He wasn’t originally on the program, but Seattle Police Chief John Diaz was a last-minute addition to this afternoon’s ceremony at West Seattle’s Forest Lawn Cemetery, paying tribute to the 58 members of the force who have lost their lives in the line of duty.

The SPD Honor Guard carried the flags, and the relatively new Seattle Police Pipes and Drums made their first Forest Lawn appearance. The podium stood where a permanent memorial to Seattle’s fallen officers will be built, within a year or two, as Forest Lawn’s David Salove explained. Here’s our video of the entire 48-minute event:

Keynote speaker was retired Sgt. Frank Kampsen, who founded the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation; the state memorial was dedicated in Olympia in 2006. In our photo below, he is second from right; second from left is Deputy Chief Nick Metz, who also spoke; Chief Diaz is between them:

Sgt. Kampsen recalled how his career in both the U.S. Marine Corps and SPD led him down a path of ensuring proper tributes for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. “Never forget these heroes – never,” he said, concluding with, for those who serve now, advice to remember: “Your profession is law enforcement. Your job is to come home at the end of your shift.”

Members of two slain officers’ families were also among the more than 60 people there: Officers Joselito Barber, killed by a speeding driver in 2006, and Timothy Brenton, the West Seattle High School graduate killed in 2009. Coincidentally, Officer Brenton’s accused killer was in court today; the judge set his trial for this September.

Today’s ceremony was followed by a lunch hosted by Forest Lawn:

To get involved with the planning and construction of the Seattle Police Memorial there, call 206-932-0050.

As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block (whenever)?”:

*A 17-year-old was attacked from behind while she waited for a bus at California and Hanford late Thursday. One attacker covered her mouth, walked her to a nearby alley, and slammed her head against a tree. When she fell to the ground, five peoplie began kicking and punching her. She was taken to Highline Medical Center for treatment. The attackers were described as two Hispanic males, 15-17 years old, wearing gray hoodies; one Hispanic female, 15-17, wearing a tank top, dark basketball shorts, with her hair in a tight bun; and two other Hispanic females.

*Around 4 p.m. Thursday, a junior high student was attacked from behind by three people described as older male teens near 35th and Thistle. He did not recognize the suspects.

*A 36-year-old Highland Park mom (described as having an anecdotal history of throwing underage drinking soirees) is facing charges of unlawful furnishing of liquor to a minor after officers responded to complaints about a party in the 7700 block of Highland Park Way SW on Sunday, April 29th. Five juveniles ran from the scene but were caught and sent home to parents. Fifteen others — ranging in age from 18-14, and all showing serious signs of intoxication — were released from the apartment. One officer stated, “I can’t express how strong the smell (of marijuana) was.” Mom copped to the alcohol consumption but had nothing to say about the pot.

Eight more summaries ahead, including dogs rescued from a car, and a theft that happened in a flash:

*On Monday the 7th a citizen reported that three dogs had been locked in an unattended vehicle for at least three hours down at 61st and Stevens. Officers were dispatched and rescued the animals: a pit bull, a chihuahua, and a yellow lab. The pit bull had blood on her head and chest with bite marks around her eyes and muzzle. The chihuahua had blood on her scruff. The dogs were transported to the Seattle Animal Shelter. The car was registered to a Cle Elum address.

*Security video from late Thursday shows that in the moments between when a man parked his car at a Westwood Village lot and when he locked it using a key fob at the entrance to a store, someone sneaked into his vehicle and grabbed a briefcase. The suspect then ran across the parking lot and got into a white SUV with dark rims. The victim’s briefcase contained his laptop, passport and visa, Bose headphones, camera, and other items.

*Around noon on Wednesday, a citizen called in a report about a suspicious man taking a cell phone from a car parked near 39th and Alaska. When officers arrived, they ended up booking the 33-year-old Lynnwood resident into King County Jail — not for the car prowl, but on a $5,000 felony drug warrant.

*After observing a likely drug transaction, and then noticing that the car involved had two broken taillights, officers pulled the vehicle over in the 6300 block of 34th SW. The driver was evasive and nervous and lied about his identity and age over a dozen times and kept reaching into his underwear—a likely sign of (uh….among other things) concealed weapons or narcotics. Officers took him into custody, and once at the precinct he provided his true name. He was wanted on a no-bail felony escape warrant and his record had several cautions: “Violent offender. May be armed and dangerous. Resists law enforcement.” He was booked into King County Jail on the warrant and received a verbal warning about the traffic violation.

