West Seattle Crime Watch: Teens attacked, robbed in Admiral

Police are investigating a strong-arm robbery in Admiral early today, and we just received details via this reader report from Edward:

Three local West Seattle teens were assaulted and robbed by another group of older youths near Hiawatha park & the Safeway in Admiral area a little after midnight (early Saturday am) Oct 4th.

The boys, who all grew up here and attended Lafayette, Washington Middle School & currently attend Garfield (two) & Sealth (one), had met to hang out and get some snacks at Safeway when they were stalked by a gang of four sketchier looking males, one wearing a beanie with long curly hair.

The first blow was a sucker punch from behind that split the victims lip open, and he yelled “They punched me!” to warn the other two boys. But two of the attackers tackled and slammed the second victim to the ground, bloodying his nose and causing a large swollen contusion on the forehead from the impact.

The criminals then stole his red down vest with a K2 Snowboard logo on the chest, his new Galaxy S5 smartphone (worth over $700), and his wallet that contained an Orca bus pass, Debit Card, Garfield School ID, and a few various gift cards along with $5 cash. The third victim eluded his pursuer and ran across to the PCC, which was closed.

After regrouping, the boys contacted their parents and then the Seattle Police. SPD Officer Steiger is handling the case: Incident #14-331689. Please contact him if you have any further information regarding this violent assault & theft.

70 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Teens attacked, robbed in Admiral"

  • phil dirt October 4, 2014 (7:50 am)

    Things seem to be getting more out of control by the day here in West Seattle. The punks seem to be aware that police presence is being curtailed. I don’t think it is just because of a lack of officers being assigned here, either. I am acquainted with a few cops, and I get the distinct impression that there is a bit of a morale problem. Sicing the DOJ on them has made their job more difficult and more dangerous.

  • Simon Says Get a Clue October 4, 2014 (8:34 am)

    I have a brother on the force and I concur Phil. Preventative tactics have all but been curtailed. Tho, so many armchair quarterbacks around here think they know it all and still slam the SPD.

  • West sea October 4, 2014 (8:40 am)

    PROBLEM AREA!! Get cameras all around that Safeway. Safeway needs a security person there. It’s dark and low energy.

  • Seattlite October 4, 2014 (8:48 am)

    The teens were out after midnight. Parents need to be more aware of the bad things that happen at night. WS has become more unsafe over the past years. I’m glad the victims are safe. Is there a more detailed description of the perps…or is that too much to ask? It would be helpful to know what WS is dealing with for others who venture out after dark.

  • Commenter October 4, 2014 (8:51 am)

    I support cops and can’t imagine what they are up against on a daily basis in their field. With a justice system that does not handle criminals like this well and a strained police force wonder if it’s time to invite an outside entity in with muscle and ability to provoke serious fear into criminals.

  • Edward October 4, 2014 (8:57 am)

    One of the victims (my son) added that it was not only 4 attackers, but a group of 7 to 10 teenagers.
    It would seem that a gang-like (or mob) mentality took over and it’s hard for me to believe none of the attackers regret their stupid dangerous behavior. I do not blame a lack of police presence at all. This community should have no problems looking out for each other if we disgrace the aggressive behaviors shown by outkasts.

  • Brenda October 4, 2014 (9:07 am)

    I am glad the kids are alright. This does not surprise me that whole Safeway/Hiawatha corner is not good day or night. I have seen groups of folks hanging out, drugs and money exchanging hands. I would be thrilled to see some security presence there between the groups hanging out and the panhandlers out front it is not comfortable. I also agree that the parents need to ensure their kids are home at a decent hour, where I grew up we had a juvenile curfew it made it easy because all kids had to be home at the same time– does Seattle have one?

  • helridge October 4, 2014 (9:27 am)

    The officers are definitely not to be blame. It’s the lenient judges and sleepy probation officers that put our communities at risk. These juvenile delinquents have no real consequences. Sorry for the younger teens that were robbed and assaulted.

  • flimflam October 4, 2014 (10:04 am)

    getting old hearing people blame non-policing on the DOJ making officers feel bad. the DOJ stepped in because officers kept accidentally beating people up or even killing them.

