West Seattle Crime Watch followup: New SPD info in Westwood robbery/Morgan arrests

(WSB photo from Monday afternoon)
11:09 AM: We asked Seattle Police this morning for the full followup report on the Monday afternoon Westwood robbery/Morgan arrests case (original WSB report here). They’ve just published the details to SPD Blotter:

Police arrested five teens Monday in West Seattle for attacking a 55-year-old grocery store clerk, after he confronted them about an earlier shoplifting incident.

The victim had been working at the Westwood QFC earlier in the day, when he witnessed the group of teens stealing shrimp, hot dogs and barbecue sauce from the store. After leaving work, around 4 PM, the man found himself standing next to the same group of suspects at a bus stop near the 2800 block of SW. Barton St. There, the man confronted the teens about the theft, and warned them not to come back to the store.

In response, a 19-year-old female in the group doused the victim in pepper spray, sending him tumbling to the ground. The rest of the teens punched and kicked the man as he lay on the concrete, and a 17-year-old male grabbed the victim’s iPhone before the group boarded a Metro bus.

Officers were able to track down the bus a short distance away and arrest the group of teens, who are all between 14 and 19 years old. Police booked three of the teens into the Youth Services Center, while the two others were booked into King County Jail.

The “short distance away,” as you know from our Monday report, was north of Morgan Junction.

1:14 PM: We’ve received the report from SPD. One key point that will answer some commenters’ questions: After the attack, the report says, “all involved parties fled south through Roxhill Park” – so apparently they did not immediately board bus(es).

77 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch followup: New SPD info in Westwood robbery/Morgan arrests"

  • RJ March 10, 2015 (11:38 am)

    Good job, SPD!

  • AmandaKH March 10, 2015 (11:42 am)

    This is out of control and totally unacceptable. We need beat cops walking Westwood Village, Roxhill Park and the School complex every single day until this stops. We need Metro Transit police at the Rapid Ride stop and on the buses and we need these kids to be held accountable. We should accept nothing less.

  • tickingtimebags March 10, 2015 (11:50 am)

    This is a crappy and sobering situation, but at least the almost-immediate arrests are a welcome change of pace from the assault and theft stories we’ve been hearing lately.

  • heather March 10, 2015 (11:53 am)

    Oh how awful! I’m glad they were arrested and I hope that poor man is okay. What a bunch of scumbags.

  • schwaggy March 10, 2015 (11:54 am)

    Between 14 and 19 years old. GREAT parenting!
    Arrest the parent or parents of the young ones and lock the adults up for 5 years.

  • HC March 10, 2015 (11:58 am)

    Didn’t the bus driver see anything as he/she approached the bus stop to keep him/her from letting the group on the bus — i.e., man laying on ground or standing clutching face in pain?

    • WSB March 10, 2015 (12:00 pm)

      I don’t know the circumstances – exactly where at the bus stop or alongside the park this happened – and have renewed my request for either the full report or the answers to the questions of exactly where the suspects were caught (I don’t think all five were found at Fauntleroy/California) and whether bus driver(s) contacted police. Also trying to find at least the adult suspects’ names so I can track them through the system … TR

  • Garden_nymph March 10, 2015 (12:13 pm)

    Excellent work SPD!

  • Eric1 March 10, 2015 (12:22 pm)

    It would be scary to run into the same pack of punks at the bus stop and be victimized for doing your job.
    .
    Prosecutors and courts: The victim and SPD has done their job. Now do yours and keep them locked up for as long as possible. If a under paid clerk can do it, a highly paid professional should return the favor.

  • old timer March 10, 2015 (12:58 pm)

    With our “justice system”, these low-lifes, already on their way to permanent bottom-dweller status, will be let go with a stern admonition, and probably not even a promise to never do evil again required, as that would impinge on some right or another.

    • WSB March 10, 2015 (1:14 pm)

      Update – I have the police report, going to do my best to add info while also covering an unrelated event (the Port Commission meeting, if anyone’s interested, atop the main page now). – TR

  • Revenge March 10, 2015 (1:20 pm)

    This was a premeditated attack, not just a robbery. This five need to be in jail a very long time.

