West Seattle, Washington
19 Friday
(WSB PHOTOS BY OLIVER HAMLIN, VIDEO BY TRACY RECORD)
11:06 AM: We’re back at the Joint Training Facility, where day 2 of helicopter rescue training with a Washington National Guard Black Hawk is under way.
So far they’re practicing hoists and lowering over the landing area and will then move to a 5-story building on the west side of the JTF. (Added: Watch below as participants attach themselves to the hoist in a little over :30, then get lifted – you’ll also hear what the propeller-generated wind was like:)
11:55 AM: The helicopter just left for refueling at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, but is expected back. (That’s when the media photo ops ended, so we don’t have visuals of the drill involving the building.)
(PHOTOS BY OLIVER HAMLIN FOR WSB)
11:27 AM: As previewed last week, the city is partnering with the Washington National Guard today and tomorrow for a disaster drill involving a helicopter. We’re at the Joint Training Facility in southeast West Seattle to find out more; the helicopter they’re using flew eastbound over West Seattle around 9:45 am, headed this way, and now it’s just taken off for practice hoisting from and to a building on the west edge of the JTF. They’ll be focusing the drill here unless there’s a problem and they need to fly elsewhere. More photos and info later!
11:45 AM: Today’s drill was very brief due to a hoist problem. The helicopter had to land after a few minutes. Everybody’s OK. They plan to try again tomorrow – with a different helicopter.
6:30 PM: Adding photos from what did happen while we were there, and what we learned.
The collaboration between the Washington National Guard – out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma – is relatively new. SFD has been training with King County and Snohomish County air-support units for years. The department has an eight-person Aviation Team from all over the city (we talked with Capt. Michael Dulas, who is from Station 18 in Ballard). He says the team members have to go through this kind of drill/training four times a year, because what they practice are “very perishable skills.”
We asked how they’d be deployed in case of an actual catastrophe. Not surprisingly, the reply was that it depends on circumstances – they could report to JBLM and board a helicopter there, or wait for one at one of the fields around the city where it’s been determined a helicopter could safely land. (We learned about at least two in West Seattle in 2020, when drills were done in case airlifts were needed during the bridge closure.)
We did learn some interesting stats in the briefing before the short-lived flight – the hoist is capable of lifting up to 600 pounds; the helicopter’s door can be opened in wind up to 80 knots. Meantime, we’ll be back at the JTF tomorrow to see how it goes.
Just got word of a disaster drill next week with a helicopter component that may draw notice over southeast West Seattle, South Park, and White Center. From Seattle Fire:
The Seattle Fire Department and Washington National Guard are conducting an aviation drill in the South Park/White Center area on (Tuesday-Wednesday) Sept. 16 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The purpose of the drill is to practice rescue operations in the event a fire in a high-rise building or a natural disaster (such as an earthquake) were to occur. The community may see a National Guard helicopter circling in the area during the drill.
The Joint Training Facility (9401 Myers Way S.) will be involved. We noted a similar drill nine years ago.
ORIGINAL 4:43 NOTE: Don’t know why yet. If you’re seeing officers and/or deputies on the ground right now, let us know.
5:09 PM: Helicopter has moved on. We think we know what was going on but trying to confirm.
5:50 PM: Had to dig through archives of a couple channels but found it: They were looking for a stolen car after getting a “LoJack hit” and they circled while deputies on the ground near 34th/104th checked out the possibilities.
5:10 PM: According to emergency radio, King County Sheriff’s Office deputies are or were pursuing a stolen silver Hyundai Elantra, plate starting with BDR, and Guardian One is assisting them. The last location reported on Seattle Police radio as an FYI was 16th/107th in White Center, but the helicopter is further north, currently.
5:15 PM: And the helicopter’s south again.
5:33 PM: For those wondering why the Guardian One helicopter is over Arbor Heights – they’re helping SPD in an attempt to recover a stolen vehicle. The helicopter isn’t routinely summoned for this kind of call but the vehicle in question was reported to have been stolen in a carjacking, so that ups the case to robbery; we don’t know where or when that happened – no carjackings recently in WS. The car is described as a gray 2021 Dodge Challenger with a “small rear window broken out,” license starting with CMT; call 911 if you see it.
5:46 PM: With some indications the car might be headed north, or might even gotten onto the ferry, the helicopter has moved out of the Arbor Heights area.
5:44 PM: Police on the ground and Guardian One in the air are looking for a suspect in a reported assault on Alki.
