West Seattle Crime Watch: 4 arrests after Junction holdup

From SPDBlotter: Police arrested four suspects after a knifepoint holdup in The Junction last night, with the help of not only the victim, but also an alert neighbor who spotted something suspicious. The report says:

… the victim closed up shop in the 4700 block of California Av SW and began to walk to his vehicle parked on 42 Av SW. 4 males who had been hanging around the area came up and grabbed him from behind. The suspects held a knife to the victim’s mid section and robbed him of his daily cash deposit , his personal wallet, and cell phone.

The males walked back to their vehicle parked around the corner. The victim followed the 4 suspects and observed them get into their vehicle and drive away. He called 911 to report the Armed Robbery. At 11:43 p.m., a concerned neighbor saw a burgundy vehicle parked in front of his house. The occupants were throwing items out the window. He called 911 to report the disturbance. Officers quickly arrived and noted the vehicle and occupants matched the descriptions of the Robbery suspects.

The report doesn’t say how far away the suspects were caught (we’ll be checking). The items found on the ground included the victim’s credit cards and driver’s license; one suspect had cash, another had a check from the victim’s business. Police say all four were booked – three are juveniles, so they’re at the Youth Services Center; one is an adult and went to King County Jail. 9:13 PM UPDATE: Det. Renee Witt of the SPD media unit answered our followup note – she says she doesn’t have all the additional details we’re looking for, except that the robbery victim was affiliated with “the teriyaki place in The Junction,” which in the block in question would be Yummy Teriyaki. She promises to get us those additional details when she has access to more documents in the office tomorrow.

31 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: 4 arrests after Junction holdup"

  • Catherine October 4, 2009 (12:16 pm)

    Hey, losers, we’re watching you! I love seeing criminals get caught, it gives me a warm feeling in my heart. Glad the victim was able to get such a good description!

  • LAP October 4, 2009 (12:49 pm)

    Good job, citizens! Fight back and get the punks off the streets.

  • miws October 4, 2009 (1:16 pm)

    Glad to hear these idiots at least ditched the victim’s ID and cards. If they hadn’t been caught so quickly, the victim would have has another headache to deal with.

    .

    Obviously, it would be great if these incidents weren’t occuring at all, but considering they do, it sounds like everything meshed together for about the best possible outcome.

    .

    Hopefully these guys will be locked up for awhile. I kind of hate to say it, but I almost hope they have priors, which would one would logically think, would result in a much stiffer sentence, than if this is their first time.

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    Good job by all involved!

    .

    Mike

  • TLP October 4, 2009 (1:17 pm)

    One question I’d like answered – are these offenders citizens of west seattle or are they coming from another area?

  • WSB October 4, 2009 (1:18 pm)

    I hope to get more info later. Have checked the jail register to see if it’s obvious who the one adult book-ee is … the only person booked since that time for investigation of robbery appears to have some kind of record but may have only recently become “an adult” as it appears to be inaccessible, as juvenile records are in the online system I use – TR

  • old timer October 4, 2009 (1:39 pm)

    As juveniles, they will receive a stern tongue-lashing, get released, and be back at it.
    Probably as you read this.
    There’s got to be a better way.

  • RainyDay October 4, 2009 (1:50 pm)

    Pretty sure they were caught across from High Point playfield. Lot of police activity – multiple suspects pulled from car,guns drawn for sure (“walk backwards towards me…turn right…your other right”- LOL)…Pretty scary, we stayed inside but heard EVERYTHING. Went on for at least 2 hours. Well done cops!

  • WSB October 4, 2009 (1:54 pm)

    RD, what time last night was that?

  • Living in West Seattle since 1985 October 4, 2009 (2:21 pm)

    Very Very Good!

  • Genessee resident October 4, 2009 (2:24 pm)

    Which business was robbed? Thank goodness for neighbors who watch out for their neighborhood. And so glad the business owner was not harmed. When we were broken in to a few years back, our neighbors did nothing.

  • Under_Achiever October 4, 2009 (3:14 pm)

    We were driving south through the Junction last night around 9:30 or so and a SPD scout car was lighted up parked wrong way in front of the Brewery. However, the Officer was in from of Tom Yum Koong (4750 California Ave), hand on pistol, cautiously looking inside.
    .
    Long odds this is a coincidence.

  • bebecat October 4, 2009 (3:20 pm)

    I was passing through the Junction between 8:30-8:45 last night saw 4 suspicious people standing at the corner at the vacant AmaAma and thought maybe drug dealing. I sensed they were up to no good. Could be the same 4.

  • WSB October 4, 2009 (3:55 pm)

    The police report does not identify the business. In most cases, the info they release to media only specifies a block/street, so unless we have direct information from witnesses/victims, we won’t know till we see the actual written report (which often takes a few days to turn around). We are still awaiting answers to a few followup questions, though – TR

  • WestSeattleNeighbor October 4, 2009 (5:34 pm)

    Last night around 8:30pm I left my apt to go pickup a pizza. I saw the two groups of youths hanging around the corner motioning back and forth to each other. I thought to myself that this was not good, but then I also felt that I was stereotyping because they were all african americans. I went and got the pizza, but returned to my apt a different way because I didn’t want to run into them again. It was this group that robbed the business owner. It’s horrible to find out that they did in fact do something like this. What is one suppose to do? Call the police at every thing that looks out of place?