  • Jason October 4, 2014 (10:09 am)

    Edward, sorry about your son and his friends! I’m glad that they made it out of that situation without it being worse. You seem really reasonable, thanks for that post.
    .
    I think the best thing we can do is panic. Let’s make sure nobody goes out after dark, cops are on ever corner as well as cameras recording our every move. We should also make sure if you punch someone you go to prison for life.

  • carole October 4, 2014 (10:16 am)

    If you want stronger/longer sentences, contact your legislator in Olympia. Judges are constrained by the sentencing guidelines and the laws established in Olympia. And be prepared to pay more in taxes to provide for those additional jail/prison/juvenile jail beds. Can’t have it both ways.

  • Me October 4, 2014 (10:25 am)

    Seattlite,

    It’s ridiculous to mention that “parents should know what their kids are doing because bad things happen at night.” Bad things should never happen. Period. To anyone. At any time of day. It’s most definitely not the parents fault for letting their kids out at night. We need to get more enforcement around here– be itore policemen, security guards, cameras…

    And Jason, was your post a joke? You have everything backwards. We should absolutely not panic. That will make things worse. And punching someone should not deem life in prison. We should be allowed to go out at night without being in fear.

  • WSmomm October 4, 2014 (10:42 am)

    Agreed flimflam.

    And, I hope that both boys will recover quickly from this. Regardless, if they were out after midnight, people should not be assaulted.

  • LetsFindThemOurselves October 4, 2014 (11:02 am)

    There was a rumor that block watches have been successful in other areas. There’s more of us than them, we should watch the streets ourselves to protect our families, children, and supplement the lack of police. Also, the description of the event is helpful, please provide much more detail about the perps if available, not much to go off of for a physical description.

  • watertowerjoey October 4, 2014 (11:03 am)

    “It’s ridiculous to mention that “parents should know what their kids are doing because bad things happen at night.” Bad things should never happen. Period. ”

    Agree completely. It’s kind of luck saying “she shouldn’t have worn that slutty short skirt”…….

  • Captain Obvious October 4, 2014 (11:13 am)

    I think Jason was kidding.
    .
    Flimflam – I would love to hear what your full understanding is of the DOJ v SPD situation. From what I’ve read, it sounds like you don’t have all of the details.
    .
    Outside of proactive policing, the best way to stop or reduce crime is to put deterrents in place. Block watches, security cameras and just more people knowing each other gives residents the advantage. Those things and being in touch with your neighbors in general help tremendously.

  • pjmanley October 4, 2014 (11:16 am)

    Another expensive tablet or phone, another mugging and beating to steal it. It ought to be safe to walk at night and not get beaten and robbed of our nice things.
    That’s the way it should be. But that’s not the way it is. Prepare and respond accordingly.

  • Noelle October 4, 2014 (11:18 am)

    I always thought of West Seattle kinda like a nice little town or a cute suburb of Downtown Seattle. I grew up here in the 80’s & 90’s and it was pretty safe with the use of common sense. Alki always had issues in summer but over all West Seattle was a great place for an evening stroll. Now its more Urban here. I lot more people. A Lot more traffic. West Seattle is not a bad place but people need to see it for what it is. We live in a City neighborhood and have all the issues that come with it. Be responsible. Be aware of your surroundings. Nothing good happens after midnight.

  • Safeway Shopper October 4, 2014 (11:23 am)

    I don’t know if it was of the same group, but about 12:30am I pulled into the SafeWay parking lot to get some shopping done after work and a dark (black, maybe dark blue) sedan was parked one row away from Menchie’s. There was a kid digging in the back of the trunk for something or looking intently at something, using a flashlight. He had black shorts & black shirt, dark socks and sneakers, but was wearing a red down vest. I thought it striking in comparison to the rest of his ensemble and the look didn’t fit. There was a buddy nearby on the cart corral, Asian, wearing a white top, kinda just looking around. As I was walking in, a girl had come out with a bag. The guy in the trunk asked something I couldn’t hear, but she replied that she couldn’t steal it because they were watching her. Since she was carrying a bag, I didn’t get a good look at her, as she was carrying it like a baby, close to her face. Though I believe she had dark hair.

    By the time we were done shopping, they were gone, but there was still a black sedan sitting in the same spot. I was unable to tell if it was the same model I had seen before, as I had not been thinking about that when I first saw it.

