(Added: WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:50 PM: Just a quick mention while we’re gathering details – two incidents involving police right now in south West Seattle, don’t know yet if they are at all related. There is a crash at 35th and Barton and a foot chase near the 8800 block of Delridge. More details as we get them. Both are likely to be affecting traffic on those major arterials.

(WSB photo by Tracy Record)
6:12 PM: The crash, involving police, is at 35th/Barton, and 35th is blocked north of the intersection. No injuries, we are told at scene. Meantime, a reportedly carjacked vehicle was abandoned in South Delridge, and that’s what the search is about.

6:47 PM: Back from both scenes.
Medics have now been called to 35th/Barton to check out an 11-year-old girl who was in the civilian car that collided with a police vehicle – she is reported to have neck pain.

(WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
That car (above) is currently in the parking lot of Tony’s Market; 35th remains closed at that spot, just north of Barton.

(WSB photo by Tracy Record)
The stolen car (above) was abandoned blocks away in an alley. No arrest yet. Police told WSB’s Christopher Boffoli that it was stolen outside West Seattle.

7:09 PM: SPD has just confirmed that the officer involved in 35th/Barton collision was indeed headed to carjacker search, and that the 11-year-old has been taken to the hospital.

8:25 PM: Our partners at The Seattle Times have a bit more detail on exactly how the collision happened – quoting police as saying the officer was headed south in case the suspect being tracked on Delridge headed west, but then got word of a direction change, so was U-turning at 35th/Barton when the collision happened.

9 PM: 35th is still closed north of Barton while investigators work.

11:07 PM: Thanks to commenter “Hosedown” for the update that 35th is open again. Meantime, SPD Blotter has just published the full summary of how this happened, including details of the carjacking incident that started it all, and news that the driver who hit the SPD car at 35th/Barton is suspected of DUI:

A woman called 911 to report two men stole her car while she left it running in the 2700 block of 4th Ave. South.

Plainclothes officers in the area quickly located the car and requested marked patrol units to stop the car. When officers tried to pull the car over at 21st Ave. SW and SW Henderson St. the occupants jumped out and ran away on foot. Officers flooded the area, but were unable to capture either suspect.

An officer responding to the call for help made a U-turn at 35 Ave. SW and SW Barton St. using his lights and sirens stopping all traffic. The officer had completed his turn when a vehicle broadsided the police car on the passenger side.

Seattle Fire Department medics responded and evaluated the officer, other driver, and her 11-year-old female passenger. The girl complained of a headache and nausea and was transported to Harborview Medical Center via ambulance. The officer was uninjured in the collision.

A Drug Recognition Expert was called to the scene to evaluate the driver, who was eventually arrested for driving under the influence.

Officers continue to search for the original carjacking suspects. They are described as a mid 30’s white male, 6 foot, 180 pounds and unshaven. The second suspect is described as a 30-year-old black male, 6 foot and 180 pounds.

Detectives are asking anyone with information to please call 911 and speak with officers.

Remember Nicholas Broughton, who crashed a stolen car through a fence near a relative’s home in The Junction back in January? Just days after he struck a plea bargain in that case and an earlier identity-theft case, it’s confirmed that he is the man police were looking for last night in the 35th/Myrtle area. Washington’s Most Wanted reports that Broughton, 33, and girlfriend Jennifer Lasky were the targets of the search. She was arrested and is in jail in connection with a $3,000 Pierce County warrant (for failure to appear in court in connection with a driving-with-suspended-license charge). He is still on the run.

Online records show Broughton was in court just last week to plead guilty to reduced charges in the two cases facing him. The first case involves that January night when he drove an SUV, stolen from Tacoma, through a fence near a relative’s home southwest of The Junction. The vehicle had come to police’s attention because it was equipped with LoJack. When charges were filed, Broughton was described as “an 11-time felon.”

Two weeks later, a judge let him out on bail; just weeks after that, Broughton was charged in a separate case, accused of identity theft related to credit/debit cards stolen in multiple car prowls, with at least one West Seattle victim.

