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 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?”:
*Along Alki on March 5th, a citizen flagged down a passing officer to express concerns about a man in a nearby coffee shop. The barista greeted the investigating officer, saying that the man had been sitting in the shop for an hour, staring at her, but had not ordered anything. A computer check showed that the suspect was wanted on a $5,000 King County warrant for negligent driving. He was arrested and booked into King County Jail.
*Overnight on the 3rd, both a gas station and a coffee shop near The Junction were burglarized. From one, the thief took lottery tickets, a computer, and some phones. (The cash register was untouched.) From the second, about $800 was missing.
*A citizen reports that on the afternoon of February 27th, he was followed closely, sworn at, and threatened with death four times by a man who was apparently enraged that the victim (riding what was described as a motorized disability scooter) was using the bicycle lane. The victim drove onto a side street to avoid the suspect, who followed him into the parking lot of an Admiral business to continue his tirade. The suspect was a white man, 30-49 years old, with brown hair and a full, short-trimmed beard. He drove a newer, black Volvo station wagon.
Ahead – alert citizens help catch car-prowling suspects, a $5 apology, and 6 more summaries:
*Thanks to reports from two alert citizens, police say, a 19-year-old from Tacoma and a 20-year-old from Tukwila were caught car prowling near Bonair Ave. and Alki Ave. SW on March 4th. They were booked into King County Jail.
*When a passerby told a young man to quit using an alley in The Junction as his personal potty, he got punched in the head and hit with rocks. The suspect (who also stole the victim’s cell phone) is an 18-year-old West Seattle resident, and was booked into King County Jail on February 21st. He faces investigation of robbery with a street weapon.
*On February 24th, an intoxicated male stepped away from his nine buddies and slapped the face of a driver who was waiting at the light at California and Alaska. One of the friends approached the victim, saying, “I’m sorry. He’s drunk. Please don’t call the police.” She then threw a $5 bill onto the passenger seat. An area check for the suspects was unsuccessful.
*On February 25th, a group of five intoxicated citizens stood at a Westwood Village bus stop, consuming and urinating in public and causing a disturbance. When officers arrived, one seemed a little confused, calling officers contradictory slurs (one starting with “n” and one starting with “h”). Another walked into traffic when told to walk to the police car and was then restrained when he threatened to disarm an officer. A third’s comments were “guttural noises and not recognizable as belonging to the English language.” A fourth spent the contact time yelling, “police brutality!” and “John T. Williams!” One, a woman, stripped off her shirt and tried to goad officers into a fight. She also spat at one officer but, as the report states, “…the wind was not in her favor and it dribbled back into her face and shirt.” All were warned about their behavior. Two left immediately; one tried to incite a racial argument but finally left on his own. A fourth complained of chest pain (she still had an electrode on her chest from a previous hospital visit). She was transported to the hospital. Officers later determined that the same group had been involved in a fight in South Park earlier in the day.
*Also on the 21st, officers responded to a disturbance in the 3000 block of 50th SW. One of the people involved was wanted on a $50,000 warrant for failing to appear to face charges of second degree robbery and domestic violence and drug violations. The 33-year-old was booked into King County Jail.
*Seen stealing mail from boxes in Arbor Heights: A heavyset, balding white man, 40-50 years old, driving a 2010 or newer gray Toyota Corolla.
*On the 2nd, a bartender in The Junction called 911 to report an unfamiliar customer trying to pick fights with other patrons and refusing to leave. Officers responded to find a severely intoxicated John Doe who wanted to fight both them and the medics who were summoned evaluate his condition. He was taken to Harborview for an involuntary commitment.
*A South Park grandma recently called 911 to have officers deal with an intruder. It turns out that the intruder was a young woman whom her grandson had snuck in through a window. Officers explained that because her grandson lives there, by law they can’t arbitrarily remove his guests.
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EDITOR’S NOTES: Remember, the CRISIS CLINIC hotline is a resource for those in crisis, including thoughts or acts of self-harm, or trying to find help for someone in crisis: 206.461.3222 … Previous 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.
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