  • WS1966 October 4, 2014 (11:53 am)

    My mom always said nothing good happens after midnight

  • Edward October 4, 2014 (12:21 pm)

    Thank you all for your insightful comments. Even the sarcastic ones. I am one of the parents of the victims. I want to make two points surrounding this event:
    1) Parents of the two assaulted boys were home in bed, and thought their kids were too. These 10th grade student victims had arranged a late night meeting at the 3rd kid’s house whose mother was not home because they wanted to hang out and watch a movie together…..they were not out partying or otherwise from my observations. The two kids snuck out of their homes after 11:30 pm (crime happened about 30 minutes later) So it would seem it was just 3 buddies getting together late.
    2) THANK YOU VERY MUCH WEST SEATTLE BLOG for having a place for the community to be aware & discuss these type of common issues.

  • MellyMel October 4, 2014 (1:08 pm)

    Edward, does your story conclude

    “and now the boys understand why their parents expect them to be indoors with near at hand adults after X time of day and say they won’t be sneaking out again.”

    ?

    I’m not blaming victims, I’m asking if they understood they broke their parent’s rules intended to avoid this very situation.

    Yes, I should be able to hang about a city street corner at midnight without incident. But since that isn’t the world I live in, I don’t.

  • WSMOM October 4, 2014 (2:28 pm)

    The area of Hiawatha and Safeway have really changed. I have been in contact with multiple managers at the Safeway store and the corporate office letting them know that the panhandlers in front of the store are taking my business elsewhere and that they are really hurting our community. I have witnessed the “panhandlers” making exchanges of cigarettes and what appeared to be drugs on more than one occasion. I am pleased to say the new manager has gotten a sign that says no panhandling but that is as far as it goes because they are still there and the other night sitting under the sign on Safeways bench. I encourage others in the community to speak to the store manager and to Safeway corporate for some help. I am certainly not saying these people were involved in the robbery but it seems to me something needs to be done in the area.

  • Alphonse October 4, 2014 (3:01 pm)

    Hopefully, I have misread or misinterpreted “Me”‘s comment. Because what I think I read was that parents have no obligation to monitor their children because they SHOULD be safe anywhere in the middle of the night, and it is the responsibility of police, security guards and surveillance cameras to ensure their safety. It also should be safe to travel anywhere in the world, but because it’s not, I avoid vacationing in places like Syria instead of relying on the authorities to keep me safe.

  • JakeWS October 4, 2014 (3:15 pm)

    Admiral Safeway, as a whole, has gone downhill since the last manager left. He ran a tight ship and kept the place clean and orderly. Now the areas around the entrances are filthy and trash-strewn most of the time. I understand that it’s a battle with all the kids hanging out at all times of the day at your outside tables, but it’s the cost of doing business. Safeway management needs to step up its game.

  • Seattlite October 4, 2014 (4:13 pm)

    Yesterday between 3 and 3:30pm I stopped at the Admiral Safeway. I was appalled by the behavior of the teens inside and outside of the south entrance. They were loud, messy. Since I normally don’t shop at this Safeway, I was shocked at all of the kids also running around inside the store! Another grocery store close to WSHS, makes sure that there is a monitor at the entrance when the kids are out in full force. Admiral Safeway needs security inside/outside their store.

  • Edward October 4, 2014 (4:16 pm)

    Thank you “Safeway Shopper” for your observations on the late night parking lot action. It sounds like that guy had my red vest on (which my son had borrowed from me). As you noted, it’s not something that you’d normally see because it’s 15 years old, hardly has any down left in it, and has a prominent chest logo of “K2 Snowboards” which, coincidentally, is the reason we moved our family to West Seattle, as I worked for the brand when it was located on Vashon Island. We never sold any of those red vests…but I proudly kept the sample, and my son thought it was groovy enough to sport…..apparently so did the loser bully felon that took it.

  • me October 4, 2014 (4:30 pm)

    Edward, what did these guys look like last night?

  • linda October 4, 2014 (5:53 pm)

    I’m signing up my son for karate!

  • Marty October 4, 2014 (6:02 pm)

    Why is no description of the perps included? I would like to know who to watch for.