After a failure to appear in court, a warrant was issued for him, and Broughton was re-arrested. He was in jail until mid-July, and was scheduled to go on trial this week, but the trial was canceled when he struck a plea bargain involving both aforementioned cases, and a reduction of charges. Documents show he was in court last Friday related to that, pleading guilty to the reduced charges – two counts of second-degree identity theft, one each of hit-and-run and possession of a stolen vehicle (a lesser charge than auto theft). The plea bargain also included a charge of criminal trespass, but documents say that is to be dismissed at his sentencing, which is scheduled for September 26th. It’s too soon to say how/whether this latest skirmish with police will affect that case. Meantime, WMW says there’s a reward out for him, and you can call 911 or 800-222-TIPS if you have information.

3:25 PM: Just tweeted by Seattle Police: “Officers searching for black SUV near 16SW/SW Holden after suspect steals car w/ 10-month-old child inside.” Suspect/vehicle description from SPD: “Hispanic male, 20s, 5’7, very short hair driving black Ford Edge w/ 22″ rims.” Please call 911 if you think you’ve seen it or know anything about it.

3:34 PM UPDATE: Baby and vehicle have been found in White Center. Police are now trying to find the thief.

3:42 PM UPDATE: If you are in south West Seattle or White Center, you’re probably noticing at least one helicopter – this is what it’s related to – TV chopper for now, law-enforcement chopper Guardian One expected too. One of the choppers belongs to Channel 7, which tweeted an aerial view of the recovered SUV:

4:03 PM: According to radio discussion, police do know who they are looking for. Meantime, commenter Rachel reports what happened when the SUV turned up in White Center’s Greenbridge neighborhood:

I was in Dubsea Coffee when this was occurring. I noticed the black Edge parked in the middle of the road. People were honking at it as they tried to drive down the road. I thought it was bizarre that someone would park right in the middle of the street, but went back to working. About 10 minutes later, I decided to leave Dubsea and that’s when I saw a few people trying to look into the car. Someone realized that there was a baby in the car and opened the front door. That’s when the car started rolling backwards and everyone was scrambling to get out of the way. Finally, a woman jumped in and put the emergency brake on. A few seconds later, the police showed up and got a description of the perpetrator. A few minutes after that, another patrol car showed up with the father of the baby. It was so incredibly heartbreaking to watch him grab his baby out of the car. I am so very glad that there were people around who noticed the baby on this hot day. The people who called 911 and acted quickly to report this should absolutely be commended.

4:19 PM UPDATE: SPD reports a suspect is in custody.

9:31 PM UPDATE: As noted in comments, TV reports included surveillance video of the theft – here’s one version of the clip. The man who was arrested was booked into King County Jail just after 7 pm and is being held for investigation of kidnapping and vehicle theft; three domestic-violence cases are listed in his entry on the jail register – one listed as violation of a no-contact order. and the other two as fourth-degree assault. We’re checking if he has a record beyond that.

9:54 PM UPDATE: The suspect, who turns 25 years old tomorrow, has a home less than a block away from today’s incident, according to court documents from the June case involving the no-contact-order violation. The case involved an incident in June at the home of the suspect’s girlfriend, in the Puget Ridge area – he allegedly took her car without permission, and, according to the documents, almost left with the girlfriend’s 7-year-old daughter in the car. The girlfriend tried to stop him from driving it away; the court documents say, he used a Taser-type device to hurt her. Her daughter got out of the car before he left with it; he later abandoned it, the court papers say, after crashing it into a utility pole.

A purse-snatching victim got her purse back after chasing the man who tried to steal it at the bus stop by Roxhill Park. According to the Seattle Police report about the incident, categorized as a “strong-arm robbery,” it happened early Sunday morning, around 12:30 am. A Metro Route 21 bus driver saw it happen and called police on behalf of the victim, who said the would-be robber came up behind her as she was boarding the bus. He pulled her purse off her shoulder; she ran after him as he fled onto a trail into the park. According to the report, “the man didn’t run far before he threw the purse onto the ground and kept running southbound.” The victim got everything back, though her purse was ripped in the process, and her arm was scratched when the robber pulled it off her shoulder. Officers couldn’t find the robber, described by the victim as 18 or 19 years old, Filipino, “long black hair in the back,” 5-8, thin build, wearing a black vest, white T-shirt, and khaki pants.

Our latest West Seattle Crime Watch reader report is a case of auto theft, reported by a resident whose visiting relative was the victim:

My aunt’s car was stolen from the PCC parking lot on California Ave. this past Sunday (8.17) around 5 pm (she was in the store for only 20 minutes). A police report was filed right away.

