West Seattle Crime Watch: Hit-run driver damages Salon 08

ORIGINAL REPORT, 11:40 AM: With so much construction and utility work around town these days, the crew working outside Salon 08 on SW Genesee east of 42nd might not have drawn a double take this morning. But the reason for its presence was unusual – a hit-run driver crashed into the gas hookup out front and did a little damage to the bricks in the facade. It happened sometime before 4 am – that’s when the Seattle Fire Department was called out to investigate a possible gas leak; the tipster who sent us word of it said the driver would have been a “silver hatchback” that “fled the scene on 3 wheels.” The salon, however, is open for business as usual.

ADDED 6:30 PM: In comments, Rich says the suspected hit-run car ended up near his Lowman Beach-area home. We’ve also received a photo via text and e-mail showing what’s said to be the car in question:

Rich says police told him they knew whose car it was – we are checking to find out if a suspect was arrested.

16 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Hit-run driver damages Salon 08"

  • Eric1 December 13, 2014 (11:57 am)

    Ahh. They joys of drinking and driving. The good thing is that the streets are pretty deserted when the bars close and nobody got hurt. You would think it would be easy to catch or find a 3-wheeled hatchback.

  • nefermore December 13, 2014 (1:11 pm)

    Another hit and run to a building. We might have a trend!

  • Mike December 13, 2014 (1:18 pm)

    Eric1, I didn’t see where they said anything about drinking and driving. Many times when it’s a hit and run they’re not even drunk, just driving like idiots. Easily could have been a stolen vehicle taken out for a joy ride, seems to happen far more often here than drunk driving.

  • JanS December 13, 2014 (1:28 pm)

    Eric, you would think. Someone will notice it, someone HAS to see it parked somewhere. Guy who did it probably doesn’t remember. Hope his hangover is horrendous. Hope his friends turn him in !

  • flimflam December 13, 2014 (1:39 pm)

    another lame hit and run driver. sorry for the business…

    .
    just curious – why would the building have the gas hook-up in a potentially vulnerable area?

  • Vincent Dakotah Langley December 13, 2014 (1:45 pm)

    …Speaking of when the bars up on California Avenue, S.W. close, many of those people who drive automobiles away from those bars after the bars, themselves have closed — well, they come speeding down the hill (S.W. Edmunds Street), to the east, from California Avenue, S.W., and they very wrecklessly come swerving off from S.W. Edmunds Street, at the bottom of the hill, northbound then, onto 40th Avenue, S.W. We’ve lived in this area for 15 years and in that time we’ve seen many automobiles abandoned there — at least for (the rest of) the night — because, between the bars and down here on 40th Avenue, S.W., being all drunk, they’ve had some kind of an accident. They leave those automobiles along 40th Avenue, S.W., between S.W. Edmunds Street and S.W. Alaska Street. So, I would suggest that the Seattle Police Department go looking over there, for this 3-wheeled, silver-colored hatchback automobile. It seems to all of us who live down here in this little area (Fauntleroy Way, S.W. and S.W. Edmunds Street neighborhood) that EVERYBODY living here in this whole West Seattle area knows this little stretch of 40th Avenue, S.W. as a so-called “dumping ground” for “wayward” (and/or otherwise just plain stolen) automobiles!!! …Good place to start looking, anyway…

  • themightyrabbit December 13, 2014 (3:07 pm)

    They fled on 3 wheels? A Robin Reliant? Only fools and horses? Whoa :-)

  • Rich December 13, 2014 (4:19 pm)

    Well, here’s the rest of this story…

    I was awoken this morning about 7:00 to the sound of a car’s engine revving, as if somebody were stuck in mud. This continued for 10 minutes until I finally got up to investigate. I live in the 6700 block of Murray Ave SW (not too far from Lowman Beach Park).

    I discovered a VERY drunk or high young man completely dazed and confused. He had crashed into the earthen berm fronting my neighbors house. The entire right front of the vehicle was smashed, and the right front tire was gone. The undercarriage was a mess as well. The driver had clearly fled a hit-and-run, and had done so driving on one rim. The street is scarred with a gouge up to where he crashed, but there was no damage to any other property on the street, so the accident clearly happened elsewhere.

    The driver was panicked and expressed that he had no idea what had happened to his car, but begged me not to call the police. Which is what I promptly did, of course. The police arrived, but he had fled the scene minutes before. The officer told me they had been expecting the call, as they were looking for a suspect from an earlier hit-and-run at 42nd and Genessee.

    A tow truck arrived and (with some considerable difficulty because of the damage to the car), finally was able to get it off the street around 9:00.

  • Alki Girl December 13, 2014 (4:35 pm)

    Love Salon 8!!!! Glad no one was hurt.

  • flimflam December 13, 2014 (4:45 pm)

    by rich’s post, it sounds like they should be able to track this guy down via license plate, etc.

  • Rich December 13, 2014 (4:55 pm)

    The police told me they knew who he was and where he lived, and indicated it was nearby. I suspect they already have their guy in custody.

    Sorry… I didn’t take a picture. By the time I had completed my call to 911, the police had arrived on scene and I thought it imprudent to take a pic. Pretty sure the car is totaled though!

  • WSB December 13, 2014 (6:24 pm)

    Update – adding a photo of what’s said to be the car. And I discovered someone had texted us pretty much the same photo hours ago – somehow missed the text. It shows the missing wheel. As for whether the suspect was found/arrested, unless someone close to the case has been notified, I might not be able to verify that before Monday, but will try if I can find the incident number for the crash – TR

  • Chuck and Sally's Van Man December 13, 2014 (7:55 pm)

    Dumbazz.

  • gina December 13, 2014 (9:47 pm)

    Explains the side view mirror casing I saw on Beach Drive near Lowman tonight.

  • squareeyes December 14, 2014 (8:26 am)

    Thank you to Rich for knocking on the door to let us know we’d been hit by this guy. Damage looked cosmetic but has turned out to be more severe.

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