  • Diane October 4, 2014 (6:41 pm)

    god, that is so brazen; they attack/rob someone south of Safeway; then hang out in north Safeway lot wearing the stolen goods? and waiting for a girl to walk out of Safeway with more stolen goods?
    ~
    btw, there are so many teens who hang out in the “cafe” in afternoon until often very late at night; I left one night at 2am and there were 2 girls still there, perhaps spending the night? there are zero Safeway staff anywhere near the café after midnight; anything could happen; at best, these kids make a lot of noise and toss their crap everywhere, and steal from the store, knowing nothing will happen; now we’re seeing the worst, attacking/robbing people in the neighborhood; does anyone have direct contact phone/emails for Safeway manager and corporate so we can flood them with calls from neighbors
    ~
    fyi, Met Market is also open late, just a block away; I’m guessing they don’t have these problems because there’s always staff at front of the store keeping an eye on things

  • West Seattle since 1979 October 4, 2014 (7:37 pm)

    Diane, there are some contacts here but I don’t know which would be the best one:

    http://www.safeway.com/ShopStores/Contact-Us.page

    I’m sure their corporate office would like to know– they’re going to lose business if people don’t feel safe there!

  • David Whiting October 4, 2014 (7:37 pm)

    For those interested in learning more about crime and what to do about it, the upcoming meeting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association includes a visit from Community Policing Officer, Jonathan Flores, and Lt. Paul Leung.

    We host the Seattle Police Dept. at least twice a year, for an update on the crime activity in our precinct and learn about what can be done to be safer in our community. Also invited are representatives on the campaigns for and against the two propositions to fund preschool in Seattle.

    A full agenda and reminder for the meeting will be posted a few days in advance on the West Seattle Blog. If Admiral is not your neighborhood, you’re still welcome to attend or email me for the community council closest to you.

    The ANA meeting is 7:00 pm Tuesday, October 14th at the The Sanctuary at Admiral, 2656 42nd Ave SW.

    David Whiting
    ANA President

    info@admiralneighborhood.org

  • Jason October 4, 2014 (8:22 pm)

    For whoever asked if I was serious, no I wasn’t. Sorry, I thought it was super obvious. Well except for the part where I praised Edward, I meant that. I just was goofing at how absurd people act whenever anything happens around here. They instantly start talking about how bad the police are, how the judges let people off too easy, how we need more surveillance, and how parents need to keep their kids in at night.
    .
    What happened sucks, and I feel bad for the kids and their parents. I hope the dopes that did it are caught, but there have been packs of kids beating up other packs of kids pretty much forever. I’m not saying it’s acceptable, but I’m actually happy nobody was stabbed or shot or anything like that. I feel like as a community we can do a better job looking out for each other though. I’d be surprise if nobody saw these jerks punching or chasing these other kids. I wouldn’t be surprised if nobody did anything about it. I can think of a hand-full of times I’ve been out around town and seen someone clearly in need of assistance while people just pretend they don’t notice.

  • AH Neighbor October 4, 2014 (8:35 pm)

    Unfortunately now we need to tell our kids to stay home after dark, carry pepper spray at all times, leave valuables at home, yell “fire” at the first sign of trouble, watch their environment every moment as though it were a war zone, and run like hell when all else fails. I have always been anti-gun, even after growing up with guns, but my visceral response is one of swift and violent response to our children being preyed upon.

  • Thomaa M. October 4, 2014 (10:25 pm)

    Absolutely agree with AH Neighbor. Except for one thing: Get a CPL.

  • Mike October 4, 2014 (10:42 pm)

    If the S5 was a TMobile phone, and if they had activated the Lookout security app that is free on it from TMobile, they can track where it’s at. That or if they use the Google Android Device Manager tracker they can track where it’s at. https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager

  • Leroy Hufflepuff October 4, 2014 (11:09 pm)

    Jason’s second comment is spot on.

  • Concerned WS parent October 4, 2014 (11:15 pm)

    What is scary to me is the level of violence. There is trend nation wide of sucker punches doled out by thugs of all ages which can and has lead to comas and or death. Protecting property when mugged did one thing but a blind side sucker punch is so serious. We have a neighborhood watch program on our block perhaps we should step that up by patrolling places like Hiawatha, shining a light so perps don’t have a place to stalk. Or do we just have our children hunker indoors after the sun goes down? How sad is that for kids that are too young to drive but old enough to walk to their neighborhood store for snacks after dark can’t have that rite of passage.

