The WSBeat: Scam alert; gun-pointing incident; mower-theft hunch…

By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

This edition of the WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled in the past several weeks by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases 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?”

*At least one West Seattle business has been struck by the “pay the overdue power bill” scam going around the city. Luckily, the employee became suspicious and called City Light, which confirmed that the company’s bills were up to date and that no payment was necessary (especially to a third party pretending to be a collector).

*On Monday the 2nd, 911 received a call about a man pointing a gun at someone in the 4500 block of Delridge Way. The suspect car was stopped and positively identified in the 6000 block. The driver claimed the incident was the result of road rage — that he had been cut off and “forced to stop” back at the West Seattle Bridge. He also admitted that there was a gun in the car. His passenger was ID’d as the one pointing the gun; his passenger was also his son … and a convicted felon. The 41-year-old Westwood-area resident was booked into King County Jail for investigation of firearms violations.

Five more summaries ahead:

*On the 3rd, officers were provided a description of suspects and (their car) in the theft of a lawn mower from a Highland Park yard. On a hunch the officers drove to the nearest place that might buy yard equipment: a local pawn shop. In the parking lot was a car matching the suspect vehicle. It was owned by a man known to officers for weapons and burglary violations, and he and a friend were seen tinkering with a lawn mower on site. Both men were identified and booked into King County Jail.

*An Alki man ran into a coffee store at the beach on Monday afternoon, screaming that a motorcycle gang was after him. He ended up in an employee-only area, along with his large dog, hiding and waving a broom. After shoving and assaulting employees, he was met by officers. He didn’t want to be seen and, when placed in the patrol car he ducked down. Medics couldn’t evaluate him, and after being placed in handcuffs he tried to run away. Trespassed from the coffee shop, he was transported to the hospital for a mental evaluation. The dog was returned to his mother, who said that her son had not been sleeping well and had been acting paranoid.

*On the 2nd, two acquaintances checked on an elderly Alki woman they’d been unable to contact. Firefighters were called to the scene and were able to speak to her through the door: She had fallen and couldn’t get up. At her request, they broke down the door to assist. She was confused and needed treatment for bed sores and bruising and was transported to the hospital for treatment.

*Saturday afternoon, at a residence on 32nd SW, two friends were enjoying the day; one with a beer and one with a couple of marijuana cigarettes. At one point, the smoker went inside the house, and the friend heard a “thunk.” Racing inside, he found his friend on the floor, unresponsive, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. When medics arrived the victim became combative and had to be held to the ground to be treated. Officers recovered the marijuana cigarettes, which the victim’s friend believes might have been laced with a narcotic of some type.

*Child Protective Services requested officers accompany their agents in removing three juveniles from their mother’s home. (She had not been participating in her mandatory substance abuse treatment.) Only the youngest child, aged 7, was home. Mom explained that the other two, 15 and 12, had run away to California and the she had already reported them as missing.

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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.

8 Replies to "The WSBeat: Scam alert; gun-pointing incident; mower-theft hunch..."

  • AE September 5, 2013 (6:52 pm)

    My heart breaks for the 3 kids with the drug-abusing mother. Awful.
    .
    But “In the parking lot was a car matching the suspect vehicle. It was owned by a man known to officers for weapons and burglary violations”
    .
    So many criminals are “known to officers” (like the one who broke into my house) and still out there stealing from us. Messed up system.

  • thistle stairs September 5, 2013 (7:39 pm)

    The last one with the runaway children is horrible.Is it unethical to want to pay that women not to have any more children?

  • West Seattle Hipster September 5, 2013 (7:44 pm)

    I am thrilled the road rager was busted and put in jail.

    .

    Whenever possible, use a cell phone camera to document road ragers. Seriously, pointing a gun at someone because you were “forced to stop”?

  • C September 5, 2013 (10:18 pm)

    So happy the woman on Alki had friends looking out for her. Hope she recovers quickly.

  • Eric1 September 5, 2013 (10:34 pm)

    Some people never learn. Even at 41 this felon will carry a gun. Really? Somebody cuts them off and they get pissed off enough to get 911 attention by brandishing a weapon? I guess that is good since he is in jail for at least a few hours today before a judge sets bail at $25. Hopefully the prosecutor doesn’t wimp out and drop the firearm enhancement when he gets back in jail for the next offense.

  • DF September 6, 2013 (8:29 am)

    Regarding the mom with runaway kids – the CPS system is completely broken. There is only 1 CPS agent assigned to the entire King County. There are hundreds of incidents you will never hear about that would break your heart, if you knew how some parents in our society treat their children. It is a cyclical problem and these children are very likely to abuse their own children later in life. This is an issue many choose to ignore and only complain about when they hear stories like this. We have to do more as a society (which takes courageous steps from individuals) to support the most vulnerable among us, stop others from abusing the system (rotten parents/foster parents), and fix the system to put children first – not their cracked out parents.

  • AG September 6, 2013 (12:32 pm)

    “There is 1 CPS agent assigned to the entire King County” — absolutely untrue. My spouse is in that particular field and there are many. Where their hands become tied is when the courts give the parents “one more chance” dozens of times over. The CPS workers are paid a minimal amount and often work 70+ hour weeks and carry case loads higher than what is legal in WA state. It’s a no-win situation for anyone, but most especially the kids.

  • sillygoose September 7, 2013 (7:43 am)

    I will happily pay to have the woman tubes tied that can not take care of her current children! She is unfit and should never be allowed to have children in her care again.

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