(Added: Photos by David Hutchinson)
According to emergency radio, an “elderly man” was reportedly being punched by someone. The only description they have of the attacker so far is an “unknown race male, unknown age,” around 5’6″, wearing a black motorcycle helmet and black clothing, (added) riding a bicycle. The assault is reported to have happened in the 2600 block of Alki SW.
5:50 PM: Police have detained a suspect, and told dispatch they found a gun. We don’t yet know how badly the victim was injured but the SFD response was low-level.
6:20 PM: We don’t know if the detained person was actually arrested, or what the circumstances turned out to be; we’ll add followup information tomorrow if it’s not available sooner.
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: The person who was detained was indeed let go, and the police-report narrative (which we’re publishing verbatim, including police redactions) explains why:
Upon (officer’s) arrival, SFD was tending to XXXX XXXX who was bleeding from the mouth and nose. XXXX was apparently knocked unconscious, an did not remember being assaulted.
Then the RP [person who called police], XXXX XXXX approached me. XXXX stated he was walking along the Alki Beach Boardwalk when he saw a unknown man wearing a black motorcycle helmet randomly punch XXXX in the face three times. This is when he called 911.
Guardian One was overhead and located a possible suspect riding a bicycle away, wearing a motorcycle helmet. The subject was detained by arriving officers.
I spoke to XXXX again, and he still did not remember the assault, so a victim show-up was not possible. So I screened the witness show-up with Sgt. XXXX via radio.
I transported XXXX to 55 and Alki, where officers had XXXX X XXXX-XXXX detained. XXXX could not positively identify XXXX as the suspect, so XXXX was released, and declined to speak to a supervisor.
I transported XXXX back to the original scene, and by the time I arrived. XXXX was transported to Harborview for his injuries …
SFD tells us the victim is 62 years old and was taken to Harborview via private (AMR) ambulance. If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 25-231138.
10:32 PM: We don’t know why yet – nothing obvious on police radio, and the helicopter’s arrival happened while we’d stepped away from the desk for a few minutes. We’re working on it. If you’re seeing a police response on the ground, let us know (comment, or text 206-293-6302).
10:45 PM: One other tidbit of information, there are no SFD responses for injury incidents in the area – while SPD calls are not consistently logged online, SFD calls are, so that much we can say. Those who’ve seen police on the ground say it’s focused in the EC Hughes and Navos vicinity and that Holden is blocked at 30th.
10:49 PM: Guardian One has departed, headed north and out of West Seattle. Eventually we’ll find out what this was about and will update when we do.
11:24 PM: No official word from police but tips and indications (plus the lack of monitorable radio traffic – we have listened back to everything archived and there was nothing, which suggests it’s on an encrypted channel) indicate this is a warrant operation.
11:38 PM: According to a tipster and to an incident number mentioned over police radio a few minutes ago, this is somehow related to a North Seattle shooting earlier in the week.
2:16 AM: CSI units have been to the investigation scene (which is reported to be on 28th SW) and just told dispatch they’re leaving now.
10:46 AM: SPD has just published confirmation of the warrant arrest and says that shooting now has claimed the victim’s life, so the suspect faces a murder charge. (So basically, Guardian One was there in case the suspect bolted during the warrant operation. And the “shots” people heard would have been “flashbang” noisemaking devices sometimes used during warrant operations, standoffs, etc.) We will track the case; the 28-year-old suspect is in King County Jail this morning, and will have a bail/probable-cause hearing either this afternoon or tomorrow.
(First five photos by Oliver Hamlin for WSB)
A few hours into today’s air-and-sea SWAT drill off West Seattle, we had the chance to visit the staging area on Port of Seattle property, where participating officers were boarding helicopters. The “helipad” used for the occasion was a big empty lot just south and uphill from the port-property entrance across from the Harbor Island 7-11.
Three law-enforcement helicopters were coming and going, delivering officers to participating vessels off both the north and west shores of West Seattle, including the King County Water Taxi‘s M/V Sally Fox:
Officers also were deployed from law-enforcement boats:
We asked King County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Division Chief Jeff Flohr, who’s in charge of SWAT and other teams, about the drill scenario and who was involved:
KCSO had three of its four helicopters participating – two were Guardian Twos (the Hueys with the unmistakable low and loud chopping sound – listen to our short clip)
Also participating, one of KCSO’s two Guardian Ones, the newer one; these are the helicopters most seen in crime-related responses, the only law-enforcement helicopters in the region, so they assist other agencies including Seattle Police,.