  • CanDo March 10, 2015 (1:24 pm)

    Good job, SPD! This is unbelievably horrifying and disgusting. I’m glad they were arrested and I agree with AmandaKH. Time for some high impact policing at Westwood or we will quit shopping there.

  • MotorMike March 10, 2015 (1:36 pm)

    Just because these kids did a horrible thing does not mean they are on their way to “permanent bottom-dweller status”. This is our opportunity to intervene. They are 14-19, some of us have done some pretty stupid things at that age, and yet are now useful contributors to society.

  • rocky raccoon March 10, 2015 (1:38 pm)

    Hey, great comment, HC! There must be some way to blame the bus driver for all this. Might as well get as many people assaulted as possible.

  • wsbliss March 10, 2015 (1:44 pm)

    Is the QFC employee okay, Tracy?

  • AHResident March 10, 2015 (1:46 pm)

    I’ve read so many comments on here the last few weeks that point out how delusional and paranoid some of us are for not feeling safe shopping in Westwood Village and wanting a more visible police presence, and then something like this happens in the middle of the afternoon!! I’m sick of the ‘statistically we’re safer than we’ve ever been’ BS. Tell that to this poor guy, just trying to get home from work. Or to every one of the kids being ROBBED on their way to school. I’m sick of the ignorant anti-police ranting, it’s making OUR community less safe, not more. There needs to be a stronger police presence in Westwood Village because these things are happening MORE often, not less. A petulant and vocal minority of people should NOT dictate the level of police protection enjoyed by the community at large. Bravo SPD, and prayers for a speedy recovery for the victim.

  • wakeflood March 10, 2015 (2:06 pm)

    AH, I’m fairly sure that few, if any folks who have issues with how the police are doing their jobs with respect to the issues they got dinged for by the Feds, are ANTI-police.

    And I’ve never seen a request for LESS policing posted in any of the comments.

    There’s a viable discussion going on about HOW police do their jobs not SHOULD they exist in functional numbers to manage our neighborhoods. THAT discussion requires talking about funding and taxpaying and all that good stuff that people generally say they support until they’re faced with a tax increase in the voting booth.

  • wscommuter March 10, 2015 (2:51 pm)

    I would respectfully suggest that the degree of police presence at Westwood (or elsewhere) is purely a function of resources (or lack thereof), rather than any sort of “dictating” by a “petulant minority”(I think I am getting the code words there). SPD can’t be in all places at all times. If you’d like more policing, please talk to your city council about raising taxes to pay for it.
    .
    These cretins look to be charged with Robbery 2nd degree or Robbery 1st degree (depending on the facts – the pepper spray may elevate the crime to the higher offense). The ones who are 16 or 17 will be “auto-declined” into the adult system, and depending on their records, the 14- 15 year olds might as well (but may not be). Rob 1 or Rob 2 are serious felonies (and “strike” offenses).

  • Lorelei Stevens March 10, 2015 (2:57 pm)

    What a horrible experience for that 55 year old employee. He was brave enough to confront those young whipper snappers (probably on drugs) knowing that he was outnumbered, and he was right to tell them they were not welcome at the store. I hope QFC will appreciate this employee who risked his own safety to protect the store. It shows a great sense of ethics in this employee. I hope he gets a raise!

  • Rick March 10, 2015 (2:59 pm)

    Yeah,the hot cocoa and a hug thing is a real deterrent.

  • West Seattle Hipster March 10, 2015 (4:03 pm)

    Great points stated AHResident.

    .

    MotorMike, how do you plan on intervening to save these criminals?

  • flimflam March 10, 2015 (4:10 pm)

    hmmm. this happened at the bus stop – the pepper spraying, the beating – and the bus driver didn’t see anything, offer any sort of assistance?

    .
    I hope that’s incorrect.

  • resident March 10, 2015 (4:35 pm)

    passed by westwood village around 3:30.today and noticed several police cars parked observing the bus areas..the usual…uh..bunch was hanging out..need some serious security over there.