  • Plf October 5, 2014 (3:20 am)

    West seattle continues to evolve and the safety has changed over time.
    The level of violence I believe is not being addressed
    Teens should be held accountable yet that often does not happen unless it is a elevated incident
    2 months ago our car was demolished while parked in front of our home by 3 teens who stole the truck and were drunk and high on weed, one of the kids bragged about it on Facebook and none of the kids were held accountable, except for one with a misdemeanor of possession of liquor
    So why should we expect that these punks who steal cars, crash into cars, sucker punch and rob others will change their behaviors when there is zero accountability when they are caught.
    West seattle was a great place once, but has turned into a high density, high crime, area, without the resources to proactively curb the problem,
    Sad state

  • McGruff October 5, 2014 (10:15 am)

    I like the Admiral Safeway, but it’s allowing itself to become what is known in Civil Law as an ‘Attractive Nuisance’. Vagrants, panhandlers, and idle youths are allowed to infest the place. This is private property and none of these elements have any intrinsic right to be there. The problem will go away overnight if the property owners and businesses start aggressively enforcing anti-loitering and anti panhandling policies. Safeway needs to get their arms around this problem, or they will see more and more of their clientele decamping for PCC, Metropolitan Market, and the Thriftway in the Alaska Junction.

  • Jeannine October 5, 2014 (10:50 am)

    I stopped at the store also in the afternoon and was also surprised at the people hanging around the front and side of the store, younger and or homeless and kind of sketchy. I also stopped the night before and it was the same thing. It made me feel uncomfortable for sure. I’m glad these kids are okay. I’m not happy with Safeway. You would think a nice store like that would have better security, especially by a high school.

  • Jeannine October 5, 2014 (10:54 am)

    I’m seriously thinking about taking Judo.

  • Mike October 5, 2014 (11:44 am)

    You’d need to put in a formal complaint to the city and Safeway to have any of these issues addressed. The best way to make Safeway react is to have it become a PR nightmare for them. Until they lose money, they don’t care. If you ever want a public corporation to react, make it highly visible to the shareholders that the companies lack of action is costing shareholders value in their stock. You’ll see security guards planted 24/7 when you make that happen.
    .
    As for the city, you can write into the mayors office and expect a response about a month or more later. I was able to get a response regarding active drug deals mid day in a couple areas of the city core where I am at every day with my kids and work. There has actually been a greater SPD presence since then. Is it directly from my complaint, who knows, but until you notify them of specific issues they will never do anything to enforce the area. I actually started to get heated on the phone with the lady from the mayors office, but kept my cool overall as I knew swearing and shouting at her would end in no action.
    .
    The next step will be legal action against the city and stores that decide to turn a blind eye. That’s how it’s done on the east side of the water, you don’t see this in Medina. Lawyer up, get’r’done. Problem is that costs YOU money.

  • Eric October 5, 2014 (12:05 pm)

    This is an unfortunate incident, but those that think this type of thing happening in West Seattle is something new is either ignorant of West Seattle’s history or has selective memory.

    20+ years ago when I was in high school, there used to be groups of kids running around at night in the Alaska Junction up through the Admiral District to the run down Safeway and Thriftway at that time, who basically just used to look for trouble. They’d either commit assault (from a sucker punch up to hospitalization) on other kids and/or take things like walkmans etc. Sometimes the groups would be as large as 20 people. Alaska Junction up through Admiral were often dangerous places to be for other youths and even adults. Not to mention the Metro buses as this is how most of them got around.

    This unfortunately is not a new trend, we only have the blog to better inform us. Back in the day it was either the West Seattle Herald or word of mouth, hearing such things as, “Did you hear that so and so got his head smashed in with a brick by a group of punks?”

  • Jason October 5, 2014 (3:04 pm)

    For the people here talking about taking karate or judo, check out straight blast gym on delridge (http://sbgseattle.com/) great people, they teach jiu jitsu which is great for self defense. They have a lot of really great (and badass) women and women’s programs going there. The gym is a real asset to the community in many ways.
    .
    Eric, I agree. There have always been kids beating up kids all over the place really. I mean don’t you all remember the outsiders? haha.. I got sucker punched and robbed at a mall when I was 17 (1991 or so) it was a drag but it wasn’t all that uncommon. Of course it’s a bummer we have to worry about this kind of thing but the cops and the government will never solve it completely. We have to be alert, teach our kids to be on their guard, and look out for each other.
    .
    I do feel bad for the kids that got jumped of course – that’s a really bad feeling.

