West Seattle Crime Watch: Rock thrown; home broken into; items stolen; items found

Thursday’s West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports, starting with one we just received from Preston:

We were driving home tonight and passed in front of Caffe Ladro on SW California at 9:45. The passenger rear window exploded as someone threw a fist sized rock at us.

Three witnesses at Caffe Ladro said a man on a dark maroon bicycle wearing a long-sleeved shirt with white on it was standing on the side of the cafe drinking beer. He was in and out and came in through the back of the cafe. He then stood in the breezeway between the adjacent buildings. We stopped at the end of the block and he got on his bike and rode north down California. Police were called and they are sweeping the area. The dark maroon bike has a flashing light on the back and the suspect was wearing a blue shirt with white and a backpack.

If anyone has any clue as to who this may be – someone that would be at Caffe Ladro at 9:45 at night drinking beer and on a bicycle – please call the police.

(The coffee shop, it should be noted, does not serve alcohol.)

A home on Charlestown Hill was burglarized this morning – while somebody was at home. Marty reports:

My ex-husband’s house was broken into around 6:30 this morning. The back door was kicked in and our dog was found by a neighbor around 7 a.m. Our 17 year old daughter was in the house alone (dad had already gone to work), sleeping downstairs in the basement as this was happening. A neighbor found the dog, called my number which is on her tag. I live in Queen Anne, so called my daughter and woke her up to go get the dog. She heard a lot of noise upstairs and in her sleepy state, assumed it was her dad still at home. As she approached the stairway and called out for him, the person upstairs left out the front door. The only items taken were about 40 CDs from the living room. A very scary situation, which could have ended badly but fortunately did not.

Burglary, by the way, is the topic announced for the next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – Seattle Police burglary detective Jill Vanskike “will go over some of the factors that attract burglars to specific homes, common points and methods of entry, target hardening and the protective devices most effective at preventing burglaries. Also, tips on measures you can take to aid in the recovery of stolen property …” The meeting is at 7 pm Tuesday, May 21st, at the Southwest Precinct.

Back to Crime Watch – Gretchen reports an overnight theft:

We had one of our wine-barrel planters stolen off our berm (Wednesday) night. Took either one very strong person to tip the dirt out or two people. Those suckers are heavy! Happened between 10 pm and 4:30 am. We live near 17th and Thistle.

And a reader who doesn’t want to be identified found what looks like discarded crime loot in the Fairmount Springs area:

A duffel bag full of a boy’s baseball equipment turned up in our alley this morning, with some of the contents strewn about our yard. There is no name or phone # anywhere in the bag. I would like to get it back to the owner–looks like a lot of valuable equipment.

You can e-mail the finder at dgmob@outlook.com.

14 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Rock thrown; home broken into; items stolen; items found"

  • sc May 10, 2013 (6:17 am)

    The story about the break in on Charlestown Hill. Do you know what cross street?

    • WSB May 10, 2013 (6:51 am)

      Sorry, 45th and Charlestown – it was in the e-mail subject line.

  • ocean May 10, 2013 (6:54 am)

    If someone who makes it to the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting would be willing to post the
    “will go over some of the factors that attract burglars to specific homes, common points and methods of entry, target hardening and the protective devices most effective at preventing burglaries. Also, tips on measures you can take to aid in the recovery of stolen property ”
    I’d appreciate it!

  • The C-town Clown May 10, 2013 (9:53 am)

    Are there any additional details on the home invasion this morning at 45th/Charlestown? I live on Charlestown, 2 blocks away and work from home. They are lucky they didn’t pick my house.

    • WSB May 10, 2013 (10:58 am)

      I published that just before midnight last night -it was Thursday morning. That’s all I have (unless the victim sees this comment and posts more) – and we’re always glad for reader reports because detailed police reports are not usually available for several days, if ever.

  • burned May 10, 2013 (10:25 am)

    I was in Ladro when the person in question came through. He asked for just a cup of ice right at about 9:30pm. I got a bad vibe off him and took off immediately, so I missed the rock throwing part.
    *
    Yeah. You come into the cafe through the back door and ask for a cup of ice, then hang out on the sidewalk… Nothing suspicious at all.

  • trickycoolj May 10, 2013 (10:41 am)

    Someone one street over from me in High Point said there was a drive-by rock throwing on her street. Teenagers cruised the street a few times then started throwing rocks at parked cars and another group of teens walking down the street. I believe they called the police about it, not sure if they came or took a report. School’s not even out for summer and the kids are already acting like thugs on nice weekends.

  • LaraG May 10, 2013 (11:31 am)

    Interesting re: the planter. I had $300 worth of not-yet-in-the ground plants stolen from my yard last week. I didn’t realize plants and related items were a common target. Ugh.

    • WSB May 10, 2013 (11:33 am)

      Some years back, I had a planter of shade plants – nothing big, some beautiful little blue flowers I’d bought at Heronswood before the Burpee takeover, that kind of thing – out along the side of WSB HQ that fronts an arterial. Somebody stole them within a week. I hope they enjoyed them, but really!

  • AmyC May 10, 2013 (11:39 am)

    We had a plastic decorative “welcome” plaque stolen off our front porch in AH last week. Why they would take that and not the metal fish or Sounders hanging art is beyond us. What is going on with the weirdness is WS?!

  • Carol O. May 10, 2013 (1:55 pm)

    Last month I had four solar lights stolden from my yard in the Fauntleroy area. They were only worth a doller a piece bought them at Dollertree, so not a big loss but I did really like how they looked at night.

  • marty May 10, 2013 (2:56 pm)

    Not a lot more to tell. Daughter believes it was one guy. He was apparently in the house for about 45 minutes based on when she started hearing noises including him going up and down the basement stairs to the laundry room. Again, she was half asleep and thought it was her dad. Why he didnt go into her room to look around I don’t know but thank god he didn’t. And thank god for the neighbor who found our dog and alerted me that things were amiss.

  • G May 10, 2013 (8:29 pm)

    Seattle versus Los Angeles in the past year, half of the time there and half here:

    Break-ins into to my car?

    Seattle: three times
    Los Angeles – nada

    Out of control party melee with punks running through my yard, cursing, fighting, throwing bottles, frightening neighbors?

    Seattle: twice this has happened
    Los Angeles: 0 occurences

    Rocks thrown at me while driving?

    Seattle – several times
    Los Angeles – zippo

    And people smugly tell me what a horrible “pit” LA is. LOL.

  • Miranda May 11, 2013 (8:12 pm)

    Regarding the rock thrower on a bicycle, I am sure we had the same guy throwing rocks at cars at Juneau and 30th at Highpoint , last sat. I did not want to confront him as he seemed off his meds and dangerous. The police were called

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