UPDATE: 4 arrested after gunfire on Alki; no victim found

(UPDATED Tuesday afternoon)

(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
12:10 AM: Big Seattle Fire/Police response for an “assault with weapons” call – possibly 59th/Alki – but police are still trying to find the reported victim. More to come.

12:16 AM: This was reported as a shooting. Police have been tracking a vehicle that was possibly involved, believed to be an SUV, last seen getting onto the West Seattle Bridge and headed eastbound, with four people inside.

12:22 AM: No victim has turned up yet. But police are still tracking what might be the aforementioned vehicle, far from WS.

12:46 AM: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli says police have found shell casings in front of 2650 Alki SW.

Witnesses say they believed they saw someone hit – a black man, described as having dreadlocks, a white shirt, red shorts – but he left, headed southbound, and police haven’t even found blood on the ground. The potentially involved vehicle, however, was stopped in southeast Seattle – police tracked it with the help of a description that sounded as if it originated with an officer who had been at Don Armeni. Four people were reported to have been taken into custody, according to radio traffic. Whether they were subsequently arrested, we might not find out until later this morning. Back at the Alki scene, Christopher says witnesses reported hearing three gunshots.

ADDED TUESDAY AFTERNOON: Police confirm to WSB that the four people detained last night were arrested, and their vehicle (which was *not* stolen, in case you wondered) was impounded. According to SPD, all are juveniles. To date, still no shooting victim.

Peter June 9, 2015 (12:16 am)

From the 5300 block of Admiral I heard what sounded like 3 gunshots about 3-5 minutes before hearing the first of a number of police car sirens flew down admiral.

Alki Beach Bum June 9, 2015 (12:18 am)

I’m quickly remembering why summers here drive me absolutely crazy…..Love my beach shack during the winter….but won’t leave the house after dark during the summer. Ridiculous.

Vincent Dakotah Langley June 9, 2015 (12:50 am)

Would the vehicle now thought to be involved in this have by chance been a blue-colored SUV? The only other identifying thing that I know about the blue-colored SUV that I speak of here is that it has a luggage rack assembly on the top of it. I unfortunately don’t know its license plate number because I am a visually-impaired person (diabetic retinopathy). Anyway, when I saw this blue-colored SUV a day or two ago, it was in the vicinity of West Seattle’s 40th Avenue, S.W. and S.W. Edmunds Street. I was outside walking our dog at the time. There was only one person in this blue-colored SUV at that time, I believe, and that person appeared, as best that I could see, to be a man who I thought to be an older man — a man in, say, his late-50’s or early-60’s, perhaps. He was trying to stop along side our dog and I, however, several motor vehicles were parked along the side of the street (S.W. Edmunds Street) between where his car stopped out there on Edmunds Street, eastbound, and where I was walking on the sidewalk, to the south side of his where his car stopped at that time. He said something to me but I didn’t hear him at first because he had what seemed to be a rather weak voice. I said to him, between the parked cars between he and I, what did you say? and he then repeated what sounded like the same thing that he had said the first time, which was, “Come over here by my car for a minute.” I didn’t go over there onto the street by his car, though. Instead of that, I thought that something seemed “a little funny” about this situation and so I just waived briefly at him and said, Goodbye, as I continued then to walk our dog back home. As he slowly pulled away from our dog and I in that car of his, I was watching him then and it was at that time that I saw that he had what appeared to be a rather large-caliber handgun in one of his hands as he was driving away. I am only venturing to guess right here, but the handgun that this guy had may have been, say a .45 caliber automatic or something like that. Maybe as “small” as, say, a Glock .380. I thought then, Great! Just taking “Doggie” out for a little walk and somebody’s driving around the neighborhood apparently wanting to shoot somebody today! This blue-colored SUV, by the way, as it slowly pulled away from our dog and I out here on S.W. Edmunds Street, the guy driving the car then turned north onto Fauntleroy Way from there — and, as the car headed north up Fauntleroy Way, S.W., I soon could no longer see where this car went from there. I did not call this into “9-1-1” because I felt that I just didn’t have enough information about this incident to really be able to tell the police much of anything at all about it. So, when our dog and I came back into our apartment, my room-mate and I talked about it for a little while and then I decided that there was really no need to bother the Seattle Police Department — what? About some guy who had some kind of a handgun in his hands, but (fortunately), he did NOT shoot me or shoot our dog! The police around here would probably only think that I am really quite NUTS — “NO THANKS”, to that!!!