Though the original announcement had the training running as late as 7 pm, Chief Flohr said the flights will be over no later than 3:30.
That’s one of our photos from a law-enforcement tactical drill off West Seattle shores in 2016. The King County Sheriff’s Office has sent this advance alert of something similar planned for this Thursday:
The King County Sheriff’s Office TAC-30 and Seattle SWAT teams will be conducting a maritime training exercise in West Seattle in support of our regional transit partners on May 22nd, 2025 from 7 am-7 pm. There will be Officers and Deputies near Jack Block Park and the West Seattle Water Taxi Terminal (1660 Harbor Ave SW) wearing SWAT equipment and uniforms. There will also be several police helicopters and vessels operating in the area. There will be no interruption to the normal Water Taxi schedule for commuters. We have made every effort to ensure aircraft flight paths stay over the water as much as possible to minimize any disruptions. King County’s TAC-30 and Seattle SWAT are constantly training to provide the citizens of King County with quality police services.
4:23 PM: That’s the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One, which often assists other agencies. We’re working to find out what it’s doing right now – nothing big has been on the SPD frequency, though one officer radio’ed in that they’re “with county.”
4:50 PM: KCSO says it wasn’t them; we’ve been driving around looking on the ground, no sign of a response. So we still don’t know yet.
11:02 PM: The Guardian One helicopter is joining SPD‘s search for two carjacking suspects. According to emergency radio traffic it happened in the Westwood Village area, but the carjackers already have abandoned the Acura SUV they stole. They’re looking for two suspects, one described as wearing all black, with a black face mask, and a gun; they were reported to be running on 25th SW. … Officers report having stopped a possible suspect in the area.
11:11 PM: The ground search includes a K-9, so if you’re in the area, you may hear police’s obligatory announcements of that.
11:30 PM: They’re still searching, including to the north and east of WWV.
11:39 PM: They’ve exhausted the possibilities for now, so the helicopter’s leaving. No further info on the incident, but we’ll of course follow up and add any additional information when it’s available.
ADDED 12:10 PM SATURDAY: Here’s the preliminary summary from SPD:
At 2300 hours, responded to a report of a carjacking that had just occurred at the Westwood Village Shopping Center. The suspects (one armed with a handgun) approached the victims as they were standing outside the vehicle and attempted to pistol whip the driver while suspect #2 simultaneously assaulted the female passenger. The victims complied and the suspects got into the victim vehicle. The vehicle was a newer Acura, and the suspects could not figure out how to shift it into drive. The suspects panicked and fled immediately once they could not manipulate the shifter dial, and the victims managed to maintain possession of their vehicle. Containment was established and KCSO K9 and Guardian One responded to assist.
If you have any information, the incident to refer to is 25-69379.
8:27 PM: The Guardian One helicopter has arrived in Riverview to help police look for an armed suspect. The incident that started at 12th and Webster is logged as an assault, and reported to have involved gunfire, though there was no medical dispatch; we’re still looking into how it started.
8:33 PM: The aerial search has exhausted the possibilities, so Guardian One is leaving; police are still present on the ground.
8:39 PM: According to the dispatch audio, this involved a man firing a gun from one corner of the intersection; no one hit. He was described as an “unknown-race male, 5’9″to 6′, black hoodie, light-blue jeans, white shoes,” wielding a black pistol.
9 PM: In a radio exchange after leaving the scene, police just noted “there were a lot of rounds shot” but no property damage reported. (If you discover any later, be sure to call it in – you can refer to incident 25-060427.)
ADDED THURSDAY PM: We obtained the redacted police narrative, and it includes the excerpt below of what the person identified as the victim told police:
XXXX said that he was in his house when all of a sudden he heard a short string of gunshots from Riverview Playfield. XXXX secured his XXXX (XXXXX) on the outside of his shorts with an open carry holster and stepped out onto the sidewalk of his house. XXXX does not have a concealed carry license, but in WA state, you are allowed to open carry a handgun without a CPL as long as it is not concealed.
(He said the suspect) was walking away from Riverview Playfield Westbound on Sw Webster.
XXXX called out to the male and said, “was that you shooting?”
The male replied, telling XXXX that he was “…just trying out my gun”.
XXXX yelled back at the suspect to not be firing guns in the neighborhood. XXXX claimed that the suspect then fired multiple shots towards him after a heated argument. XXXX said that he drew his handgun and returned fire. The suspect later walked off, possibly either South bound or Westbound.