  • CanDo March 10, 2015 (4:53 pm)

    There are lots of ways to step up security at Westwood without depleting police resources. Extra patrols would be welcome – and walking/bike patrols rather than just cops in their cars. Metro could provide extra security for that stop. The Westwood owners could step up with extra private security that could work closely with local police.

  • Suzanne Murray March 10, 2015 (4:55 pm)

    I have learned from experience that the prosecutor does not do anything with cases that are not over $50,000. Theft in a smaller amount is not even looked at. It took me 3 years to prosecute someone who admitted the crime of theft over $50,000. It also took me writing letters to get her warrant served. She was at her address and could have been pricked up but I was told there is only 1 1/2 detectives to process warrants and there are over 10,000 outstanding warrants in King County. They only pick an outstanding warrant up if they commit some type of traffic infraction. So even if the thief admits and you have all the evidence you need, theft is not prosecuted in most cases in the City of Seattle or King County.

  • Lolapop March 10, 2015 (5:15 pm)

    Does anyone know which qfc employee it was? I’ve been shopping there for years and love the staff. I would like to do something nice for him.

  • AHResident March 10, 2015 (5:47 pm)

    Wscommuter, no code words needed, ill spell it right out for you – the new chief of police came to address the community in WS, and the meeting was cancelled due the collective hissy fit of a group of individuals that had no interest whasoever in engaging in an sort of honest dialoge about fixing the problem, they just wanted to throw a disruptive temper tantrum for the shock value and attention, since the squeaky wheel gets the grease, it seems. This is the vocal minority im talking about. Dont put words in my mouth, or use word play to paint me with your broad racist brush. Id bet there are a lot of people that feel the same way as I do about it. Off my soap box now

  • datamuse March 10, 2015 (5:52 pm)

    I’d like to know too, Lolapop. I shop at that QFC a few times a week, chances are I know him.
    .
    It’s not clear to me how SPD presence is supposed to be stepped up at Westwood, though, without drawing it from somewhere else. Target and RiteAid already have store security, and QFC often has an officer after dark. We hear a lot about how stretched thin SPD is.

  • ChefJoe March 10, 2015 (6:02 pm)

    It’s high time to protect the public’s investment in mass transit and have increased/doubled fines and sentences for any crimes occurring on the bus or within, say, 50 ft of all designated bus stops.

  • H March 10, 2015 (6:03 pm)

    Well. I’m going to speak up since I think I’m one of the people @AHResident referred to as “a petulant and vocal minority”. Let me be clear: I support the police, I agree that the bus stop at Westwood Center has increased crime, and I also think we have a youth gang problem that’s pretty active there. I also want to see an increased police presence and the management of WWC step up. What I disagree with is the general “lumping of crime” on the Westwood neighborhood. This only reinforces a misconception that the south east side, and this neighborhood, are trashy and unsafe. It is not but we ARE having some pretty big problems as of late.

  • D-mom March 10, 2015 (6:11 pm)

    I think one of the reasons crime like this gets out of hand is that the general public does not stand up against it enough. But, then when someone does so they get beaten and robbed. I’m very thankful for this man for trying to do the right thing and I will be stopping by QFC with a card for him to thank him and wish him well.

  • Peter March 10, 2015 (6:42 pm)

    Flimflam said: “hmmm. this happened at the bus stop – the pepper spraying, the beating – and the bus driver didn’t see anything, offer any sort of assistance? I hope that’s incorrect.”
    Well, Flimflam, it happened at a bus stop, not on a bus, so which “the bus driver” are you accusing? How about the dozens if car drivers that probably drove past and did nothing? But no, go ahead and arbitrarily blame “the bus driver.”