WSB June 9, 2015 (12:59 am)

Vincent – no, it was described as black. Sorry to hear about your scare. If you ever feel threatened, though, please DO call police.

ScubaFrog June 9, 2015 (1:58 am)

Alki Beach Bum: I agree 100%. Summer’s here on Alki are bedlam, and drive me absolutely NUTTY with the speeding cars/bass/violence/motorcycles. This is the 2nd shooting this month? Or maybe in 2 months? Strong-arm robberies, we’re already up to 3 (2 on 1 weekend here)? And it’s only June…
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Each year I’m personally promised “New, better, comprehensive policing on Alki!” by our precinct Captains. And each year the insanity gets worse.
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Cruising Ordinance? Never adhered to by SPD. Sound Ordinance? Never adhered to by SPD. We’ll be seeing more shootings this summer. And more robberies. Maybe when one of us is killed – Captain Davis and/or Chief O’Toole will actually pay attention.

Vincent Dakotah Langley June 9, 2015 (3:29 am)

I tried to write another comment here for you, WSB. My own computer won’t let me do it because it keeps shutting down with no warning to do all of these stupid Microsoft and Windows updates. By the time that I get my computer back on-line again, all that I had just written is gone. Anyway, as a physically-challenged person I’m probably going to leave the use of computers and the internet before too much longer. For me, it is all just too frustrating, is the whole of it, to be honest with you. I just wanted to thank you for your comment to me. I can’t call the King County 9-1-1 “com center” for anything. Seattle police have in the past told me that. They said that I can’t ever call them — for anything. I didn’t do anything for them to say this to me, either. I occasionally see people in their cars with guns around where we live. I just have to think, “…Ain’t it America???!!!” (RE: The Second Amendment to the Constitution of America) and then simply try, anyway, to just forget it. …Or, is it more like, “Only in America!!!” ??? I have to presume that they (the police) DON’T really want to hear about people driving around in automobiles with a gun, anyway. This has been my experience, I’m sorry.

Vincent Dakotah Langley June 9, 2015 (3:35 am)

P.S. The SUV-looking motor vehicle that I saw this man with a gun in is a kind of a dark blue color. In the nighttime hours it could perhaps be seen as a black vehicle. But, again, the one that I saw, it was about 5:00PM, during the daytime hours, it was sunny outside and the vehicle that I saw that I am referring to here was (is) that dark blue color. Maybe this might perhaps help somebody.

w.s.maverick June 9, 2015 (5:42 am)

alki is getting worse

Peerzat June 9, 2015 (6:00 am)

Not where I want to see a pic of my truck. And rent continues to rise annually by $100/month. Some things just aren’t adding up. The landlords along the beach have some work to do if they expect this trend to continue.
The cruising factor is a part of the culture down here. But, so was smoking a part of the culture in bars, for example, until not that long ago. It’s time the loud engines and music people start getting the attention they’re looking for…from the SPD in the form of a ticket. Then that money could be used to pay for more police on the beach.

iggy June 9, 2015 (6:21 am)

On a related note, I’ve noticed that the disorderly and unruly are back at the RR C stop at Westwood Village in the afternoon. Ditto the Wall of Buses. So much for the stepped up police presence there. I wish the WV merchants would find a solution. This is hurting their business. Not a pleasant place to shop any more.

Justin Davey June 9, 2015 (6:22 am)

What are you hoping to see happen? From what I can see there has been an increased police presence this year, both on bike and patrol car. The problem isn’t a lack of policing, the problem is that criminals commit crimes. Just because we live on alki, doesn’t exclude us from that fact.

