social workers by moving the kids from one place to another. Officers took the three to the Southwest Precinct and gave the kids food and water and allowed them to use the restroom. Dad was taken to the hospital to detox. The children were transported to foster care. There was no word on mom’s whereabouts.

*In the process of “trespassing” a man from an Alaska Junction business, officers discovered that he was wanted on a $1,500 theft warrant and a $20,000 assault warrant. He received a ride to the King County Jail.

*On Tuesday the 4th, medics asked that officers come to an Alaska Junction grocery to assist with a combative person (holding a box cutter) having a mental episode. The victim acted aggressively toward officers and repeatedly balled his hands into fists. A records check showed both a mental health history and a violent offender/career criminal caution from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Officers recomended the 31-year-old be involuntarily committed to Harborview for a mental exam.

*A Morgan Junction resident was surprised on the 4th when an unexpected visitor walked through his apartment door and asked for the location of the nearest methadone clinic. It turned out the man had fallen asleep on the bus and was confused. He didn’t even realize he was in West Seattle. Officers advised the man to take the next bus back downtown.

*A Lynnwood man finally met up with a West Seattle woman he had gotten to know online. After some dinner and drinks, he was driving her home, when, near 32nd and SW Raymond, she suddenly took off her seat belt, got onto her knees in the passenger seat, hit him, and began screaming, “Rape!” Startled, the driver pulled over, helped the woman out of the car, put her purse on the curb and then tried to drive away. She grabbed onto the rear window and fell down. The man didn’t know what to do, so drove away while calling his lawyer. Officers stopped his car nearby. Witnesses corroborated his story and said that the woman was seemingly trying to crawl back into his car when she fell. The female victim refused to respond to officers’ questions. She was transported to Harborview for treatment.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Remember, the CRISIS LINE is a resource for those in crisis, including thoughts or acts of self-harm: 206.461.3222 … WSBeat roundups are archived here. We also publish crime reports when we get tips or otherwise hear about noteworthy incidents – they don’t all turn up on the scanner, so please don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening = calling or texting 206-293-6302 is the best way.