* 1998 Toyota Camry
* Green – not the forest green, but a more bluish green
* WA License # – AJU 4715
* Scuffed left front fender from scraping white posts – large enough to be noticeable
* NPR sticker in rear window – right side

Please call 911 if you see it.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 2:04 AM: Thanks to the tipsters who reported a hit-and-run crash early this morning on 44th between Andover and Charlestown. Both reports came in via text, and one included these photos with the explanation, “Stolen car hit a parked car.” The reportedly stolen car is actually the pickup truck in the photo above, and the car it hit was a small SUV.

No injuries reported. We’ll check later this morning to see if anyone was caught.

ADDED 5:53 PM: There are at least two reports related to this incident, and while Seattle Police Media Relations was unable to access, yet, the one with details about the crash itself, they were able to provide the one that dealt with alleged liquor violations by two teenagers believed to have walked away. Ahead, info from that report:

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Just in via SPD Blotter:

A coffee-shop employee was beat up and robbed in the North Admiral neighborhood Monday morning while he waited for the store to open. The victim got to work, near 41st Avenue Southwest and Southwest Admiral Way, about 4 am, before the manager arrived. After he sat on the steps to read a tablet computer, three men approached and asked for money. The victim said he didn’t have any and the men began hitting him in the face and head. The robbers took the victim’s tablet, cell phone and bag, then fled. Officers arrived quickly and surrounded the area but did not find the (robbers). Medics treated the victim at the scene and gave him a ride home.

Though the item doesn’t identify the coffee shop, the only one at that corner is the Admiral Starbucks.

Erin‘s home near Camp Long was burglarized, and she’s hoping you will watch for particular items in case they turn up somewhere:

I just wanted to let the community know that our house was (burglarized Wednesday) sometime between 9 am and 1:30 pm. We are on the 5200 block of 35th Ave SW. [map] They entered by kicking in the back door — pretty brazen for having the neighbors so close. Nothing enormously valuable was taken; they only took passports and birth certificates and some really cheap jewelry, which unfortunately happened to be in some precious-only-to-me jewelry boxes. They also took my late grandmother’s wedding ring.

I don’t have any hope of finding the passports or ring, but if people see the jewelry boxes, I would be really grateful to get them back. One is wooden with an inlaid violin on the lid and a key to lock it. The other is purple wood with an inlaid flower on the lid. Both are music boxes. Thank you for being such a supportive community!

The convicted sex offender charged in a recent West Seattle “flasher” incident and under investigation in at least two others was back in court today. 37-year-old Duane Atwood pleaded not guilty to the charges of felony indecent exposure and failing to register as a sex offender. His lawyer’s request to restrict the news media from photographing Atwood’s face was granted. His next court appearance is set for September 16th; Atwood remains jailed in lieu of $250,000 bail, and while his lawyer did not ask the judge to reduce it, they reserved the right to make that request in the future.

We first reported Atwood’s arrest almost three weeks ago; police tracked him through license-plate information given by a woman who reported that she was called over to an SUV parked near Cormorant Cove Park on Beach Drive, and saw a man inside it, exposing and holding his privates. We originally learned of her case via her comment on one of our reports about two similar incidents days earlier. While he posted bond and got out of jail the day he was arrested, his bail was raised and he was re-arrested the day charges were filed, and has been behind bars ever since.

Atwood is a Level 2 Sex Offender because of a 2001 conviction for a burglary/arson with sexual motivation. At the time of our first reports on this case, we didn’t have much information on that case, because King County’s online court records don’t go back that far. The case was very briefly summarized in the charges filed against him last month, but that still left many questions unanswered. We have since obtained dozens of pages of court documents related to the case, from the original charges to the plea bargain to the sentence.

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In the middle of the overnight downpour, we heard a bit of scanner traffic about car pieces in the street near 59th/Admiral. This morning, the inbox brought the rest of the story – Chris sent that photo and word that someone hit his car and his neighbors’ car in the 5700 block of Admiral (map) around 12:30 am: “Lots of damage. My car likely totaled. Cars were parked and no injuries though would not be surprised if driver injured. Looking for any witnesses.” If you have any information, contact police and refer to incident #14-267781.