John June 9, 2015 (6:40 am)

Scubafrog, I think the term you’re looking for is enforced. If SPD were to not adhere to a statute, that would communicate that they are not following the law themselves. I think you meant to say that they’re not enforcing the law. Unless of course you meant to say that SPD is being criminally loud and cruising alki in violation of the local ordinance.

Thomas M. June 9, 2015 (6:41 am)

CAMERAS. There aren’t that many ways to get onto and off of Alki. Put in traffic controls designed to bring vehicles and their occupants into “living color” on video and still photo. Watch the BS plummet.

Amrakx June 9, 2015 (6:57 am)

When will the SPD Mobile Station be deployed on Alki Ave as it was many years ago?
Personally, I feel live streaming video webcam cameras would serve as a deterrent to abhorrent behavior and similar to the ones on Waikiki Beach would attract visitors to smile and say Aloha to their friends and family back home.

WSB June 9, 2015 (7:28 am)

They haven’t had one since the one Christopher Monfort torched in 2009. A replacement was being manufactured as of the last time we reported on it in April. I don’t have an update on when they expect delivery.

Glenn June 9, 2015 (7:36 am)

I vote to restrict Alki Ave to pedestrians, cycles, and local traffic only starting Saturday around 5:00 pm through all day on Sunday. Maybe it’s not a perfect solution but I think it’d be a good experiment on crime reduction.

Cid June 9, 2015 (7:47 am)

I agree with Justin. There has been an increase of policing on Alki, and as I recall, surveillance cameras were installed on Alki a couple of years ago, and people got all up in arms and STOPPED SPD from ever using them. Frankly, I think that would make me feel safer. I couldn’t help but notice that when many of these shootings are solved, those involved are from Kent, Auburn, Federal Way…not Seattle. Not just a city problem.

SGG June 9, 2015 (7:48 am)

As per other WSB story, graduation night is tonight which I assume is also the last day of school. Look for more mayhem at Alki again.

WSB June 9, 2015 (7:55 am)

No, it’s NOT the last day of school. That’s a week from today. Even the parochial schools aren’t out for another couple days. WSHS graduation (6 pm at SWAC in Westwood) is mentioned in our traffic report and also will be in the daily preview. Thanks.

Jonny5 June 9, 2015 (7:53 am)

I agree with Thomas M, CAMERAS!! If the city can’t put them up due to privacy concerns every business on Alki should put up at least one or two facing the street and beach. Cameras are cheap these days and I’d pay extra for my meal to cover the cost. The video can be easily accessed by SPD by asking the business owners, I’ve done so at my residence.

T Rex June 9, 2015 (8:16 am)

Great, I just hope Seattle has only oil drilling protests this summer. Unlike other parts of the country.
Our county is on edge right now. Support your local police officers, treat them with respect and DO WHAT THEY ASK YOU TO DO please.

kg June 9, 2015 (8:27 am)

I doubt the businesses or those who live on Alki would like to have the streets closed during certain times.

Now to the reduction of “cruising”.
Where I come from there were certain places that high school kids would go to cruise. Police put measures in place that discouraged it.
For example: if they saw your car going past a certain amount of times in an hour you were ticketed. They would post up at the popular turn around spots and ticket you. They would post up in the popular parking spots and ticket you.

Looking back to my youth I hated what ‘the man’ did to curb my fun. However, I am sure that all kinds of crime was prevented by not allowing a great number of cruisers in area.

So there is something that can be done. I would suggest the Alki community association as well as the Alki business association come together and have sit down conversation.

WSB June 9, 2015 (8:44 am)

There is no Alki business association. The community council is a small group of volunteers who really need reinforcements. Anyone who wants to help might consider going to a meeting. Usually third Thursdays, 7 pm, Alki Congregational Church. Meantime, one thing to consider regarding cruising – on sunny afternoons, how would you tell who’s “cruising” and who’s stuck in traffic? I had to check something out one afternoon this weekend and was part of the eastbound mile-plus crawl toward Alki Point. (We usually go to Alki via Genesee Hill and lower Admiral, but in this case I happened to be near Harbor/Spokane when I had to divert.)