*Helpful Hint: If you’re filling up with gas, do not put your wallet on top of the car and then drive off, especially if the wallet contains both your ID and your bag of meth.

*A man who was aggressively panhandling customers at a Delridge gas station turned out to be wanted on a $1,000 theft warrant.

*A woman walking her dog was rattled by being followed near 36th and Graham on Thursday afternoon, the 3rd. The suspect was a white male, aged 45-60, with a stubbly salt and pepper beard. He drove an older dark green Saturn.

*The catalytic converter thieves are out and about again, this time striking overnight in the 2500 block of 56th SW and near the intersection of SW Fauntleroy and SW Raymond.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: WSBeat roundups are archived here. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening = calling or texting 206-293-6302 is the best way.

(May 2010 photo from Seattle Police Memorial at Forest Lawn, by Christopher Boffoli)
Next Friday, you are invited to the annual Seattle Police Memorial on the grounds of Forest Lawn Cemetery (WSB sponsor) east of High Point, where the plan for a permanent memorial is finally moving forward. The Friday (May 18) ceremony will be at 1 pm, with the founding president of the Washington State Law Enforcement Memorial Foundation, retired Sgt. Frank Kampsen, as keynote speaker, according to Forest Lawn’s David Salove. SPD leadership at the ceremony will include Deputy Chief Nick Metz, and the Seattle Police Pipes and Drums will be there to provide ceremonial music. The site for the permanent memorial was dedicated in 2009 (WSB coverage here), with hopes it would be built within the following year, but the plan stalled for a while; now it’s proceeding, according to Salove, who says anyone interested in getting involved can contact Forest Lawn at 206-932-0050.

2:55 PM UPDATE: Per the scanner, police are reopening SW Brandon.

3:30 PM UPDATE: A little more information from police – a car went into a ditch; a man and woman were heard yelling, and she apparently said he had a gun, then somebody reported hearing what sounded like a shot. A K-9 team was brought in to look for the man (no word at this point about the woman who was yelling) but couldn’t find him.

7:34 PM UPDATE: Lt. Alan Williams from the Southwest Precinct has a full summary of the incident tonight: “An adult male assaulted his 17 yr old girlfriend in an automobile, during which time he drove recklessly and crashed into the woods south of the West Seattle Golf course.  The suspect fired a shot at the victim and then fled into the woods.  The car sustained a bullet hole through the passenger door outward, but the victim was not hit.  A large wooded area between the West Seattle Golf course and High Point was contained and 2 K-9 units tracked/searched the wooded area for an extended period of time without locating the suspect.”

(SPD Blotter featured this case a few hours after we published that update.)

(Photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
That’s Officer Mike Hope, who’s at the front desk in the Southwest Precinct, where you can drop off unneeded/expired medication (liquid too, for those who have asked) till 2 pm, as part of Drug Take-Back Day. The lobby entrance is off the parking lot, which you enter from SW Webster, just west of Delridge, south side of the building, and the front-desk window where you’ll find him is right inside.

As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block (whenever)?”:

*Around noon on Saturday, a male driver pursued and harassed a female driver from Avalon and 35th all the way to downtown. He employed a variety of methods: tailgating, honking, flipping her off, and swerving through traffic to first pass and then pull into her lane before slamming on the brakes. He followed her off the 4th Avenue off-ramp, toward downtown, continuing the honking, flipping, and tailgating until she was able to lose him on some side streets. He was described as a white male with brown hair. He drove a four-door black Lexus that is registered to an address in the Admiral area.

*Wednesday afternoon at Me-Kwa-Mooks Park, a Highland Park resident noticed that another park-goer’s “very large dogs” were off-leash. She asked that he leash them, especially because her own three (leashed) dogs could be aggressive. The 66-year-old responded to this request by raising his hand to her and saying “You need to be punched.” He later told an officer that the woman was a “busybody” who liked to tell people what to do. He agreed that his use of words had been threatening and was sorry about the incident. The report does not state whether the Beach Drive-area resident was cited for having his dogs off leash.

*Monday afternoon, an allegedly intoxicated man and his friend fled the scene of a Alaska Junction apartment building after arguing with (and head-butting) a woman for being too slow in getting off an elevator.