  • Edward October 5, 2014 (6:39 pm)

    Now up to 46 posts….nice to see that level of local interest and thanks for all the ideas. I wanted to address a few points:

    1) Descriptions of attackers – a valid question for certain. I was there when the boys tried to describe the attackers to the police officers, and in general, there was not enough accurate collaborated information to pass along. If you think about it, it was dark, they were running away from a group of more than six and as many as ten attackers and in the case of my kid, he was thrown hard to the ground, so he wasn’t taking a lot of mental notes on what these gangsters were wearing, or how tall they were. They did describe the group as more than half Caucasian, several with tattoos, and a few random notes like “curly hair with beanie on”. But would they recognize them if they saw them again? All three boys said yes.

    2) The GPS phone tracker. I’ve used this before on my stolen Iphone, it’s a mixed blessing/ curse (that’s a whole other story). My son’s phone company (Credo) now states that “Location Services Unavailable”. In the location history, it shows the scene of crime (in Hiawatha Park, and then an abrupt change of course across the park to where it ends because the phone was disabled (by a veteran phone thief I would surmise).

    3) While we appreciate the ongoing support of the blog (the West Seattle community), our friends and the SPD investigation, one wonders how much more outraged folks (or the media) would be if it was three teenage girls that were attacked? I know I’d be more outraged, perhaps because we tend to think teenage boys are big & strong enough to stand up to the use of force more so than young women.

    4) And overall, I want to stress again: I think all kids who behave lawfully certainly should be able to “hangout” in public places like parks or cafes or marketplaces because it is the interaction with others that can lead to understanding people (neighbors, strangers, old, young, whatever). It’s up to all of us to create & maintain that environment, and I want to again thank the blog as a place to share these ideas.

    Peaceout,
    Edward

  • Kathy October 5, 2014 (10:08 pm)

    My favorite tactic for traveling in areas where there is potential to encounter predators, or anywhere at night, is to take my bicycle. Somehow as a senior woman I feel less vulnerable when geared up with helmet, lights and reflective clothing and with the knowledge I can make a quick getaway if I hear someone approaching. The perps will look elsewhere for an easier target to attack. It’s too bad getting around by bike is not as “cool” for kids as it was when I was young, in those days, we took our bikes with us everywhere. Of course they weren’t expensive “thief magnet” bikes.

    I highly recommend a course in self defense for your children, no matter what sex, and for yourself as well. Not necessarily karate or judo, just common sense techniques on how to make yourself appear less vulnerable, learn to avoid potentially dangerous situations, learn how to break a grab from behind, give a knee or elbow jab in a sensitive area to incapacitate your attacker, tricks like holding your keys between your fingers as a makeshift weapon when in a threatening environment, etc. My daughter and I took a couple of these courses at Lee’s Martial Arts and they were very helpful.

  • Mike October 5, 2014 (10:33 pm)

    Kathy, Judo would probably be the best option for martial arts that fits what you described. It’s not about throwing punches and kicks.

  • Elle Nell October 6, 2014 (12:01 am)

    First off, glad the boys are ok… Second, this has been happening since the beginning of time.. Its not cool but when I was in High School (yes these boys were in high school) people got into fights/jumped quite often. I grew up in Edmonds…90’s. We know that news is now lightening speed and this is really why we think so many “bad” things are happening… We tend to now hear about EVERY thing that happens…IMO, of course. The police are here to serve and protect. That is their job discription. Since they vered quite far from serving and protecting, THEY had Justice step in to remind them of their job. They are not above the law. It’s that simple. Do your job.

  • Elle Nell October 6, 2014 (12:05 am)

    First off, glad the boys are ok… Second, this has been happening since the beginning of time.. Its not cool but when I was in High School (yes these boys were in high school) people got into fights/jumped quite often. I grew up in Edmonds…90’s. We know that news is now lightening speed and this is really why we think so many “bad” things are happening… We tend to now hear about EVERY thing that happens…IMO, of course. The police are here to serve and protect. That is their job discription. Since they vered quite far from serving and protecting, THEY had Justice step in to remind them of their job. They are not above the law. It’s that simple. Do your job.
    And one last thing, this is OUR town! Stand up or fall down…

  • Bradley October 6, 2014 (12:48 am)

    Descriptions of the attackers?