Mary S June 9, 2015 (8:34 am)

That’s interesting, Glenn. Reminds me of something I haven’t thought about in years. Many years ago I lived in a different city near a large park, and the gorgeous overlook there became a popular spot on Sundays for people to come in their cars and blast their stereos, etc. I don’t remember anyone ever getting hurt but it did become loud and start to cause traffic issues. They ended up making it car-free. Interesting idea.

Eric1 June 9, 2015 (8:39 am)

Argh… So many idiots on the loose.
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I get you feel “disrespected” by the guy you shot at. But if you want respect, show some skills. Remember to check for a secure backstop, line up your sights, and then SQUEEZE the trigger. Do not jerk, or hold the gun sideways.
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You guys are 0 for 6 in the past couple of days. Your lack of skills is endangering the general public. Please spend some time and money at the range and not on polish for your SUV’s shiny rims.
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Sarcasm Off.
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Seriously, this is getting old really fast. Westwood and Alki seem to attract trouble from a lot of out of town criminals. We pay $60 extra in vehicle plates, perhaps we could get city only designs? Maybe a “M” background to show you paid the metro fee. You could then turn in your neighbor who is registering his Ferrari in Yakima. LOL.

Justin Davey June 9, 2015 (8:43 am)

We don’t need to be under constant surveillance, it won’t change anything. And we shouldn’t be clamoring for the police to do more either. As a community we need to police our own. Within reason, if you see someone acting a fool, tell them. Your neighbors probably feel the same way as you do and will back you up. We’re fortunate to live on the happiest 10 blocks in all of Seattle and others want to come and enjoy that, including no-goodniks. That being said, I don’t ever feel in danger and as far as the loudness, the hustle and the bustle–that’s why I live on alki beach.

Guy Olson June 9, 2015 (8:45 am)

Both recent shootings have happened roughly around the same time. I also directly witnessed both instances gunshots. Seeing muzzle blasts really kills the beach vibe. The problem I see is that once the police close the beach at 11:00, they just go home. Not 45 minutes after the shooting there was a huge, loud, and drunk crowd at the fire pits. They need to park in the 2600 block Police Parking space and make their presence known. If there had been a police vehicle there I don’t think either shootings would have occurred. The bullet hole in the living room window above Alki Properties doesn’t help with the cute little “Beach House” sign sales either.

Justin Davey June 9, 2015 (8:52 am)

If I’m not mistaken, these shootings and robberies that are occurring all happen after midnight. A full hour after the posted signs saying parks closed and full 45 minutes after officer Chang has driven his vehicle up and down the bike path, loudspeaker blaring to leave. Here’s an idea, rather than hoping for the police to hold your hand as you walk home at night, be aware of your surroundings. Understand that if you walk through the shadows of Don armeni at 2am, there is unfortunately a possibility something bad might happen.

WSB June 9, 2015 (9:16 am)

No, the recent Alki incidents have not all happened after midnight, and not all in parks (I am counting the robbery reports too, and by the way, still haven’t been able to get the reports, and given the police resources devoted to the protest this morning, I don’t have much hope that’ll change in the hours ahead – also, police are now responding to a Rainier Ave shooting with a victim, which means media relations is on that for a while). But OTOH, they have NOT happened in daylight. BTW, assuming no victim ever turned up for this one, the last time someone was actually hit and injured in an Alki shooting was this incident in March:
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https://westseattleblog.com/?p=304786
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That was the first time in 2 1/2 years someone had been shot.

Jayne June 9, 2015 (9:14 am)

I agree with Guy. Although I’ve only lived here a year, from what I’ve seen the problem is that the police go home after the routine shutting down of the beach. Almost always about an hour after that is when the mayhem starts. This could be a relatively easy solution if the police would patrol until 1 or 2am instead.

Donna June 9, 2015 (9:21 am)

Problem I am seeing is that the police do not stay when the parks are closed. I think they should at least stay until 1am when most of the bars are closing and people are leaving the beach. That would solve alot of the problems with people hanging around.