Five more summaries ahead, including a “Facebook flirtation” gone wrong:

*Just how fast was that Alki-to-Admiral Way motorcyclist going on Monday afternoon? So fast that an officer following at 55 MPH (in the 30 MPH zone) couldn’t catch up. He alerted fellow officers to the failed stop, and one of them nabbed the guy at the top of the hill. The 32-year-old Burien resident was handcuffed and booked into King County Jail for investigation of reckless driving.

*When a local woman’s Facebook flirtation got out of hand, she asked an officer for advice about the problem: The man had threatened to post “racy” photos of her on the Internet unless she agreed to have sex with him. She provided the man’s phone number to the officer and, after confirming the man’s identity, the officer gave him a call. There was no answer, but a records check provided his mother’s name and number. So Mommy got the call and assured the officer that she’d tell him to delete all the photos, not post anything about the woman, and to never contact her again.

*An officer responded to a theft call in the Avalon area on Saturday evening. The citizen blamed his landlord because his favorite sweatshirt had disappeared, his answering machine was speaking only in French, and his box of Cocoa Puffs had turned into a box of Cocoa Krispies. The man admitted that he had a mental health history, and the officer stood watch as he took a dose of meds. She suggested to him that the incidents likely had more to do with his mental issues than with his landlord. She alerted the man’s caseworker, who promised to visit the next day. The citizen assured the officer that he would be fine for the evening and agreed to call 911 if he began to feel out of control.

*Around 6 a.m. Saturday, a woman called 911 and threatened to kill herself. Medics arrived at the scene on 59th SW and were able to coax the woman out from under the playground equipment where she had buried herself in the mulch. By the time officers arrived, the woman had been treated and had a bandage on her neck, having told medics that she’d tried to hit her jugular vein with her pocket knife. The 25-year-old Snohomish resident accepted a ride to Harborview for treatment and for a mental health exam.

*A disabled veteran has faced mounting difficulties caring for himself after his utilities were turned off for non payment. On Wednesday of last week, around noon, frustrated and despondent, he called City Light to plead his case, but ultimately hung up after threatening suicide. The City Light employee immediately called 911 and said she thought he was heading to the Veterans Administration Center for assistance. Officers were dispatched, but he had already left when they arrived. Fortunately, he called back while they were there; unfortunately, he said he had a gun in the back seat of his car and was ready to use it. The VA counselor kept the man on the phone for an hour while other police resources tried to pinpoint his location. His car was finally traced to the Roxbury area, where officers found him calm and cooperative but clearly despondent. He agreed to go to the hospital for a mental evaluation if the officers would try to help get his utilities turned back on. While he was being treated at the hospital, the two officers worked with more than eleven city, county, state, and private charities to get large portions of his utility bills covered and the services restored. Later that afternoon, he was delighted to be brought home by police and amazed that they had followed through on their pledge to help. The Seattle Police Department Crisis Intervention Team has been alerted to the case for possible followup.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Also, remember, the CRISIS LINE is a resource for those in crisis, including thoughts or acts of self-harm: 206.461.3222 … WSBeat roundups are archived here. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening = calling or texting 206-293-6302 is the best way.

As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block (whenever)?”:

*Medics declared a North Admiral resident dead after finding him in his apartment face down, without pulse. Per routine procedure, an officer was dispatched to survey the scene. Finding no signs of foul play, he lifted the victim’s arm and heard a sudden expulsion of air from the man’s mouth. The officer alerted the medics, who reiterated that not only had there been no pulse, but that rigor mortis had started to set in. But to placate the officer, they lifted the victim onto a nearby bed. As the cloth covering the “deceased’s” face slipped off, everyone was startled to see his eyes blinking rapidly. Medics quickly provided life-saving treatment and transported the man to the Harborview emergency room.

*Early Tuesday, officers pulled over a van in the 3200 block of Harbor Ave. SW. It had originally been spotted on Murray Ave. SW, and the occupants were thought to be casing the area. The driver, a Port Orchard resident, claimed he was in the middle of a pre-purchase 2 a.m. scenic test drive along Beach Drive. He refused to let officers search the vehicle, which was lined with racks and shelves and bags of items. A records check showed the driver was a convicted felon with an extensive criminal history (burglary, auto theft, theft, vehicle prowling and property damage) and that two women had active anti-harassment orders against him. He has been known to assault officers and to own illegal weapons, handguns, rifles, knives and grenades. He also had a history of substance abuse. His female passenger (who waved and called one of the officers by name) is also a convicted felon with a similar criminal history. There was a large knife at her feet. She had two warrants, one for misdemeanor assault in Burien ($7,500) and failure to appear on a theft charge ($5,050). Thinking that the van contained stolen property, the officers decided to impound it. The driver was released and walked away southbound on Harbor Ave. The woman was driven to Tukwila and transferred to the custody of the King County Sheriff’s Office.