  • bebecat October 4, 2009 (5:55 pm)

    Oh WestSeattleNeighbor I had the exact same feeling that I should have called the police. I too was deterred by the stereotyping issue.

  • GetReal October 4, 2009 (6:06 pm)

    It’s not stereotyping, it’s statistics. Trust your gut and let the police take it from there.

  • Mike F October 4, 2009 (6:50 pm)

    I’m not a huge fan of a break for first-time offenders. Usually by the time someone is caught, it isn’t the first offense.

    I’m happy to have my tax dollars go for keeping these folks locked up. However young.

  • 35this35mph October 4, 2009 (7:07 pm)

    I don’t know about statistics but if you saw a similarly behaving group of people from your own “demographic” would you call the cops then?

  • west seattleite October 4, 2009 (8:18 pm)

    Interesting. Now we are about to close 1 if not 2 prisons. Where will these naughty kids go when we can’t even keep the naughty adults locked up?

  • LB October 4, 2009 (8:48 pm)

    If people, kids or whomever look like they are up to no good call 911 and let the police decide. Forget stereotyping, we have a growing crime problem in WS. Let’s deal with it.

  • WSM October 4, 2009 (10:15 pm)

    We need cops walking the streets at night in the Junction. Those thugs would have never attempted their robbery if there was more police presence. It freaks me out to think this happened a few blocks from my house.

    Nice job to the SPD and to the folks who called in with their suspicions.

  • Margaret October 4, 2009 (10:45 pm)

    We watched it unfold on 32nd Ave SW, south of Myrtle, where they were caught. Six police cars decended on the car at once, (around 11:45PM) lights on, guns out. Quite a scene, a dozen officers all over, we wondered what was going down, it was clearly serious business. The victims arrived later and a line up ensued in the street- these guys were the guilty ones, we later learned.

    Interesting, but on Thurday evening, a woman walking on west side of 35th Ave SW, north of Barton, had her bag cut off her arm. This bag was found dumped in the same lotion as these guys were apprehended two nights later. Coinsidence? I don’t think so. We found the purse (and it’s owner) Friday Oct 2 on 32nd SW.

  • RV October 4, 2009 (11:06 pm)

    to 35this35mph- YES I would!

  • Under_Achiever October 5, 2009 (7:57 am)

    The fore mentioned Scout Car cruised north through the Junction less than 5 minutes before parking in front of the Brewery. SPD reacted quickly.
    .
    What will discourage punks like the 4 Friday night is a society that chooses not to abide criminal behavior. Many here in Seattle want our Police to be Safety Patrol Officers or Arbitrators — which leads to a lack of respect (fear) that the criminal element have for those entrusted to protect society’s security.
    .
    Don’t agree with me? Imagine you are a petty criminal. Imagine taunting a SPD Officer. Now imagine you are the same bad guy taunting a New York City Police Officer. Imagine the ensuing results.

  • KSJ October 5, 2009 (8:19 am)

    Nice work neighbors and SPD. Seems like you’ve been working together to get some of the bad guys lately. Now it’s up to the judicial system. This was an armed robbery. They had a knife at this poor person’s stomach. Throw the book at em, please!

  • laurie October 5, 2009 (12:54 pm)

    Vote for the Housing Levy and you can have lots more nice ghetto youth robbing you in west seattle.

  • Jose October 5, 2009 (11:23 pm)

    westseattleneighbor and bebecat: doesn’t matter, if you had reported them the 911 Operator is trained to cop-block you. They won’t dispatch an Officer because you wouldn’t be the owner of the property the punks were on.

  • WSB October 5, 2009 (11:29 pm)

    That is not true. Public sidewalk = everyone’s property, and that’s what all accounts of this “hanging around” (as even the police report put it) involved.

  • rob October 6, 2009 (6:21 am)

    SPD says that if all four are charged and convicted, they will get a strike, and a minimum of 2 years prison. Since they were all over 16, it will be adult time. Glad that these punks will be paying for their crime. As soon as I find out their names, I will post info and their photos around West Seattle.

  • Penman October 6, 2009 (11:14 am)

    I think posting criminal’s pictures around the neighborhood is an outstanding idea!
    Law-abiding people need to be able to protect themselves. The police aren’s always around, and the courts will almost certainly let these guys right back out again. The only lesson learned will have been that crime doesn’t hurt too bad, because as was said prior, this is surely not their first offense. Just maybe the first time they’ve been caught.
    I am disheartened and appalled at the state of our society. Unfortunately it’s only a matter of time before crime touches your life, possibly violent crime.
    So why not post pictures of bad guys, since we know they’re walking the streets and have no conscience about hurting others? Why are there no photos of Tyler in the area?

  • nuni October 8, 2009 (2:52 pm)

    Glad they are out of High Point..4 less to worry about!

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