39 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Couple attacked, robbed at California/Andover; car stolen from supermarket lot"

• kittyno September 16, 2016 (11:48 am)

  Horrific.  So sorry to all victims.

• Lola September 16, 2016 (11:58 am)

  Wow scary.  They are looking for people even on the busy streets.  Although at 11:30 pm might not be that many people out and about.  Yay for the people who stopped to help them.

• Born On Alki 59 September 16, 2016 (11:59 am)

  Want safe streets Mayor Ed? Hire more cops and let them do their job.

   This is exactly why our house goes up for sale next week. So long Seattle.

• skeeter September 16, 2016 (12:07 pm)

  Oh my gosh that is horrible.  I hope the victim recovers quickly. 

• old timer September 16, 2016 (1:11 pm)

  “Give me all your stuff” – IMO, a pure example of elitist, self-entitled behavior.

  • WSB September 16, 2016 (1:34 pm)

    And a further datapoint .. according to the report, the $30 was the tip money the victim had earned during her shift.

    • watertowersmitty September 16, 2016 (1:56 pm)

      Will she divulge where she works?  I like to give her a $30 tip.

      • John Enger September 16, 2016 (5:04 pm)

        same here…I would like to cover her lost tip as well.

• Diane September 16, 2016 (1:15 pm)

  agree; horrific, so scary; blocks from my home; and I am often out late at night; I was out in the neighborhood last night past midnight, so this is super scary; thanks for the report; hope both are ok

• Chuck September 16, 2016 (1:17 pm)

  It used to be that I would feel completely safe walking home after a few cocktails in the Junction, southbound to Morgan Junction. Sadly, those days are gone. Yes, until Mayor Road Diet figures out that a burgeoning city also needs a growing Police Department to serve it, it’s every man and woman for ourselves. His latest 180 on tge (much needed!!) North Precinct is evidence that it’s politics before the needs of the people. Shame on him. Sorry to see you go, Alki 59, but I completely understand.  

• Ellen September 16, 2016 (1:18 pm)

  A friend of mine was assaulted in front of his own home in Alki recently.

  Seattle’s growth brings more individuals who take advantage of growing prosperity in the region. Seattle’s representatives, services and citizens need to start getting their heads around this and come up with creative solutions.

• newnative September 16, 2016 (1:31 pm)

  Wow, that’s where I lived up until a year ago before I got priced out.  A few times I got approached and I never stopped for anybody.  Especially when they ask for the time.  There’s a bank clock and one can always guess or make up something to say.  I don’t know why that’s a tactic but whenever a stranger asks like that, I never stop to look at a phone or a watch.  It seems to startle the asker too.  

  • chemist September 16, 2016 (2:11 pm)

    The tactic is to ask for the “time” as a distraction and it also provides semi-legitimate cover for an approach/contact without the victim being too alarmed.

    • newnative September 16, 2016 (2:33 pm)

      I figured, it has the opposite effect though for me.  People have been doing it for decades at least.  I love the alarmed look on the person when I either give the exact time without looking or I just reply, “I have no idea”.   

      I hope these guys get caught.

• Steve September 16, 2016 (2:21 pm)

  http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/neither-one-of-us-can-sing-seattle-mayor-council-member-try-carpool-karaoke-in-electric-vehicle/

  Here is your astounding leadership working hard on these issues.  Vote them out!

• Josh September 16, 2016 (2:29 pm)

  What’s funny is this, many of my friends feel safer walking in White Center than in West Seattle. Not sure what that says, but it’s true. Downtown White Center is like the junction was 20 years ago: safe, walkable, (able to park, too), and little worry of being victimized. May seems counter-intuitive, but true. Great job, West Seattle!!! I’m done with you :(

• Fregirl September 16, 2016 (2:59 pm)

  We live literally on this corner and have for five years. We used to stroll around on late night walks, run over to the convenience store at late hours, hang outside chatting with neighbors. Not any more. Even at 8pm it starts getting sketchy, strange people about in strange cars, or on foot. We’ve felt afraid at strange men seeming to follow us or hanging out around buildings they do not live in, or by the store and bus stops. Plus it’s so now we can’t cross the street forever most of the time now, and out rent keeps being hiked up crazy amount to, and they forced us to take down our air conditioner after having three years because they are trying to upsell the apartment across from us. We are so out of here when our lease is up. Bye bye west Seattle, I won’t miss the endless daily very loud construction noise inside my apartment for the past two and a half years solid from six different Lego box condos going up withing two blocks. 