10 more summaries ahead:

*Monday afternoon at 59th and Stevens, a driver hit a parked vehicle, careened off it and smacked into a nearby patrol car. He was arrested for investigation of hit and run and driving without a license, no insurance and inattention to driving. A records check showed that one of his passengers had a felony warrant for theft ($2,500). Another passenger had two misdemeanor warrants from Tukwila ($2,200) Both were booked into jail as well.

*Sunday morning around 6:30, a citizen called 911 to report a suspicious man loitering and “staring” in the 3200 block of Walnut Ave. SW. Officers found him with a switchblade at his side. It turns out that he lived down the street and and had spent the night in the parking strip after a fight with his parents. He allowed officers to look in his bag, where they found cocaine, marijuana, miscellaneous pills, syringes, needles, cooking tins, scale, cotton, foil, straws and small baggies, typically used in the sales of narcotics. He had stomach pain and was taken to Harborview but will be investigated at a later time.

*An Admiral business is out some dollars: A customer came in on Monday afternoon and selected an $80 item. While the clerk was busy with other customers, the man left the store with his item — and $140 from the cash register. The thief is described as Caucasian, aged 18-21 years, with black hair, unshaven stubble, and a heavy beard. His palms had visible injuries/scrapes from a fall.

*A compact white hatchback car — Honda or similar — that has been lowered and that has a very loud muffler. That was the description of the getaway car used by a thief who stole a box of red “Paula Deen” cooking pans just after they had been delivered to an Arbor Heights address on Thursday afternoon.

*Around 4:30 Monday of last week, officers were dispatched to a Metro coach near California and Admiral to deal with a disruptive passenger who was arguing, shouting, and spitting. The combative fellow agreed to get off the bus, but warned the officers (and some medics who arrived to treat his injured ankle) to look out for the mountain lions in the trees above them. The 50-year-old was transported to Highline Hospital for a mental evaluation.

*Around 2:30 Monday afternoon, officers pulled a car over near 26th SW and SW Adams and wound up arresting a 19-year-old South Seattle woman on a $5,000 warrant (failure to appear in a domestic violence case) as well as the driver, a 31-year-old South Seattle resident. Not only was he driving without a license, but he was wanted on $12,000 worth of warrants (obstruction, false reporting, and animal violations). Four other passengers were released with a friendly reminder to always wear their seat belts: The arrested woman sitting — obviously unbelted — on a lap in the backseat is what got the car pulled over in the first place.

*Officers investigating a child-abuse case found cause to take a 5-year-old girl (the victim) and her 7-year-old brother into protective custody at their grandmother’s home while Child Protective Services investigates the latest incident with their mother. The officer asked the little girl if she liked staying with her grandmother. The little girl said, “yes,” and when asked why she responded, “Because my grandma doesn’t beat me.”

*On Tuesday afternoon, in the 1100 block of Alki Ave. SW, two teens — aged 16 and 19 — were too busy swigging cognac to notice officers approaching their vehicle. The 16-year-old was supposed to be under home monitoring while awaiting trial for a previous offense, and he was booked into the Youth Service Center. The older teen was released.

*In the 2900 block of Avalon early Friday morning, an officer found a would-be car burglar passed out, with his head on the driver’s seat. The officer pulled him out by his backpack, and he fell backward onto the ground, his mouth letting loose with both a “grunt” and an overwhelming aroma of alcohol. His backpack was full of burglary tools and a drug pipe. The 18-year-old West Seattle resident was booked into King County Jail.

*In The Junction, a yelling and swearing man was arrested — not for smashing a brick onto a parked car (the owner accepted his apology and his cash) — but for being wanted on a $5,000 theft warrant.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: WSBeat roundups are archived here. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening = calling or texting 206-293-6302 is the best way.

As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block (whenever)?”:

*Around noon last Thursday, officers were dispatched to the 9200 block of Delridge Way SW to look for an “armed and dangerous” man wanted on a California warrant. After seeing a man fitting the general description enter a convenience store, they watched from outside and spotted unique identifying tattoos on his neck. As the man stepped up to the counter to pay for his drink, he was arrested without incident.