    • WSB March 10, 2015 (6:51 pm)

      Please, stop with the bus driver blaming/questioning. The police report doesn’t include that info and we have NO INFORMATION ABOUT EXACTLY WHERE BUSES WERE AND PEOPLE WERE AT THE TIME. Bus drivers do call the police. We hear it on scanners. They have a damned tough job on many fronts, including being vulnerable to victimization. Have some respect. Thanks. – TR

  • Hoku March 10, 2015 (7:20 pm)

    The expectations for METRO drivers by the public continue to amaze me: while driving a vehicle that’s almost 1/2 block long they’re supposed to be peace keepers while making sure they collect fares, deal with all the crazy behavior on the bus, watch out for reported robbers, abductors and runways reported by SPD. Like I could do all of that AND still be a safe driver in my sedan? I don’t think so!

  • Mr McWest March 10, 2015 (8:21 pm)

    Our entire family is not shopping at Westwood until this kind of stuff stops. Westwood management needs to step up and get better security too.

  • Mike March 10, 2015 (8:33 pm)

    19, assualt. If the QFC worker has asthma they could consider it a deadly weapon. Hope she enjoys her time behind bars for celebrating with her friends that’ll be out next week.

  • VI March 10, 2015 (9:08 pm)

    A feral child is a human child who has lived away from human contact from a very young age, and has little or no experience of human care, loving or social behavior, and, crucially, of human language. Feral children are confined by humans (often parents), brought up by animals, or live in the wild in isolation.

  • datamuse March 10, 2015 (9:14 pm)

    Too right, Hoku. And people think they’re overpaid.

  • HC March 10, 2015 (9:30 pm)

    Done with Westwood they need to add security there are problems and I know longer feel safe there. Went to target in tukwila today didn’t see thugs or kids or people begging for money on corner worth the drive.

  • Chuck and Sally's Van Man March 10, 2015 (9:41 pm)

    I happened to be driving by as the officers had one female teen in custody on California just north of the Fauntleroy bus station (guessing the low end at 14), and she was screaming her head off in indignation at being caught. Oh, no, she didn’t do it! Two other very guilty-looking teens were just up the street and looking back her way, so I wonder if the cops actually did nab all of them? We’ll probably never know. But kudos to the employee and fast acting cops (and hopefully citizen callers). Punks gotta punk.

  • 617OIF March 10, 2015 (10:01 pm)

    I’m thankful for our SPD and Metro Bus teams. Be safe out there good citizens–watch out for each other. Head on a swivel.

  • Alphonse March 10, 2015 (10:01 pm)

    @MotorMike – I agree that many of us (myself included) did a lot of stupid and even illegal things while young. However, pack stomping an individual as the result of nothing more than a verbal altercation leads me to believe these people are already pretty far down the path of no return. People like this know nothing other than “I do what I want”. Redemption isn’t something they’re interested in.

  • NotMe March 10, 2015 (10:32 pm)

    I have a hard time reading these comments anymore. I’m done. No more West Seattle Blog for me. Blame the bus driver. Not enough cops at Westwood. Need Metro police on the buses. Arrest the parents. These kids are bottom dwellers. What is wrong with you? None of that makes any sense. You know what? It’s best you crawl back under your damp, smelly rocks, lock all your doors and windows and stay hidden. Because there’s sooooo much crime out there, it’s too scary and it’s EVERYONE else’s fault for all of it.

  • justaguy March 10, 2015 (11:42 pm)

    I’ll talk for these thieves. I just plead guilty to theft charges and did 2 months drug inpatient. Yeah, it was the bus that got me there but I would have found my there one way or another. These kids need help. Don’t blame the parents. Treat them like humans and they will start acting like humans.

  • Jeff March 11, 2015 (12:32 am)

    Yet another reason to avoid Westwood Village.

  • Daret March 11, 2015 (1:15 am)

    The management at Westwood needs to hire MORE security guards.

    That bus stop in the bushes is not helping things.

  • Seatown homie March 11, 2015 (6:20 am)

    Hey Justaguy,
    How about the kids act like humans and we will treat them like humans. Have you quit stealing? If not then your words carry little weight in society. If you have stopped stealing then good job and now you can pay society back by helping these kids yourself. You have to earn your way in society friend not the other way around…

  • Bonnie March 11, 2015 (7:00 am)

    I find it interesting how all these ‘Down with Westwood Village!’ people never say ‘Down with Alki!’ after something happens there. Every year Alki goes crazy around the time school gets out.

