West Seattle Crime Watch: Alki robbery reports; stolen bicycle; purse/wallet stolen from shopper

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In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

ALKI ROBBERY REPORTS: No details on these yet – weekend information is almost impossible to get from SPD and we haven’t heard directly from anyone involved – but two street robberies have been reported in Alki in the past two nights, according to SPD auto-tweets: Just before 9 tonight in the 2700 block of Alki (which might explain the sirens we’ve been asked about by several people – until now, we’d only heard of a medic response in the area too, don’t know if it was related), and one around 10 last night in the 5800 block of SW Lander (near Whale Tail Park). We’ll be pursuing the reports tomorrow.

ALSO IN ALKI – STOLEN BICYCLE: A silver Specialized #24 bicycle was stolen from Alki Elementary earlier this evening, according to a text from its owner’s parent, who described the thief as “teenager, skinny, buzz cut, white male.” If you see one abandoned, please let police know, and comment here.

THEFT AT WESTWOOD TARGET: Just in from Mary, via e-mail:

I know this is a long shot, but this morning I was shopping at Target at Westwood and while my back was turned, someone took my rectangular lime green purse/wallet out of my cart. My keys were attached to it, on a purple carabiner clip, with a Lego R2D2 keychain and a Lego Darth Vader keychain. I was left with no way to pay for my groceries and no way to get into my car to get home!

All the cards in it have been cancelled (as far as I know) and there is nothing of much value there, but if someone should flip through it and then throw it on the ground somewhere at Westwood or in the area, it would bring me a great deal of peace of mind to have whatever’s left of it back – especially my keys, since the keys were attached to my purse and ID, I’m going to have to change the locks at my house, and I don’t even know what to do about my cars, which will remain parked at the address that is easily accessible from my purse. I think it will be days before I can sleep at night.

Please let police know *and* comment here if you’ve seen what Mary’s missing.

Frappe June 7, 2015 (10:37 pm)

I found your #24 bike ! Please call 206 412 8663 tommorow after say 10 am. :)

WSB June 8, 2015 (10:09 am)

Thanks to Frappe for the rapid response. The bike report came in via text message so I have texted the owner’s parent to point out your comment.

Jayjay June 7, 2015 (11:38 pm)

I’m sorry for such a frustrating experience Mary. Have you checked with Target to review surveillance video before it’s deleted (if that’s what they do)? I’ve heard that Target has some comprehensive video monitoring .
Good luck!
Hope the person injured in the Alki incident is okay.

Safety is (TOP) Priority June 8, 2015 (12:49 am)

Mary,
i’m very sorry this has happened to you. I work at Target not the one at Westwood but I still know that we do have cameras that can zoom in pretty close in and most likely would have picked up the thief. I’m not sure the rules of releasing images but if you’ve already spoken with Target’s Assets Protection you would have been briefed.If not that should be your immediate next stop.
Please everyone be safe it is summer and with everybody out and about thefts are more likely to occur freq. Please be aware of your surroundings and personal items. Nowadays you can get your purse taken from you while your back is turned in the gas station looking at the gage. Look out for your neighbors so we all can have a fun safe day. Enjoy the Heat.

Westwood Shopper June 8, 2015 (5:46 am)

Mary, I am so sorry for your ordeal. After a similar ordeal, I made a rule for myself to never shop with my keys in my purse. Now at least if someone snatches my purse I can still drive myself home and get into my house securely. I sincerely hope you get some of your belongings back!

nowadays June 8, 2015 (7:04 am)

I always try to jump in when people assert that crime is worse “now a days” There have been pick pockets, robbers and thieves since people had opposable thumbs and carried stuff of value with them. There is nothing new under the sun.

nate June 8, 2015 (7:39 am)

Mary – We had a similar incident last year, cost several thousand dollars to rekey our vehicles. The house was only a few hundred. The sleezy insurance company refused to pay for it too. I guess they would rather you not be proactive and wait for your house to be broken into, or your vehicles stolen before they pay for anything.

Alan June 8, 2015 (8:40 am)

You can rekey your house fairly inexpensively, as long as you have someone that can stay home while you do it. Just remove all the locks and take them to your local hardware store where they can rekey them while you wait.