*Then on Thursday afternoon, members of the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Task Force arrested a man in the 4700 block of 44th SW. He was wanted in Orange County, California for felony stalking. The 45-year-old was booked into King County jail to await extradition.

*A savvy citizen called 911 after midnight last Tuesday to report that a suspicious person was looking in car windows in the 7500 block of Dumar Way SW. The suspect tried to evade officers who arrived at the scene, but was caught in a nearby greenbelt. His front pockets were full of bank and credit cards with a woman’s name. His backpack contained two digital cameras, two cell phones, two cell chargers, a video game, two controllers, an MP3 player and a folding knife. The suspect—a downtown resident—was booked into King County Jail for investigation of felony possession of stolen property.

8 more summaries, including the case of the hidden gun that led to an apology, ahead:

*Just after 1 a.m. on Wednesday, an officer spotted a car inside closed Don Armeni Boat Ramp park. An ID check showed that the 21-year-old driver had a suspended license (for five unpaid tickets and two misdemeanor warrants totaling $13,000 from Tacoma and Kirkland). He was also a convicted felon, in trouble most recently for unlawful possession of a firearm and eluding. He denied that there were any weapons in the car. After waiting for backup, the officer performed a cursory search and saw a purse under the car’s front seat. The 24-year old girlfriend allowed the officer to look through the bag, where he found a loaded .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol. The driver admitted the gun was his and that he had placed it in her purse. She was released. He was transported to the precinct, where he willingly gave a statement, said he did not know the weapon was stolen, and admitted that this would be his “third strike” for firearms possession. The officer allowed the suspect to call the girlfriend and he apologized to her for putting her in a “bad situation.” He was booked into King County jail for investigation of firearms violations.

*Just after one a.m. Saturday, a man told officers he was walking eastbound on Roxbury near 4th SW when a dark green or dark blue Toyota Tercel four-door began to follow him. At one point the driver leaned forward and reached under the driver’s seat. Scared, the victim turned onto a foot trail and hid in some bushes, watching as the car left southbound on Olson Place. It later returned and shined its headlights directly where he was hiding. The car left, and the victim reports he soon heard three or four gunshots. (No “shots fired” calls were reported to 911 at that time.) The suspect was described as a “muscular” Hispanic male, aged 22-29, wearing a dark blue baseball cap and a black hooded jacket.

*A property owner was surprised to discover two transients squatting in her Avalon-area rental. Officers made their way through sleeping bags, clothing shoes, broken needles and other evidence of drug use and arrested the men, brothers from Pennsylvania. The pair said that they had met a man downtown, told him they needed a place to stay, and he drove them to the address. This helpful stranger turned out to be the previous tenant, who had been evicted.

*Some tenants in the Fauntlee Hills area are none too pleased with their landlord/housemate: It seems that the strangers he brought home from a Belltown bar early Saturday stole the residents’ money, credit and debit cards. The landlord apologized to officers for being unable to describe the suspects in detail, stating that he had been too intoxicated to remember much. As he thought more, however, he realized that the two women in the group kept trying to distract him while the male entered various rooms of the house.

*A 13-year-old runaway used the emergency phone outside the Southwest Precinct late Wednesday to call 911 and ask for a ride “home.” He was calm and cooperative, but said that the counselors at his SeaTac group residence have not dealt with a bullying issue that has escalated to death threats. The young man said he had already run away from the facility six times and preferred to go to the Spruce Street youth home downtown. Officers transported him and left him in the custody of a counselor.

*On Saturday evening, an ambulance driver (and a neighbor) were concerned about the welfare of his elderly passenger, who had left Swedish Medical Center and gone home against the advice of her doctors. Officers were dispatched to check on her and confirmed the driver’s report: The woman was unable to stand or walk or care for herself. Though the home was fairly clean, medications were scattered about and the woman didn’t know what to take and when. Her wheelchair got stuck on the carpet. She assured officers that her downstairs tenant would help her (which was a surprise to the tenant). Officers assisted her to the bathroom and helped with a colostomy bag that opened and spilled. After cleaning her up and helping her into fresh clothes, an officer called Adult Protective Services and got the answering machine. (The reports notes the office is only open Monday-Friday from 8-5.) In a last-ditch effort, the officer even calling Child Protective Services for help but was told that the state does not fund after-hours care for vulnerable adults.