  • datamuse March 11, 2015 (8:35 am)

    No, Bonnie, instead they advocate building a wall around West Seattle to keep the riffraff out. ;)

    • WSB March 11, 2015 (8:46 am)

      As we’ve noted before, when we get addresses on suspects, more often than not, they are local residents. The “troublemakers coming from outside” is a myth. And they hail from all over the peninsula – west, east, north, south. – TR

  • HelperMonkey March 11, 2015 (8:42 am)

    justaguy – DON’T blame the parents? who is responsible for these KIDS then? they were all KIDS. Because they’re not responsible for themselves. I’d like to have 5 minutes alone with the parents of these rotten little punks. How dare they unleash their pathetic little spawn on us due to their poor parenting? they’re probably pieces of crap, too. apples don’t fall far from trees. the parents need to be held responsible as well as the kids who did this. I hope there’s real jail time for these punks and I hope their parents are sued by the QFC employee in civil court.

  • Cool Breeze March 11, 2015 (10:06 am)

    Seventeen years ago, we bought a home in the Westwood Village area and are raising our children here. As a family, we often walk to the shops, to the library and coffee shops and I think it’s important to share that we have NEVER felt unsafe. While I’m not pleased with the so-called “wall of buses” either, Westwood Village is not seedy, nor is our neighborhood and we will continue to shop at Target, QFC and the other businesses.
    As this attack happened shortly after school got out, perhaps it is something that can be addressed within the school system. Lessons / projects on compassion, respect for others and respect for the neighborhood within which you live or are a guest.
    Best wishes to the brave victim for a quick recovery.

  • Stand Up March 11, 2015 (12:44 pm)

    Unfortunately Westwood is becoming somewhat of a hub for violence and pnahandling. My heart goes out to the injured employee and I’m glad he stood up for the store, but his life and safety isn’t worth confronting a group of people who you don’t know what they are capable of until the attack happens. When it comes to panhandlers they are getting more aggressive and its not safe. I had one ask my child for money and I went off on him. The violence and pandhandling need to be under control. As a West Seattle resident I should feel comfortable walking through Westwood and not be worried what not only myself but my children are going to face.
    I think stronger security presence and police presence need to be addressed. I understand that we only have so many police patrolling the area but something needs to give.

  • maplesyrup March 11, 2015 (1:24 pm)

    This kind of news makes my blood boil but I’m curious how frequent these kinds of incidents really are, because I can remember a couple of things over the past 2 years but not enough to declare the whole complex “unsafe” or “violent.”

    I go there a lot (I work nearby) and while there has been a noticeable increase in panhandling over the past year or two, I never have felt in danger and saying I’d never go there again would certainly be an overreaction to these kinds of stories.

    So how unsafe and violent is the shopping area in reality?

  • plf March 11, 2015 (2:15 pm)

    sorry it is the parent’s fault the majority of time..kids learn from parents…I too am tired of punks who think it is ok to steal, total cars and do what ever they want..but NO BODY holds them accountable..not parents or the system so why should they stop nothing has taught them differently
    Scum parents should be held accountable for their kids and teenagers…Dont cry me a river that they are misunderstood and no one there to mentor..I mentored my children you take care of yours or don’t have kids

  • West Seattle Hipster March 11, 2015 (5:14 pm)

    Perception is reality, if people have the perception that Westwood Village is unsafe, then they won’t go there.

  • Jen March 11, 2015 (5:29 pm)

    I agree with the post that most of these comments are just rant. So my turn 1)of course parenting affects children’s behavior, but all sorts of other socio-economic factors do too. I know some very stand up parents whose teen got in with the wrong crowd, had low self-esteem for a variety of reasons that involved his peer experience and he stole, drank but never hurt any one. It happens to the best of parents. 2)treating others like humans is always the best first step if corrected behavior is expected.3)Why were they stealing food? Posh kids don’t have to steal food. 4)Why would an employee be so loyal to his store that he would confront a gang of kids? That, IMO was not a good judgement call. 1 aged 55 vs how many? Still – pepper spray – stupid.