• New in town September 16, 2016 (3:03 pm)

  My husband and I just recently relocated to West Seattle from another part of Washington and have fallen in love with the area. One of the key attractions was the safety of being able to walk around…..on California Ave and neighborhoods. This event happened very close to our home which makes me nervous and cautious. Sounds like we need to constantly be “on guard and protected” now just to walk around. Yes it is sad for sure. My heart truly goes out to the victim. I hope as a community we can fight together to keep crime out of our areas and continue to keep it safe. I appreciate the tips for alleged “time askers”. Thank you.

• Diane September 16, 2016 (4:25 pm)

  thanks for the added info about the $30 was her tips; I had wondered if they scoped her out at her job and followed her on her walk home

• Junction Lady September 16, 2016 (5:38 pm)

  The street thugs described in this horrible situation remind me of the “pirates” in the movie Captain Phillips, which is based on a true story.  This is not the first time this scenario has happened around the Junction.  Certainly a sting operation could take these punks down. 

• Alki Resident September 16, 2016 (5:43 pm)

  Josh- You have to be kidding. The last time I was dwntwn White Center, I was about to park to go to taco bus betwen 14th and 15th when all of a sudden a group of at least 5 guys started beating and kicking the living crap out of a guy. He never got up. He was take by a medic to Harborview. My poor teenager had to witness this. We’ve not been back. That area is so infested with druggies its incredible. Not to mention all the unsolved random shootings by Walgreens and gas station. Then there’s the bus shelters across from each other. High crime area. Sigh

• Fiz September 16, 2016 (6:34 pm)

  Tracy, do you know where she works?  I would like to replace her tips.

  You have my email.

  • WSB September 16, 2016 (6:50 pm)

    If the victim is reading this and wants to let people know – she is welcome to contact us, or to post a comment. Otherwise – not that we have the info anyway – WSB policy is to protect crime victims’ privacy unless they choose to make any part of their info (name, workplace, home) public. – TR

• sue September 16, 2016 (7:08 pm)

  hey born on alki 59,

  Can you name me a major city in this country where it is totally, completely, 100% safe to walk around at 11:30 at night?  Where it is a guarantee that police will be right there when something happens even with hundreds more cops on the street? there is never a guarantee of anything.

  dog lover 60

  • East Coast Cynic September 16, 2016 (11:45 pm)

    Adding on to Sue’s question, to the residents that are pulling up stakes when their home sells or lease is up, where do you move to that not only has minimal to no crime, but decent employment opportunities and a timely commute to such employment and cultural amenities????  

• Brenda September 16, 2016 (8:03 pm)

  West Seattle Residents offering to replace her tip ROCK! How truly kind of you all. 

• Michele September 16, 2016 (8:47 pm)

  It was the car theft victims birthday too. ☹️ Took the police 4hours to show up to file a police report. Sadly our police here in west Seattle have their hands full.

• WSEd September 16, 2016 (9:57 pm)

  Alki resident,

  Josh is not kidding and I agree with him.  I’ll take the gangsters in White Center that tend to fight amongst themselves but usually leave the rest of us alone over what WS from Alki all the way to Westwood has become.  After the C line went in Westwood has gotten sketchy at night, alki has had at least one random unsolved murder in the last couple of years and young thugs are trolling California from Admiral to the Morgan junction often.  At least in White Center it is usually easy to spot a situation to avoid.  Add to that all of the unmitigated development that is going on and the junction is an area I know many people actively avoid as of recent.  I’ll take the Ghetto over the gleaming poorly policed bourgeoisie property trap that WS is becoming.

• WS_Dad September 16, 2016 (10:20 pm)

   It’s sad and unfortunately becoming a fact of life here and WS.   My heart goes out to the victim, and like many other sad I have a replace her tips and then some.   I live a block and a half away and walk home from the Junction on California at least a couple of nights a week later in the evening. It’s just gotten sketchier and sketchier as  lazy, opportunist criminals look to pray upon those of us who work hard to take care of ourselves and our families.  We have 24 hours purity cameras and I have recently had it additional lighting all around our house. We love WS and chose to live here. However, it appears to be very low on the list of priorities for our city government to provide the necessary resources in crime prevention that should come with the current population growth. 

  The description of the perpetrators, brandishing of a gun and violence against a woman is unfortunately also something that isn’t surprising…….

  • WS_Dad September 16, 2016 (10:22 pm)

    Pardon the inadvertent auto-correct errors  in my post above. I hit send before I had done my appropriate proofreading :-) 

• Alki Resident September 16, 2016 (11:23 pm)

  WSEd- Im not aware of any murders on Alki. But Im aware of at least 2 murders unsolved in White Center. 