XXXX said that the shots were exchanged in a North / South direction. …
As I was speaking with XXXX, backing officers located XXXX casings near the roundabout at 12 Ave SW / SW Webster St. We later located XXXX casings from XXXX in his front yard from where he returned fire …A witness/ XXXX caught the shooting on his XXXX at XXXX St. In the video, you can see approximately three gunshots in the lower right hand corner, which would be on the South side of Riverview playfield, just East of 12th Ave SW / SW Webster St. You then see a XXXX walking West on SW Webster St. The male stops at the intersection of 12th Ave SW / SW Webster St when he is being yelled at by XXXX.
Just as XXXX told me, in the video XXXX asks the male if he was the one shooting, which the male replies that “yes, I was trying out my gun”. The two get into a brief argument and an exchange of gunfire happens. From my observation, it appears that XXXX fired his handgun after being shot at by the suspect. I do believe that this was a good self defense shooting. …
We later located XXXX more shell casings in Riverview Playfield, which would’ve been the suspects first rounds fired before shots were exchanged with XXXX.We were unable to locate any property damage or additional victims involved in this shooting.
(Added: WSB photo)
9:23 PM: Police are searching for a “possibly armed” suspect in the Fauntleroy/Findlay/Raymond vicinity, and that’s why the Guardian One helicopter is overhead. A K-9 team is on the ground so if you’re nearby, stay inside. K-9 searches are also why you’ll hear loudspeaker announcements and short bursts of sirens. Updates to come…
9:32 PM: They’re currently focused on the 6000 block of Fauntleroy Way.
9:36 PM: Police are also going to the California/Juneau vicinity after someone there thought they heard gunfire (NOT confirmed so far, and no way to know if it’s related, but we’re mentioning it in case you see that part of the response).
9:48 PM: No word yet on whether anything was found there, but the original K-9 search team has headed south and west, toward California/Morgan/Fauntleroy.
9:58 PM: They have a suspect in custody.
10:03 PM: Guardian One’s crew, leaving, asked “what kind of crime was that?” and an officer replied “Misdemeanor DV [domestic violence] harassment.” We expect more details later.
ADDED 6:15 PM WEDNESDAY: Finally found information about the status of the case, via Seattle Municipal Court documents, which include police-report narrative. The 29-year-old suspect is alleged to have threatened to throw boiling water on his ex-girlfriend, whose apartment he reportedly refuses to move out of. He faces the charge mentioned above and also a charge of obstructing an officer; this all started when they were investigating the threat, and he allegedly ran from police, who had been told he owns guns. He was found on the patio of an apartment building a few doors down from where the original incident happened. This morning Municipal Court Judge Andrea Chin granted his lawyer’s request to release him from jail on personal recognizance. There’s also an order for him not to contact the victim, and to surrender his guns to SPD.
6:34 AM: Thanks for the tips. A helicopter’s been over Gatewood/Fauntleroy a while, but not showing on radar. A reader who heard what sounded like a flashbang said 911 told them there’s a warrant service in the vicinity. We’re working to find out more.
6:41 AM: Multiple texters say they’re seeing police on the ground at a location in Upper Fauntleroy.
7:29 AM: Multiple readers report the location is on 38th SW between Trenton and Henderson. We went through a short time ago and noticed SPD and WSP vehicles still in the vicinity, at the Trenton end.
9:26 AM: SPD’s media office says it has no information on the operation, at least so far. We’re trying other agencies too, and will update here if/when we find out anything.
11:25 AM: Still trying – warrant operations tend to be notoriously difficult to get information about, until/unless court cases result. King County Sheriff’s Office says the helicopter was NOT Guardian One, which often supports other law-enforcement agencies including SPD, but, a KCSO spokesperson tells us, was not flying in support of anything this morning.
5:05 PM: The business day has ended without any additional information emerging; the State Patrol neither responded to nor acknowledged our inquiry. So it’s a mystery for now, but we’re not giving up.
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: The WSP tells us this was a DEA-led operation. We have an inquiry out to the local DEO office to see if they are able to tell us anything more.
5:03 PM: Thanks for the tips! Radar shows that helicopter looping off Alki Point is U.S. Coast Guard. District 13 Public Affairs tells us it’s in a holding pattern waiting to fly over Lumen Field, where the Seahawks are about to play Green Bay.
5:19 PM: Tracker (screenshot above is from Flightradar24.com) shows the helicopter, from Port Angeles, is making that flyover right now.