Vincent Dakotah Langley June 8, 2015 (8:44 am)

Mary, I, too, am sorry to hear about your stolen personal property. Whenever I am in stores and the like and I see something such as a purse in a grocery cart and it appears that no-one is right there with that cart and purse at first, I say in a kind of a loud voice, someone has left their purse in a grocery cart here! Most-usually, one lady will turn and say to me, “Oh, that’s mine.” When this happens, sometimes, the lady using the cart who has left her purse in that cart is about half-way up the aisle in the store where that cart and purse are sitting. I remember once, during the holidays, this was the case. The top of the purse was wide open and right in the top of that purse was the lady’s wallet, with a whole bunch of cash stuffed into the wallet so that the cash could really very easily be seen, sticking out of the wallet. It appeared to be large denomination bills — $50 and $100 bills, mostly. Maybe some $20’s, as well. I did the same thing that I always do in this situation. I announced in a kind of a loud voice, somebody has left their shopping cart and their purse here. There were several people on the store’s aisle at the time and, sure enough, a lady way up at the end of the aisle said that that was her cart and her purse, as she walked back towards it to be with the cart and her purse again. She thanked me and I said to her to be careful and do not let herself get separated from her personal property like that in the future. Then we said Happy Holidays to each other and we parted ways. This happens really quite frequently in stores and in other such businesses where people shop and so-forth. So, anyway, people, when you have personal property of yours in a shopping cart in a business such as a store, please — for your own sake — do not simply part with your shopping cart like that, with your personal property left there in that cart! Unfortunately, there are some people who go in and out of the businesses, such as stores, just looking for things like this that other people do — and, also unfortunately, they will steal your personal property from you if they even so much as think that they see the chance to do that! …Some “people?” in this world, all that they think of is only themselves and not other people around them in life, at all… Please remember that and have a really very nice day whenever you go out somewhere. I don’t take other peoples’ things, not even their cash money. I grew up that way and even if I found a wallet full of cash, I would be looking in it only to find identification in the wallet hopefully, to then be able to return the wallet and everything in it to the wallet’s rightful owner. As for the cash, itself, I get money as it is for me and it simply would not be right for me to keep somebody else’s money. Thinking of them in a case such as this, maybe they are suffering because of that loss of their wallet, of theirs — and, maybe even their family is going hungry because of the loss of that wallet. So, I need to get it back to them — yes, even the cash that is in the wallet when I found it. It simply does not belong to me, period. I wish that everybody in the whole world would think this way, in such a situation! And then, act accordingly!…

KT June 8, 2015 (9:41 am)

Really “nowadays”? Yes, crimes and criminals have been around since forever. But I think you are missing a critical point – that being the type of crime and frequency of crime.

wb June 8, 2015 (11:53 am)

Mary, so sorry to hear. These things are such a nightmare. I suggest using “The Club” on your cars’ steering wheels. The thieves won’t have those keys. They still, however, can get into the car :( . In the meantime maybe an angel will find your wallet and keys and return them.

ptofws June 8, 2015 (12:35 pm)

I ALWAYS use the child “seatbelt” to strap, lock and zip my purse in the cart. That way if someone tries to grab my purse… locked in and I’m not far away.

ScubaFrog June 8, 2015 (1:38 pm)

2 more strong-arm robberies on Alki, scary. One of these days, one of these robberies will likely turn violent. I wonder how many strong-arm robberies have occurred on Alki in the last few months.

mrsMarty June 8, 2015 (3:15 pm)

Mary, don’t forget to report this to all the credit reporting agencies too for ID/fraud theft.

Anonymous June 8, 2015 (3:17 pm)

One of the Strong Arm Robberies happened on Wale Tale park were a kid was robbed for his gold chain and designer belt by another kid wielding a hand gun

WSB June 8, 2015 (4:23 pm)

Thanks, but unless there have been two robberies in which the loot was a chain, that was a different incident, on May 29th. Still trying to get police information on these incidents, which were reported on June 6th and 7th.

Steve June 8, 2015 (6:19 pm)

Thanks to the WSB my son got his bike back today!!!!
Frappe thank you too

wetone June 8, 2015 (6:56 pm)

Whale tail park ? Why not say Alki school area as more people would know area…..

WSB June 8, 2015 (7:01 pm)

Because that’s where it happened. WT Park at 58th and Lander, not Alki Elementary at 59th and Stevens, or Alki Community Center at 58th and Stevens.

Sorry, comment time is over.