  • justaguy March 11, 2015 (5:49 pm)

    @Seatown homie… I no linger steal. And I regret all the times I did steal. I’ve been sober now for 16 months and I’m big into local groups. They help me stay well. I’m ashamed of what I’ve done. But people can change. They just need help.

    • WSB March 11, 2015 (5:51 pm)

      Just wanted to say, thank you for commenting here, Justaguy.

  • gia March 11, 2015 (6:00 pm)

    Justaguy…thanks for sharing

  • justaguy March 11, 2015 (6:07 pm)

    @wsb.. Thanks. Reading all these posts make me feel pretty crappy but knowing there is hope for alot of these kids makes me feel better. You never know what everyone is going thru.

  • maplesyrup March 11, 2015 (6:30 pm)

    West Seattle Hipster, that’s precisely why I asked the question. Too often we see a story here or elsewhere in the media about crime and whatnot and assume that an incident = a trend.

    And I don’t want our neighborhood to unfairly acquire a reputation for being violent and unsafe when the statistics don’t support the emotion.

    If the stats validate the fear, then let’s address it. But let’s get the information first.

  • Plf March 11, 2015 (6:54 pm)

    When you have been personally victimize with no recourse from the punks or the system it is hard to be a bleeding heart liberal about there poor plight
    Walk in my shoes and you may see things very differently

  • justaguy March 11, 2015 (8:04 pm)

    I’ve been on both ends. I was the theif and I was robbed as a child. My heart doesn’t bleed it just aches.

  • Rob March 11, 2015 (8:12 pm)

    Put those brats on trash pickup, graffiti cleaning, and blackberry clearing. 250 hours of that should send a message.

  • Community Member March 11, 2015 (9:01 pm)

    Plf – Your car got totaled by a hit and run teen driver several months ago, and every WSB thread since then you’ve said that any of us would share your feelings about the accountability of the parents or the “punks” or the system if the same happened to us.
    .
    I disagree.
    .
    I buy insurance to protect my financial investment in my car, and yet I know that there’s a hefty deductible that I will have to cover if I am the victim of a hit-and-run crime. When my car is struck by a hit-and-run drunk driver – and yes, it HAS happened to me, too – I call the police, and I call my insurance company, and I pay my deductible. And no, I do not really expect the police to recover my deductible. I expect the prosecutor would get involved if the perpetrator has a history of drunken driving, but I would expect his interest to be in preventing future infractions, not in recovering my deductible.
    .
    I would expect parents to be involved and concerned, but no, I really would not expect them to be held “accountable” for my loss.
    .
    Maybe I’m in the minority here, but I feel like these statements that anyone who’d had their car wiped out would feel like you do is actually incorrect and should be challenged. Some of us would mostly be glad that the driver and her friends were uninjured, and that no bystanders were hurt. Really. And rather than praying for vengeance, we’d be praying for the child, and the family. It’s a car. People – even children who drink and steal cars – are more important that cars.

  • Plf March 11, 2015 (9:51 pm)

    Well guess we disagree. The punk and he is a punk has subsequently been involved in several other incidents, is on house arrest and if you saw his blog you would see his lack of respect and language that would make a sailor blush
    The car was my daughter who worked ver hard to purchase
    Not a bit older than the punk wh stole a truck, drunk and on pain meds when he trashed it
    Hard to explain that there is no recourse, am I glad he didn’t kill himself or another, of course, the reality is he will end up being a drain on society all his life and will most likely hurt himself and my hope it’s just himself and no one else
    Speaks to the importance of parenting, sorry you don’t understand but there is ongoing evidence his behaviors are only escalating, he is a punk

  • Lola March 11, 2015 (10:21 pm)

    My friend was on the bus when the teens attacked the man. The bus driver would not call the cops. My friend called the cops for the man. It was very caotic as they were punching and kicking him as he lay on the ground.

    Glad some of them were caught.