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch today. First, a stolen car to watch for, taken from 18th SW in the Highland Park area:

We’d be grateful for any help the community may provide in locating the vehicle. It’s a black 2008 Mazda 3 4-door, license plate 863DWG (Oregon). There are some identifying stickers on the vehicle as well: a “Seattle U Law” sticker, and a “Boise State” sticker. It was stolen between the evening of Thursday 8/7 and the morning of 8/10, when we went out to look for it.

As noted in the SPD @getyourcarback tweet about it, call 911 if you see it.

Also keep watch for two bicycles stolen from Alki. From Ara:

Two bikes were locked to a bike rack at the east end of Alki on Saturday at about 5:15 PM. Bike racks on the water side of Alki Ave SW at 55th Ave SW. The lock was cut and the bikes were taken in broad daylight.

2010 Cannondale Synapse Road Bike – Blue Frame, Size 58:

2013 Cannondale Althea Hybrid Bike – Black Frame, Women’s size Tall:

The bikes have traveled with us from coast to coast. They are very loved and important to us. We would love to have them back. Reward and good karma available. Please contact andara13@hotmail.com with any information. Thank you.

Last but not least, a hit-run driver wound up in a yard in the 6300 block of 23rd SW early Sunday and damaged a “stock tank” planter that was growing lettuce and kale.

The planter’s owner says the car’s fender was left behind, “complete with blue-green paint.” It’s now with SPD as evidence, but if you know someone with a car or small SUV that suddenly showed up with a missing fender sometime Sunday (or later) … a police report has been filed.

Thanks to the tipsters who texted/e-mailed about police activity on Beach Drive this past hour. We checked with Seattle Police’s Det. Drew Fowler, who tells us that one “juvenile” suspect is in custody after a purse-snatching incident. Information is still preliminary, but the police log shows that a woman reported someone had stolen her purse and phone around Weather Watch Park (Beach Drive/Carroll; map), and she or someone else was in pursuit. One person was taken into custody.

Those icons represent auto thefts in West Seattle in the past week – it’s our screengrab from a custom view of the SPD Police Reports map (you can follow that link and click individual icons on the “live” map there if you want specific locations/times). In addition to the 14 thefts on the map, we know of at least one more just today, because of this note from James:

My brother in law had his black 1999 Honda Civic, plate AND3427, stolen from the 9000 block of 34th Ave. If anyone sees it or reports an abandoned vehicle we would greatly appreciate if you would let us know.

Though the theft’s not on the map yet, it IS on the SPD @GetYourCarBack Twitter feed, which advises calling 911 if you spot a known stolen car. This area tends to average one a day, so this past week’s thefts are about twice the usual rate.

One more reader report today, from Shannon:

Just wanted to inform our neighbors that my car has been ransacked 3 times in the last month..I do leave my doors unlocked and nothing inside as we have had windows broken before. Everything was gone thru but nothing taken each time. CD’s, Stereo, change all left each time … 8100 block of 15th and Elmgrove.

Maybe you saw it on the SPD Blotter – a bizarre rampage of sorts on Wednesday that started in West Seattle and moved into other parts of the city before the suspect was arrested. We followed up today in search of specifics which were missing in that overall summary but were contained in the partial report we obtained. The 37-year-old suspect, shown in public databases with a West Seattle address, was reported to have started by showing up outside Providence Mount St. Vincent, ranting and yelling first about the facility and then, “about North Korea,” in a manner described by one witness as “almost mad or crazy.”

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A hit-and-run driver damaged two vehicles belonging to one Seaview household between 1 am and 5 am this morning – and the victims have collected enough debris to “get a part/model number,” traced to an early 2000s black Toyota 4-Runner, so they’re hoping you can help find the vehicle. The debris left behind included a “newer Toyota center hubcap/cover with logo on it”; it likely would have “emerged southbound out of the alley between 50th and 51st onto Hudson, heading west.” See anything in that area? Know of a vehicle matching the description that suddenly has damage it didn’t have last time you saw it? Contact SPD; the victims have filed a report (and have given police the information about the debris, too).

Several people have texted about a large police response in the Admiral area, in the 4300 block of SW College. Here’s what we know: It’s being investigated as some kind of an assault. The victim is being treated; a suspect was being sought; it was initially described as a case of domestic violence. That’s all we know, pending a call back from police.

ADDED: We finally heard back from police late in the day – a voice-mail message, while we were covering a hearing, so no chance for followup questions, and we don’t know the victim’s condition but one thing to add: The response was so big at least in part because there was a report the suspect was armed with a knife.