AIDM June 9, 2015 (10:11 am)

I don’t understand why a police officer is not on foot at Alki anytime the whether is >70 degrees. Between smoking on the beach, dogs on the beach, littering, drinking, jay walking, cruising, noise violations, fights, and gunfights the officer appointed to this post should be able to fulfill their quota of citations and do the public some good.

WSB June 9, 2015 (10:29 am)

Police ARE at Alki. In the aforementioned “stuck in traffic” (yes, I know, I “was” traffic too) situation the other afternoon, two bicycling officers passed us (we talked to them later – they’d made a drug bust on Beach Drive that day about which I am *also* STILL trying to get details) and two squad cars were parked closer to the heart of the business zone, with officers out of the cars. Also, though the Don Armeni parking enforcement has upset some, a PEO was at DA last night and is the one who spotted the suspect vehicle, grabbed a partial plate, and giving that to officers who picked up the sightings all along the line – there were other officers maintaining visual contact somehow from the WS Bridge to Rainier Valley – is how they made the stop. They will be the first to tell you they would rather be in more places at more times. **The comment bringing up the late night presence may be a really good specific logistical point and we’ll ask about that in a forthcoming conversation.** I am not saying this to negate concerns but rather to note that police ARE out and about. Especially the newly expanded bike squad. Places we have seen them while out and about in the past week or so – without looking for them or having any advance word – include Westwood, Jefferson Square, Alki (in addition to the beach, we’ve seen the bicycle officers near Alki Playfield/Community Center), Admiral. We drive around a lot checking on things as well as responding to breaking news and covering meetings so we have more chances than most to get a little more of an overview – Tracy
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P.S. If you’re interested in specific calls answered at Alki or anywhere else, browse the tweets that are viewable on our Crime Watch page. You don’t need to be a Twitter user. It’s a browsable box near the top of the page, reverse chronological order. It aggregates the automatically tweeted call types/times/locations from all Southwest Precinct sectors.

kg June 9, 2015 (10:22 am)

“How do you tell who is cruising and who is stuck in traffic?”

The technology already exists within parking enforcement. They have the readers that scan license tags to those that have been parked too long in a timed parking space. Its tech can be used off the shelf or with little modification to catch drivers who pass the same area with in a certain amount of time as well.

We could defer to the judgement of the officers assigned to duty of curbing cruising.

The link below is from the Center for problem oriented policing. It is a well thought out article, with citations, on the issues of cruising. How it is identified, and possible solutions.

http://www.popcenter.org/problems/cruising/print/

i'mcoveredinbees June 9, 2015 (10:47 am)

It’s sad that Alki is off limits to us locals during the summer. I only feel safe there during the earlier hours and do not let my teen hang out there at all. The sadder thing is: the problems are preventable. Seaside, OR had these same problems and they were all solved. You can no longer cruise there, it’s safe and fun for everybody. There are deterrents that are just not in place at Alki and they are really not so hard to implement. To say that there is no viable way to regulate cruising or that there is an adequate police presence at Alki is absolutely ludicrous. If Alki residents want to solve the problems, rather than complaining about it, start a neighborhood patrol, work with police, and be really loud about getting your needs met. Get the no cruising enforced and stick up for your neighborhood. It takes a village and definitely is possible to take Alki back.

Oakley34 June 9, 2015 (10:54 am)

If the cameras that were installed still exist they should be turned on. If they are gone there should be some intstalled. We should not have an expectation of privacy in so public a space anyway. And please continue to support expanded checks on gun sales when they come up for referendums or call your state reps. I’m no cop lover (nor a hater), but they can’t do this alone

Janae' June 9, 2015 (11:03 am)

I did see an SUV with two police bikes on the bike racks drive down Beach Drive by Constellation Park Sunday afternoon as things were heating up. I was on my front porch from 7:00 pm on and never saw a police officer after that. It got worse after they closed down Alki and all the yahoos came our way.

Last night we had some serious racing and tricking on motorcycles going on afer 11:00 pm. I didn’t call this time because the neighbors did. I did go out at 11:30 and tell them it was time to go home. I’m sure that wasn’t the safest thing but I do need some sleep.

civik June 9, 2015 (11:11 am)

Cid, the cameras on Alki were part of a federal grant to monitor the waterways. Neither the city nor our police force had any plans for someone to actually monitor those cameras iirc. All in all another sign of tax dollars wasted for no purpose.