  • Cat March 11, 2015 (10:43 pm)

    I’m very sad to hear this happened and I hope that the gentlemen is okay and makes a speedy recovery, but Westwood is not the seedy crime infested neighborhood that I feel some of these comments imply. I’ve lived across the street from Westwood Village for about six years and I cant think of a situation where I’ve felt threatened or afraid for my safety. I walk thru there all week on my way to catch the bus to work, I shop there almost daily at all hours of the day and night, and no one is dodging bullets as far as I can tell. Now I’m not saying that crime doesn’t ever happen, and situations like this are terrible but it’s far from the norm. We have a good police presence, I see patrols frequently, the station is less than five minutes away, and their response time seems pretty darn quick, so I don’t understand these rallying calls to have beat cops and bicycle patrols. This is just my perspective but since I live across the street I feel my perspective carries some weight, and yes I’m being prickly about my neighborhood, but every time something goes down at Westwood Village there is a ton of comments on here that paints the area as some kind of mini Compton and that’s just not true. Westwood has all the challenges of an urban area, same as any place in this city, but overall it’s pretty safe here and a great place to live.

  • Jeannine March 12, 2015 (11:45 am)

    I usually don’t shop there as a single woman and when I do I’m always on the lookout. This is disgusting. Too much crime and not enough crime prevention or solutions. Our elected officials, they are asleep in Olympia and Seattle. They haven’t a clue.

  • Ms. Sparkles March 12, 2015 (12:37 pm)

    Plf – I recall parts of your story, and if I remember correctly, at first the authorities wouldn’t even give you the names of the suspects.

    Although I thought it was teenage girls in your case – but you mentioned “he is a punk” so maybe I’m confusing the stories. Regardless, if you now have the name (I’m assuming you do because you mention their blog posts) – did you consider pursueing civil legal action? I know the odds are slim of actual recovery, but small claims costs very little to file, you represent yourself and at least there is a public record of what happened.

    Also, did you contact the paretns? I know the apple often doesn’t fall far from the tree, but I’d love to know how they’d justify their kids behavior.

    If we want these “punks” held accountable, we need to do it ourselves (through the legal means available, I’m not preaching vigilantism) – we need to confront them and let them know their behavor isn’t okay, and keep telling them until they listen or move away.

  • DH March 12, 2015 (3:26 pm)

    Yes. It is very unfortunate when something like this happens. I shop at Westwood all the time and walk the half mile home. I don’t find it unsafe or threatening as a single woman who has been the victim of youth crime. I hope the man is OK and that these youth get the help they need to stay out of the justice system. Those advocating for locking them up forget they eventually get out and are worse off than when they went in. We are all better off if these youth can get back on track.

  • West Seattle Hipster March 13, 2015 (5:18 pm)

    Here is a quote from out police chief in regards to Capitol Hill, but I also believe it can apply to the ongoing incidents at Westwood Village:

    .
    “Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole said that although the uptick is relatively small, “Sometimes perception of crime is as damaging as crime itself. Fear of crime can really undermine a community.”

  • Michael March 15, 2015 (1:03 pm)

    Someone who defends these individuals because they were minors simply doesn’t understand today’s society where this sort of thing is occurring every minute because there is no accountability. No sense of personal risk by the perpetrators, nor any sense of responsibility from the parents of these kids.
    As a parent, I would like to see both the kids and the parents be held responsible.

  • Westie since 91 March 20, 2015 (2:05 pm)

    I am a “single” woman, who regularly goes to WWV, and I never feel unsafe, even at 10pm heading into Target. That said, I do take care to always lock my care, be aware of who is around me heading into the store and returning to my car. I work downtown, and I take the same amount of caution that I do in West Seattle. You have to take care no matter where you are: Alki, Junction, Morgan Junction, all have had problems at time with violence and criminal activities. This is the big city, after all. And, crime happens in the small burbs, too. To boycott WWV seems pretty over the top to me. But, hey, good luck with that. You’ll just be going to another location where something can always happen.

Sorry, comment time is over.