We’re getting some questions about the King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian One helicopter flying over downtown White Center. According to a bulletin shared over the Seattle Police airwaves and subsequent discussion on KCSO radio, they’re investigating a robbery at 15th/100th. The robber “ran eastbound and linked up with (two other people),” according to KCSO radio. The robber took the victim’s cell phone. No description(s) yet.
9:28 AM: Police are searching in Sunrise Heights/Westwood for two people, at least one of whom bailed out of a vehicle that had two punctured tires. The Guardian One helicopter is joining the search. Police apparently know who they’re looking for because they say both have warrants. The person they know is on foot is described as a white man, tall, thin, dark clothing, in the company of a small dog. The vehicle they’re looking for is a 1988 black Chevrolet pickup. Call 911 if you’ve seen either the suspect or pickup.
9:47 AM: Guardian One hasn’t seen evidence of the truck or suspect(s), so it’s departing the area.
9:53 AM: Police just found the truck in the 7500 block of 24th SW, no one inside.
12:52 PM: Police are converging on West Seattle’s only tiny-home village, Camp Second Chance (9701 Myers Way S.), after a report of gunfire from a unit on the south side of the complex. No word of injuries so far. Police are advising people at the camp to evacuate. People in the area might see the Guardian One helicopter joining the search for the suspected shooter, whose identity police apparently know. Myers Way is closed in the vicinity.
1:02 PM: The suspected shooter is likely still in his unit, police are saying.
1:43 PM: This is basically a standoff now, No resolution yet.
2:07 PM: Guardian One left because police are confident the situation is contained to the camp – they are not searching beyond it.
2:14 PM: The suspect is reported to be talking with officers about surrendering.
2:25 PM: The suspect is in custody, per SPD.
2:43 PM: Myers Way has not reopened yet, so use alternative routes a while longer.
10:57 PM: 911 got a call about racing on Harbor Avenue and Guardian One happened to overhear the dispatch, so volunteered to help with the response.
11:01 PM: After several circles, the helicopter has left our area, headed south.
11:10 PM: Now Guardian One is doing wide loops over South Delridge, White Center, and Arbor Heights. SPD radio is quiet; we’re checking KCSO.
11:18 PM: They’re doing a ground search too in the 22nd SW and SW 97th vicinity, but for what/who, we don’t yet know – except that it apparently involves looking for a car.
11:25 PM: They looked at a possibility but it apparently was an unoccupied vehicle that was not what they were looking for, so the helicopter has moved on. We’ll go back into KCSO dispatch archives a bit to see if the recording clarifies what this was about.
11:48 PM: Archived audio indicates that Guardian One picked up a Lojack signal from a stolen car in that area, a 2006 Jeep Wrangler, stolen within Seattle city limits but pinging to somewhere in the aforementioned area, and they asked if ground crews were available to help look for it. (added) Continuing to listen, they did find the car, abandoned. So that’s when the helicopter left and deputies on the ground took over.
(Added: WSB photo, from South Delridge)
Just in case you missed Wednesday’s hubbub about three U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters from Joint Base Lewis McChord circling in our area, the base finally officially confirmed they were training for a flyover at tonight’s Seahawks game. The game’s about half an hour away and the helicopters are back; we just saw them flying eastward over White Center.
(Added: Photo by Jerry Simmons)
This came up in comments on the report about this afternoon’s Army helicopter sightings. Unrelated but just to close the loop – we were finally able to confirm that the 3:30-4 pm-ish helicopter sighting was Guardian One helping with the search after a robbery reported at Taboo Video in downtown White Center (9913 16th SW). We have a short story on partner site White Center Now and will add anything else we find out from the King County Sheriff’s Office.
(Photo sent by Sally)
2:39 PM: Lots of questions this past hour about U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopters over West Seattle. They’re from Joint Base Lewis McChord in Pierce County. We have a message out to Public Affairs there to see if they can comment. But this is far from the first time these types of helicopters have looped the area (and other points between here and the base); more often, we see them at night (flight trackers generally list them), and we’ve been told before that these are training flights.
(Photo sent by Karen)
(update) We’ve added a few more photos – thanks to everyone who’s sent them!
(Photo sent by Mike)
10:42 PM: Consensus (see comments below) seems to have landed on training for a Seahawks Thursday Night Football flyover tomorrow.
10:50 AM THURSDAY: Scott from the JBLM Public Affairs Office just confirmed that’s indeed what was happening. So you may see them over West Seattle again on the way to the flyover before the 5:15 pm game.
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