WSB June 9, 2015 (11:13 am)

Anyone interested in the history of the cameras can browse our archive at Seattle Police Surveillance Cameras (see categories list on lower part of sidebar). They remain in limbo – SPD wants to transfer them to another department, possibly IT – but dealing with that seems to be on the backburner. The “wireless mesh” network that came with them has gotten more discussion in the past couple years. – TR

Alki Perspectives June 9, 2015 (11:28 am)

Seattle Police are more concerned with protecting the corporate body (Port property and Shell) than a human one.

HelperMonkey June 9, 2015 (11:36 am)

and this is why I only go to Alki in February when it’s raining. gah.

Vincent Dakotah Langley June 9, 2015 (11:53 am)

I used to go down to the Alki Beach area on my motorcycle-looking mobility scooter. However, that ol’ scooter of mine hasn’t run for over 2 years now. I can’t take a METRO bus down there to Alki because, once you get off from one of those buses down there, you are basically stuck down there, for hours, at least, before you can ever get a METRO bus from that Alki Beach area back up to, say, Alaska Junction at California Avenue, S.W. and S.W. Alaska Street. From West Seattle’s Alaska Junction, I can simply walk home. I think that all of you people who live down there in the Alki Beach area are really very lucky, indeed, just to be able to live down there! I agree with i’mcoveredinbees here. The residents of the Alki Beach area should work together — and legally, of course — to take that Alki Beach neighborhood area back from the criminals who only visit there from other places, and only to cause trouble down there, really. Where I live in the West Seattle area, I once talked to the City of Seattle Animal Control because people walking dogs around my neighborhood area do not clean up after their dogs, as the law says that they have to do. Animal control told me this: They said that if I want the dog messes cleaned up outside around my neighborhood area, I should then and in that case go outside there and clean those dog messes up myself because nobody else is going to do it. I thought that, in a way, they were really pretty much right in telling me that. By the same way of thinking, the people living in that Alki Beach neighborhood area should take care of trouble-making people down there in that area by simply running them off, at least. …Or, something more or less like that, anyway. Let it be known to the trouble-makers that, yes, it is your neighborhood area ans simply not their neighborhood area. If I could get down there daily even, just like a volunteer going up to, say, the VA Medical Center on Seattle’s Beacon Hill everyday to do volunteer work up there at that medical center complex, I would come down there to that Alki Beach neighborhood area everyday or almost everyday, at least, and help you good people living down there run off all of these NUTS who come down there from other areas, basically just to cause all of the trouble down there in your area — I would, in other words, stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” with you in such an effort, through doing this! Remember, you cannot do things such as simply assaulting people — not unless you take an action such as that in defending yourself and/or somebody else. I won’t say any further than that here because, really, I can’t. I don’t want to be construed here as giving out legal advice, which is something that I legally cannot do, as I certainly am not a licensed and practicing lawyer — I am not anything even anywhere close to that, at all. Rather, I am just a lay person (untrained and undereducated), simply wanting to somehow help here, if I only could.
Peace be with you all who reside down there in the beautiful Alki Beach neighborhood area! You all have a really very nice day (and night) !!!

ScubaFrog June 9, 2015 (12:30 pm)

Alki Perspectives: I agree wholeheartedly. In modern America, corporations trump The People, across the board. I mean just look at the massive police response to a peaceful protest against Shell. Then compare that to a few units down here (and Delridge, Westwood, The Junction etc.) during summer bedlam…
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Imcoveredinbees it is sad. I don’t feel safe on Alki during the sunny weekends in the Summer here, and I don’t scare easily. My family and friends(especially family members/friends with kiddos) refuse to come down here on sunny days. It is off limits to us. SPD really doesn’t care at all about cruising or noise ordinances here.
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Captain Davis told me in an email a month ago, that he’d be deploying the new Command Unit on sunny days. Sad to see that not being utilized. Also sad to see SPD disappearing after about 11pm here. WSB if you’d like, you’re welcome to come down to Alki on a hot Saturday night after the police leave, to see what really happens down here. You’ve seen video of the shooting in March, right? You’re missing a lot. Your assertion that the police are always on Alki is ludicrous.
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Does anyone have Chief O’Toole’s email? She’s impossible to contact.