• JanS September 17, 2016 (1:25 am)

  WSEd…the use of the word “ghetto” is pretty offensive when you think about it. Do a little research about what a ghetto really is, and you might realize that it is NOT WC…and many of the people who live there don’t care for that terminology.  This is sad…and happened in an area we think of as not having a lot of crime. Sadly, crime happens everywhere in this city…even up here in the north end…Admiral is not immune. I’ve been here over 40 years…and it’s not going to drive me away.  That would mean they win, wouldn’t it? Yes, we like safety. Yes, I think the mayor and city is doing a  really crappy job when it come to West Seattle…but also to the whole city.  There are many people who think that downtown has treated WS as the poor stepchild of the city…yet..look how expensive it is to live here now because of the development they keep shoving down out throats. Those who would commit the crimes know that you have to have money to live here now…easy pickings.   Because of disabilities I have now, I walk here less and less. No more midnight visits to Safeway for me for snacks  :(

• CAM September 17, 2016 (2:52 am)

  Having just moved from a rural community to WS a year ago I would like to say that the number of crime reports I read on a daily basis in WS are fairly similar in number to what was going on in a much less populated and urban location. Thus it seems to me that the per capita crime rate might actually be lower. That is not to say that crime isn’t a problem but in perspective it doesn’t seem to rise to the level that some of these comments are making it out to be, in my opinion. 

• Chris September 17, 2016 (6:28 am)

  ……and all the mostly unnecessary remarking of streets seems more important than protecting our citizens??

  We do want to thank Pothole Rangers for fixing the potholes in front of the Fire Station.   Kudos galore for taking care of our fire fighters so no more pulling out or in with huge potholes anymore.   Thank you.

• KV September 17, 2016 (8:16 am)

  So if the mayor doesn’t add more police, clearly there needs to be a citizen driven solution? Ever heard of guardian angels? They were a group ran by volunteers that was like a neighborhood watch group but they patrolled the streets on foot in Denver on main strip Colfax Ave. They communicated directly with police and wore “uniforms” so they were a visual crime deterrent. We all bitch about how bad things are getting but no one does anything about it actively. West Seattle needs to wake up, come together and do something actively other than attending crime prevention meetings. If anyone is interested in this, I would be part of it!!! Kimberly Valadez 206-326-8785. Be part of the solution 

• Born On Alki 59 September 17, 2016 (12:11 pm)

  Sue,

   Try Louisville Ky, Austin Tx, Denver Co.

   Name one major City that has not increased its police force in 30 years? The growth Seattle has experienced in the last decade should justify an increase in police officers.

   We will not walk home from the junction to our Genesee home because the gang activity has increased to unacceptable levels due to a lack in evening police presence.

   I realize Seattle can not be immune to crime, however our current administration is doing absolutely nothing to combat it with reduced staffing in an already neutered police department.

• Diane September 17, 2016 (1:01 pm)

  if Seattle had been charging developer “impact fees” like 80 other municipalities in WA state have been doing for many years, the impact fees on the BILLIONS of $$$ in development could have paid for fixing our roads that have been torn up by development, and perhaps paid for more police with our significantly increased population; write/call City Councilmembers and demand we start charging impact fees immediately; our district CM Lisa Herbold is very familiar with this concept; call her office; send her emails; demand developer impact fees; we’ve already lost MILLIONS of $$$ that could have paid for infrastructure; let’s not lose anymore; we need impact fees in Seattle

• Bill September 18, 2016 (7:39 pm)

  For 58 years I was adamantly against owning a gun. But two
  years ago my mind changed. Lack of police response (or interest), increased
  population and gang activity in the city, a mayor who is out to lunch… what
  more need I say? Nobody can have your best interest in mind more than you can
  for yourself.

  Every person is entitled to defend themselves in the event
  of violent confrontation. I’d rather be carrying a sidearm and NOT need to use
  it, versus not carrying it and finding myself in a situation where I needed to
  be armed, such as this young woman found herself. Violent people aren’t going to respond to
  logic…but they do understand force.

  A concealed pistol license is $10.00, and is good for five
  years. I spent a year at a shooting range becoming comfortable with my sidearm,
  taking some lessons and learning how to use it properly. Good guys don’t go
  flashing their guns. I’m just another regular guy you might see on the street. Using a sidearm is a last ditch maneuver, only to be used when/if one’s life is at stake. Who
  do you think the police would believe was the perp in this situation…the dude
  in the hoodie, or the one with her/his CPL?…

• JW September 27, 2016 (2:09 pm)

  Sigh.  There’s really not THAT much violent crime in West Seattle.  We just know about it when it happens because the blog is so great at keeping us informed… 

Sorry, comment time is over.