*Seattle City Light employees requested an officer standby as they turned off the power to an Arbor Heights home. The resident (who was far behind on his power bills) had put up barricades and posted threatening signs to discourage anyone from stepping onto his property. Officers photographed the scene and signs and stayed on site until the job was completed.

*A local man is convinced his neighbors of twenty years are flooding his basement and damaging his yard. In apparent retaliation for these perceived actions, he has destroyed their fence and taken to throwing large amounts of feces onto their driveway, cars, and into their compost bin. In order to contact the suspect on his front lawn, officers had to navigate around “a large amount of barbed wire strung up between the yard, as well as a spiked post and a nearly invisible small chain strung across the front steps to his front door.” The agitated suspect refused to let officers inside the home, saying he didn’t want them to see his two small children. He stated that all of his neighbors dump feces in his yard and denied he had done the same. He agreed to call police in the future if he had problems with his neighbors.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: WSBeat roundups are archived here. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening = calling or texting 206-293-6302 is the best way.

As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

*If you and your significant other are tying the knot and collecting gifts in a public place, assign someone to guard the checks-and-gift-cards pile. Last week, a suspicious person was seen wandering around a local reception, wearing what looked like a homemade dark blue sweater with a “security” patch sewn on it. Someone later tried to use gift cards from this wedding at a Westwood Village store. The suspect was described as white, male, age 22-29, about 5’8”, with a slim build and light brown hair.

*Just after 2 a.m. Friday, officers were on routine patrol in an alley in the 3000 block of SW Avalon, when a man spotted their car, raised his hands in the air, and walked toward them. He twice provided false names but finally came clean, admitting he was wanted on a warrant ($15,000 for residential burglary). Officers confiscated two knives, two wallets (not his), a key chain with keys for several cars, gloves, and spark plugs (commonly used to break car windows). The SeaTac resident was booked into King County Jail for the warrant.

10 more summaries ahead:

*Wednesday afternoon around 1:30, a resident of the 3200 block of 41st SW was working in the basement when he heard a creaking sound and then noticed two teens peeking in his basement window. When confronted, the two claimed they were looking for “Mike.” A few hours later, the victim noticed that his laptop was missing from a living room table. The suspects are described as white, male, both with brown hair and buzz cuts, 15-17 years old, 5’6” to 6” tall, medium build.

*On Tuesday morning, a neighbor confronted a stranger who was trying to break into a utility trailer in the yard of a home in the 3300 block of 31st SW. The suspect fled the scene in a white Chevy Astro Van, and was described as a white male, 5’6”, of medium build, and bald.

*Officers investigated reports of a man and a woman shooting up in a truck parked near Raymond and 35th SW. The woman inside the vehicle denied that anyone was with her and was “shocked” when an officer emerged from a nearby business with her boyfriend of many years in tow. The pair live on Vashon Island and finally admitted to shooting heroin. Officers found no narcotics, but they did note that the woman possessed many syringes, a bunch of knives, and one live chicken. She and the bird took wing, while the 33-year-old man was booked into King County Jail on a $10,000 misdemeanor warrant.

*On Tuesday evening, a delivery driver called 911 to report that three teens had stolen a shoe-box package from the front seat of his van while he was parked near 32nd and Juneau. Officers quickly found one of the suspects, who raised his hands in the air and exclaimed, “I didn’t do anything!” just as two shoes dropped onto the ground from underneath his coat. The 13-year-old (wanted as a missing runaway) was held at the precinct and then turned over to his stepmother.

*Knowing from previous encounters that the teen was facing hard times (father deceased; mom on the street), an officer wondered if the boy’s report of being slashed on the arm by a stranger might not be true. He expressed those thoughts kindly to the boy, who immediately broke down in tears and admitted there had been no assault. He also admitted that he was depressed and thinking about suicide. A mental health specialist is now on the case.

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CRISIS LINE: A resource for those in crisis, including thoughts or acts of self-harm: 206.461.3222
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Now – from a check of reports that were in the system several days before the ones chronicled above …

*How do you know you have a drug problem? When your idea of scrounging scrap metal involves loading steel structural I-beams into the back of your truck in broad daylight (lunchtime) at a construction site. Officers responded under the West Seattle Bridge, where two workers were holding a suspect, who tried to make off with $3,000 worth of material. The 21-year-old unemployed Auburn resident said he would be interested in a drug program and admitted to using heroin for the past two years and having a problem with oxycontin.