    • WSB October 6, 2014 (12:49 am)

      Please read the comment thread. That’s all the person who reported it has.

  • Wes C. Addle October 6, 2014 (8:02 am)

    Reminds me of living in the Junction by the QFC. When I lived there vagrants, pit bulled transients, and criminals all took over the front tables off of 42nd and Alaska. QFC and building management did a decent job of running them out. I wonder if they’ve just moved down to Admiral?
    .
    Admiral is not as sleepy as it seems sometimes. Try being awake at 2:00 when the Admiral Pub is letting out. Just people speeding, making noise, and barfing in the bushes next door.
    .
    I feel sorry for the kids. Part of being a kid is being out an about hanging with your friends on weekends.

  • phil dirt October 6, 2014 (8:41 am)

    Self defense training is well and good when you are being attacked by one or two thugs. However, what seems to be on the increase in West Seattle, and other parts of the city, is gangs of 8 or 10 attackers at a time. Those of you who are recommending judo or jujitsu lessons are watching too many Bruce Lee re-runs if you think that judo is going to save you or your teen when they are jumped by a mob. I see animal control vehicles from time to time responding to reports of feral dogs and cats. It seems to me that mobs of feral young people are a lot more of a danger than feral dogs and cats! It is probably a waste of my time to say so, but I think that what needs to happen is to enact a curfew. Then, for the police to have a paddy wagon on patrol in West Seattle’s hot spots during the wee hours. Then, pick up a few of these feral youths and charge them with curfew violation, then send them home for mama to deal with. Mama isn’t going to like it. Of course, Seattle being politically correct to the point of total looniness, I actually don’t expect anything like this to ever be considered …….. Nevermind.

  • Debord October 6, 2014 (8:53 am)

    @phil dirt: you suggest these criminals weren’t apprehended or punished due to “political correctness,” a term which has become meaningless. How exactly did political correctness prevent the criminals from being caught? I’d love to see you author a rational, logical explanation of the mechanics of political correctness and its attendant woes.

  • Neighbor October 6, 2014 (10:40 am)

    I walk this park almost everyday and what I’ve seen recently is very disturbing. There have been disgusting racial epitaphs spray painted around the park at least three times. In Sept. there was what looked like a possible noose hanging on one of the oaks. The community center is very quick to respond but the idea that people feel confident enough to use this level of intimidation reveals a lot about our community too.

    I hope the kids get some sort of counseling. This was a violent crime and some ptsd is to be expected even if they say they’re all ok. It might not come out right away but I hope the parents watch the little things and react with support and guidance.

  • Jessica October 6, 2014 (1:48 pm)

    I live in the Admiral Neighborhood, and I am not surprised this happened. I just moved here a couple months ago, and have already been chased by homeless people that sit out front of Safeway, called the police on multiple occasions about car prowlers and about suspicious people walking out of trails. Nothing was done about anything, and I am afraid to walk to Safeway without my boyfriend in fear of being chased again (in broad daylight). I still have to walk past those homeless people who chased me when I want to go grocery shopping. Also, there are transients who walk through our apartment parking lot and leave stolen property next to our cars. There needs to be something done about this. One morning I walked out and there was a guy cracked out on meth sitting next to my car. I now have to walk outside with a knife in my hand to make sure I don’t get robbed. I just moved here, and I’m already tired of West Seattle.

  • Thomas M. October 6, 2014 (6:30 pm)

    Jessica: West Seattle is cool. These bums are not native to this neck of the woods. Maybe the Admiral Neighborhood meeting will produce some people willing to put in some time in the wee hours intimidating the hell out of these punks.

  • me October 6, 2014 (6:51 pm)

    Jessica, what do these folks look like that chase you. I’ve almost been mugged 2 times in the past month. There not getting any thing from me. Its right by safe way. Yes safe way cares and they are sick of this. West Seattle high school cares less. But most of this is at night.

