By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of The WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled recently 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?” Or on the bridge…
*On the 29th, around 10:30 a.m., a passing citizen’s phone call led officers to the high rise of the West Seattle Bridge, where a despondent man had his head in his hands. The man drove off but officers followed when they saw him raise his right hand and make the shape of a gun. Fellow drivers pulled aside because of the patrol car’s siren and officers were able to stop the driver on Highway 99 northbound. He cried and apologized saying that the gun in the center console was not loaded, but confirmed that he had, indeed, intended to jump from the bridge. Officers found many suicidal notes in the car. The man was taken to Harborview for treatment.
Four more summaries ahead, including more details on the “assault with weapons” call reported here as breaking news last weekend:
*On the afternoon of Nov. 30th, officers arrived at a home in the 9700 block of 33rd SW. A man had called 911, claiming he had been stabbed by his roommate and saying that the roommate also had access to guns. Unsure of what they might be facing, two officers approached the home, one with a shotgun, one with a rifle. They could see the victim on the front porch talking with 911. Officers asked that the suspect come out of the house with his hands up and surrender. The suspect complied and had nothing in his hands. Meanwhile, the “victim” began yelling, “He has a gun! Shoot him! Shoot him!” The officers confirmed with each other that the man approaching them was unarmed. They then turned their attention to the caller and told him to lie on the ground. He refused and remained agitated as medics checked him for wounds. None were found. Placed under arrest for false reporting, he screamed threats and epithets at his roommate. The roommate told police that the incident began when he told the suspect he would call 911 unless he quit hitting their cat with a belt.
*A 60-year-old Skyway resident (with 14 aliases) is suspected of pickpocketing an elderly passenger on a Metro Access bus on December 2nd. She hailed the victim by name (after hearing the victim’s name given to the driver) and gave the victim a long hug. When dropped at her destination, the victim realized she was missing $100 from her wallet. Because the Metro Access bus is dispatched by appointment, authorities were easily able to identify the suspect, who remains at large.
*A 24-year-old Capitol Hill resident has a hobby: He goes to various stores in a local shopping center, locks himself in the restroom and turns on the water, ignoring commands to come out. After the third, most recent incident (on the 27th), he was booked into King County Jail for investigation of criminal trespass.
*At the end of the workday on Nov. 27th, a laborer working on a Beach Drive job discovered that his lunch box had been taken from his work truck. The thief’s main course: The victim’s driver’s, hunting and professional licenses, a debit card and a credit card. For dessert? A .45 caliber handgun.
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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 = call or text 206-293-6302.
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