*After participating in a women’s retreat, a local woman in a verbally abusive relationship found the courage to confront her boyfriend of 1 ½ years, who she believed had stolen $50,000 by transferring it from her bank account into his. When he refused to leave her home, she locked herself in the bedroom and called 911. Boyfriend claims that she knew about the money and that he couldn’t return it because it had been lost making stock-market trades. While officers stood by, she had him turn over his keys and leave immediately. He removed his belongings and said he would not contact her again.

*In North Admiral one recent afternoon, a landlord discovered two men inside the garage of one of his rental homes. The pair claimed they must have been sent to the wrong site for a job. One man was carrying a crow bar and a chain pulley, which he returned. They drove off in a red 1980s pickup. The suspects are white males, one aged 30-49 with slim build and sandy hair, and a second, aged 22-29, with slim build and brown hair.

*A woman was seated at a large table at a coffee shop, doing business with her insurance company on her cell phone. She noticed that a stranger nearby would occasionally write something on a legal pad. He later said to her, “I couldn’t help overhearing that you got a new job. Congratulations.” Later that day she received four e-mails from the stranger (who had obviously overheard her e-mail address during the conversation), asking if she wanted to meet him and providing his phone number. Concerned that the man had overheard other info, she called 911. An officer called the friendly fellow, who was surprised and embarrassed to be hearing from police. He said he’d never try to contact her again.

*A group of people was drinking in an Admiral apartment. The party moved to an alley, and when things got a bit out of hand, the “host” (who had alcohol on his breath and appeared intoxicated to officers) fired a shot into the air to “scare off” the group. Though he had a concealed weapons permit, he willingly turned the weapon over to officers.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: WSBeat roundups are archived here. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening = calling or texting 206-293-6302 is the best way.

THREAT INVESTIGATED: Police were in The Junction in the 10 pm hour investigating a report that a restaurant/bar proprietor was threatened by a man with a knife. We don’t know yet what transpired in the interim, but the search for suspect(s) eventually led to Fauntleroy/Edmunds, alongside the south end of the vacant Huling property on the southwest corner. According to scanner traffic, someone at that scene reportedly had cuts and abrasions, but was not believed to be the original suspect; we were not able to talk with officers at the scene, but saw a fire crew and private ambulance. We’ll update this if/when more information becomes available.

KNIFE CONFISCATED IN SCHOOL PARKING LOT: We checked with police after a note from Gary about several police cars at Chief Sealth International High School right around the time school let out today, 3 pm. Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith says police were called by school security staffers who tried to get a group of about 40 people gathered in the parking lot, including a few who were arguing, to disperse – school security was worried a fight might break out. They told police that four people in the group were not identifiable as students from Sealth or adjacent Denny International Middle School. Police discovered that a girl who was among the four was in possession of a knife. No one was arrested, no one was hurt, but the girl was questioned and the knife, which she said she kept for protection, was confiscated.

(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
12:17 AM: Police have stopped what they believe to be a suspect in a case of gunfire reported on Alki a short time ago. No injuries reported at this point, but it is still an active investigation with at least two locations – where the gunfire happened, and where the suspect was stopped.

12:30 AM UPDATE: WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli is at the scene where police stopped the suspect in his car, which matched the description we’d heard via scanner, a Subaru with spoiler. They also reported recovering a .45-caliber handgun. Back in the 2800 block of Alki SW, they are looking for evidence of gunfire.

1:08 AM UPDATE: Police have published a short summary of this on SPD Blotter. One additional detail from their report: This involved two people in “an altercation” outside, not IN a bar. We heard scanner traffic regarding the reported target of the gunfire saying it happened in the alley behind Cactus; one officer reported finding a “live round” in the area.

In the SPD Blotter item, Gang Unit detectives are mentioned, and Christopher indeed said he saw them at the arrest scene, which was near Salty’s.

ADDED SUNDAY AFTERNOON: A few followup details from Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams: The suspect is 26 years old and had been escorted out of an area bar before all this happened, following a “disturbance.” Lt. Williams also clarifies that while Gang Unit detectives were investigating, that unit “investigates incidents of this nature even if there is no indication that those involved are associated with gangs” – so don’t assume that just because the Gang Unit shows up, it’s definitely gang-related.

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: The SPD Blotter report also now includes these additional details, and one new one: The man who was shot at was 28 years old. We can’t confirm whether the 26-year-old suspect is still in jail, since at this point we don’t have his name, but we’ll look into that tomorrow.