Chris W June 9, 2015 (12:33 pm)

Going to Alki during beach cleanups or planned events (Mermaid Parade, Flipper Fest) may be a way to enjoy the sunny shore & feel a bit safer for those of you avoiding the beach in the summer. I’ll be there this Saturday morning with Seal Sitters, picking up butts. ;-)

clulessinws June 9, 2015 (1:04 pm)

It would be great if people could make a change on Alki like they are trying to do with Shell. Boycott Shell? How about boycotting Alki? I kind of doubt it will happen but if enough people didn’t go, business would suffer then the business owners could put pressure on the mayor and SPD to do something vs leave at curfew, issue empty promises, etc.

clulessinws June 9, 2015 (1:13 pm)

Yeah, Scuba, it’s sad. I tried to look up Carmen Best, Steve Wilske, and Kathleen Kathleen O’Toole in the city directory. No results found. Since now Asst Chief Wilske used to be associated with West Seattle, maybe someone knows his email address or it can be found on WSB? At least that way you could get in touch with someone close to the Chief.

Silly Goose June 9, 2015 (3:17 pm)

This is so disturbing and my teenage daughter wonder why I won’t let her go to Alki for Bonfires, all private schools are out on the 11th, so please keep our kids safe.

I am all for putting up cameras every where, or offering rewards for phone video.

Alki is scary and not for this local family any more.

katy June 9, 2015 (4:33 pm)

cameras…enough said.

jetcitydude June 9, 2015 (5:03 pm)

Its not even the weekend and they are drawing guns.

Eric June 9, 2015 (7:03 pm)

Who is the “they” jetcitydude?

CMB June 10, 2015 (1:39 pm)

“gangstas”

WTF June 10, 2015 (9:41 pm)

We need to DO something!!!
If it takes planting military police on Alki after dark, do it. The message has to be sent that we will not take this $#!+. Stop hugging these AHs and feeling sorry for them because their daddy don’t hug them enough. This HAS GOT TO STOP!!!!!!!!!!

Kathy June 11, 2015 (12:08 am)

Close Alki Ave SW to all but local resident cars, public transportation, car share, bike share (yes, we need Pronto bike stations down here), people on bikes and other non-motorized or wheel/pedal assisted transportation, people walking. Do it one Sunday per month during the late spring/summer from noon to bar closing time. Increase frequency and length of service of public transportation on those days. Then observe and see if things don’t calm down. Observe impact on businesses. Cruisers and trouble makers aren’t bringing in that much business anyway, they just want to drive around showing off their cars. People will still come once they know they don’t have to bring their car to enjoy Alki, and they can enjoy it without the frustration of driving around our residential blocks repeatedly trying to find a parking place. Let them do a “hide and ride” in someone elses neighborhood and get on a shuttle. After all, they have been doing this on Lake Washington Boulevard for 50 years now haven’t they? I say it’s Alki’s turn to enjoy a few car free days.

Matt S. June 11, 2015 (7:31 am)

+1 Kathy

Joeb June 11, 2015 (12:01 pm)

Summer is here early.. In more ways than 1.

Joeb June 11, 2015 (12:04 pm)

Maybe police could cite cruisers for loud exhaust, speeding, vehicle modification, etc? Lay down the law and word will get out/bad apples may stay away.

Nick June 11, 2015 (5:47 pm)

Sorry if this is old news, haven’t been in the loop for a while. But does anyone know what ever came of the camera usage decision for the ones installed along Alki? I know they were discussing possibly using them for crime…

WSB June 11, 2015 (5:50 pm)

Short answer: if they’re ever activated, it will likely be under the supervision of another department like the city IT dept, say SPD and the mayor.

Sorry, comment time is over.