  • Edward October 6, 2014 (9:25 pm)

    Howdy,
    Just thought I’d share an anecdote from this afternoon that’s whack. At work today, I told the story of what happened to my son regarding the attack and robbery of his smart phone etc. to my coworkers & not 45 minutes later, the owner of our business got a call from his son (who’s maybe 13 years old) and he’d just had his mobile phone stolen with some intimidation, deception and violence at another Safeway…..this one in Ballard. I don’t know all the details, but this victim fell for the line: “can I borrow your phone?” and then was threatened and possibly assaulted when they refused to return it. Most of us have heard that story before, so it’s not really a surprise, but is certainly a sign that there’s a bit of an epidemic around teenagers being victimized with threats of violence or sickingly, actual violence. Scary stuff when you’re a 90 lb teen not even thru adolescence.
    Peaceout again,
    Edward

  • Elle Nell October 6, 2014 (11:09 pm)

    With all do respect, Tracy, I said nothing about you or the west seattle blog… I was speaking in general terms, a sign of these times. It is very different now with phones and people giving tips immediately… And really was thinking about larger media outlets not little ol blog ville..

  • G October 7, 2014 (9:34 am)

    I will agree with several posters that this sort of thing isn’t new in West Seattle, the Admiral Pub used to be a magnet for violence and other crime that used to spill out onto the street (in fairness, I think it was cleaned up long ago).

    But the fact that this crap has been occurring for decades doesn’t make it right, and puts the spotlight on the SPD that has a tradition of being a passive presence, and I mean getting OUT of patrol cars and letting people know that THEY are WATCHING. Please, don’t blame it on judges, this is a problem with the SPD culture.

  • McGruff October 7, 2014 (9:48 am)

    Edward, I’m really sorry this happened to your son; the whole thing is a sad learning experience that never should have happened in the first place. It sounds like you’re doing all the right things to support him, and it’s great he has a dad like you!
    .
    I know we teach our kids to be kind and fair to others, and we try to be as well, but one thing I’ve learned is sometimes it’s OK to say ‘no’. People will ask to borrow my phone, and I simply say, ‘sorry, the battery’s dead’. I also pocket the phone, and move away from them. In most cases, if they need to make an urgent call, there’s a merchant around they can go to. If the person is too sketchy, well, they prolly would’ve tried to swipe your phone anyway.
    .
    Unfortunately, it seems to be a growing prerequisite of living in WS; that’s learning ‘Street-savvy 101’.

  • Jessica October 7, 2014 (12:46 pm)

    I do want to attend a meeting, I’m glad that David Whiting has posted that information on here, or else I never would have seen it. Just to let some parents know who might live around Admiral, a group of highschool aged boys walk and trepass around my apartment building and also smoke pot and cigarettes after walking out of the trails during the day when school gets out. I feel like these parents should know what their kids are up to, and I have told the boys that if they don’t leave, I will call the police. So if you have a teenage boy who doesn’t come home right after school and goes to that highschool, you may want to ask them where they’ve been.

    And to put the description out on the homeless people that have chased me:

    They are a man and a woman, average height, both with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes, they are caucasian and are frequently begging for food outside of Safeway. They always laugh whenever I walk past them and have followed me to my apartment building while yelling things at me. They haven’t followed me again (thanks to my boyfriend who threatened them that he was going to call the police), but now I fear walking to Safeway because of them. I’m not quite sure what to do, so any advice would be helpful on actions I can take.

  • I know who did it October 8, 2014 (11:11 am)

    The description and account of the attack leads me to believe I know who it is ! and so o the police.. this fool with his two friends pulled a knife on a kid for wearing red in Roxhill park. he targets kids wearing red !! the police picked him up the next day was I saw him waiting for the bus in WhiteCenter but they released him!!!!! They couldn’t find a record of the attack since in was in Seattle and he was in White Center…. such crap
    I wil call with info to the police

  • Thomas M. October 8, 2014 (7:47 pm)

    This punk pulled a knife? He’s got a death wish.

  • me October 10, 2014 (4:41 pm)

    Jessica, advice take a picture of the couple that follow you. Folks don’t like it. Keep it for proof.id like to see whome they are

  • Dereck October 15, 2014 (12:13 pm)

    I blame it on the parents. Now a days I see parents that just dont care abnout them selfs to care enough for there kids. Parents need to be responsible for what there kids do so they twice about what there kids do. No parent wants to go to jail. It would work only if parent goes to jail right away no plea deals. Plea deals should never be allowed felony brought down to a misdemeanor. That’s shouldn’t hapen

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