West Seattle Crime Watch: Street robbery; two helicopter searches; reader reports

We start today’s West Seattle Crime Watch with details on a street robbery – the type of crime that, according to what Southwest Precinct Lt. Pierre Davis told the WS Crime Prevention Council this week, has been on the rise in the area lately. A friend of the victim just e-mailed us with these details about what happened on SW Barton between 16th and 17th SW (map) about 11 pm last night:

The thieves sped up in an older dirty white Cadillac type car, jumped out, ran at the victim. They then hit the victim with a baseball bat and threatened to shoot him with a gun when he was on the ground. The victim only gave up his laptop when one of the youths went for something in his belt. They are two dark skinned African American youths between 17-20 years of age, skinny between 5 foot 9 and 5 foot 11. One was dressed in a black hoodie, jeans, white sneakers, in Ray Ban type sunglasses. The other was in a red hoodie, jeans, and wore a red bandana over his nose and mouth.

We’re expecting a little more information from police on this later today. P.S. Added information regarding the victim’s injuries: “Thankfully he didn’t have to go to the hospital. He is scraped up and traumatized. The alley they pushed him into has gravel. It tore up his hands, knees and elbows.” (added) Here’s the SPD Blotter report on this.

Now, on to two late-night/early-morning helicopter searches:

First, several notes this morning asked about one heard in the Alki area around 2:30 am today. The only call we could find on the log was described as “suspicious circumstances” in the 63rd SW/Marguerite Court vicinity (map). SPD media-relations Det. Mark Jamieson, looked it up for us: While there’s no formal report, because there’s no indication a crime was committed, he says someone called police to say there was a man standing in front of a house “holding a baseball bat and a flashlight, staring into the house. When asked what he was doing, he told the complainant ‘there’s a burglar in the house, but don’t call police’.” Someone did call police, and law-enforcement helicopter Guardian One happened to be in the area and heard that call, so joined the search. Eventually, though, no burglar was found, inside that house or anywhere else, and after about 20 minutes, the search ended.

Ahead, a Wednesday night helicopter search, three reader reports, and one bit of good news (added – also, a car-theft arrest report):

Breaking news pre-empted a Crime Watch roundup we were working on yesterday, or else we would have mentioned this brief Wednesday night helicopter search sooner: It centered on the big apartment-building-construction site on the south side the 3200 block of Avalon Way, east of 35th SW. Police checked out a call about an intruder on the site – Guardian One flew over the area too, but eventually patrol officers found an “adult male” suspect, SPD Lt. Alan Williams told WSB, and arrested him inside the building.

From the 5400 block of California SW (map), this report from Mitch:

Somebody tried to jimmy open a door to our condo parking garage Wednesday 5/22 sometime during the business day. It doesn’t appear he/she was successful, but definitely damage around the latch. A adjoining business’s alarm was also tripped in the early hours yesterday, which is also very unusual and possibly related. Police have been notified. We suspect an individual who was confronted while trespassing recently and has been seen loitering around the property, so we’re all on the lookout. FYI.

Karen says vandals hit her car Wednesday night: “Our car windshield was hit. We live in the 4800 block of Delridge. Our car was parked on the side street near our townhouse because street parking was full in front.”

And as the person reporting the following incident from Wednesday afternoon says, it might not have been illegal, but it was suspicious, so she wanted to share the word about something her 8th-grader daughter reported:

She was leaving Madison Middle School and was followed down California by a young man with a video camera, that was on, and he was recording her.

Not sure that it’s illegal but certainly UN-called for, considering he’s around a school and quite frankly creepy.

I had her write down what he looked like and just wanted to give parents a heads up.
Early 20’s
5’10”
skinny
light brown hair
striped black and white hoodie
transition sunglasses
very tan skin

When we first heard from her, she hadn’t called police; as we always emphasize, because that’s what we hear from police, PLEASE let them know about suspicious circumstances, especially if something is happening *now*.

Last but not least, another stolen car recovered – Chris says his Prelude, stolen from the Admiral District last week, was found and returned on Wednesday.

ADDED 2:07 PM: And a separate case of auto theft, solved, per SPD Blotter.

12 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Street robbery; two helicopter searches; reader reports"

  • Craig May 24, 2013 (9:31 am)

    woke the house up with the Helicopter this am. It must have been in the air low over W Alki for 20 minutes. I hope they got the suspect.

    • WSB May 24, 2013 (9:40 am)

      As noted in the story, unfortunately, there’s no proof there WAS a suspect, so no arrest made. And a reminder that especially if you hear a helicopter for more than a few minutes and we don’t have a story on it yet, we might not know, so PLEASE don’t hesitate to call or text – 206-293-6302. We don’t always have the answer but this likely was on the scanner since Guardian One was involved. I’m usually on duty at that hour but went off watch a little earlier than usual and missed it. – TR

  • Mike May 24, 2013 (10:58 am)

    The alley between 16th and 17th Henderson to Barton is in view of my window. I’m really sad I or the other neighbors didn’t know this was happening.

    We have a young neighborhood watch for this block
    https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!forum/swhighlandparkbw

    or search Google groups for “SW Highland Park Blockwatch”

  • Nick May 24, 2013 (11:14 am)

    Thanks for posting mike I live in the area and will check out the link would like to get involved with the block watch

  • Citizen May 24, 2013 (11:41 am)

    Tell your daughter if she is every bothered again by something like that walk directly back to the school and report it to school staff.

  • Barton May 24, 2013 (1:33 pm)

    Mike, thanks for the link! I just requested access to the group.

  • mehud May 24, 2013 (4:42 pm)

    I care for a small colony of altered feral cats there. While I would never stop to care for them that late at night, people should have the right to be safe on our streets.
    I saw a nice man sweeping the traffic circle and the street right at 17th and Barton and thanked him. It is nice to see that there is a Block Watch starting up there.

  • smokeycretin9 May 24, 2013 (5:14 pm)

    yay! West Seattle is becoming a crap hole like the rest of the city.

  • MK May 25, 2013 (2:56 am)

    @ smokey, If you don’t like WS, then leave.

  • Egigik May 25, 2013 (7:31 am)

    More people = More crime…It’s only going to get worse in West Seattle.

  • Matt May 25, 2013 (9:20 am)

    Sadly, a concealed carry license is almost becoming a requirement in this wild west that we live in.

  • AJP May 25, 2013 (9:23 am)

    Warmer, drier weather brings on more crime too.

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