@11:39 pm, teenage male shot at but not hit @ 30 Ave SW & SW Juneau St. [map] Nobody injured in incident. Suspect vehicle, white SUV, fled scene … Officers & Gang Unit detectives actively investigating. No more information available at this time.
12:22 AM: Scanner traffic indicates the SUV was believed to be a Dodge Durango.
Police and fire crews have responded to what the Seattle Fire log categorizes at an assault-with-weapons call in the 8400 block of Delridge Way. Our crew at the scene is being told it’s a “medical call” – not a crime scene – at this point. One person is being taken to the hospital by private ambulance.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of the WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled in recent days by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases 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?”
*Early Tuesday, an officer was driving past an Admiral grocery store when he recognized a car parked near the front door as being the suspect vehicle in many shoplifting incidents. The officer parked nearby and was able to watch the suspects as they “shopped” inside and as the male half of the couple loaded nearly $400 worth of stolen items into the car. Because the female half of the couple had paid for her items, she was interviewed and released; the man was booked into King County Jail for investigation of theft.
*A Shoreline resident was arrested early Wednesday after screaming in the street and damaging a vehicle in the 7000 block of Fauntleroy Way SW. He was aggressive with officers, failed to obey orders to keep his hands visible, and had to be tased. When told he was under arrest, he spit on the inside window of the patrol car. He could face charges of property damage and obstructing public officers.
Ahead – 11 more summaries, including the case of the speeder who turned out to be wanted in a BIG way, panhandlers vs. missionaries, and sidewalk knife-sharpening:
Just received the newest newsletter from the Seattle Police crime-prevention coordinator for the Southwest and South precincts, Mark Solomon, who talks about how to protect yourself from street robbery, given the recent spike in that crime in many parts of the city including ours. Here’s the PDF – or, read it via Scribd without leaving this page:
You might have noticed that most of the cases mentioned in the newsletter are from the South Precinct, not Southwest – the prevention advice is of course applicable everywhere – but the August case mentioned is this one involving three arrests after an Arbor Heights robbery; we reported back on Monday that the suspects pleaded not guilty and remain jailed in lieu of $250,000 bail each.
Three followups tonight: Arraignment today for the three men charged in a street-robbery spree that ended in Arbor Heights almost three weeks ago. As reported here August 26th, 22-year-old Hassan I. Abdirizak, 19-year-old Abdulkamir A. Ahmed, and 21-year-old Najib A. Aden are each charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of attempted first-degree robbery. Each pleaded not guilty; one asked for a bail reduction, which was denied, so each suspect remains jailed in lieu of $250,000 bail.
We also followed up with police today on two incidents we covered this weekend, each fairly thin on details at the time:
31ST SW, SATURDAY AFTERNOON:(our original item here) The report says this came in as two calls, from a man and woman, both claiming to have been injured, with a knife involved somehow, and that’s why it was originally an “assault with weapons” call. In the end, it seemed neither had actually been stabbed – they had argued, and one put the other in a headlock, which the other tried to escape by biting that person. Questioned by police, both told conflicting stories of how they had met a few days earlier, though each story made mention of methamphetamine use, according to the report. Eventually they were transported to different hospitals to be checked out.
32ND SW, FRIDAY NIGHT:(our original item here) The police report says this was called in just after 7 pm Friday as a 37-year-old man face down on his living-room floor and having “seizure-like activity,” similar to an incident reported six days earlier. The family said he tested positive for methamphetamine during that earlier incident. Firefighter/medics arriving at the scene Friday night found the man semi-conscious; as they tried to take his blood pressure, he swung a fist and then kicked at them, so they called for police backup. Officers arrived, tried to get the man under control, but he went limp and stopped breathing, the report says. Firefighters started CPR; the man was eventually taken to the hospital. The report says prescription drugs and marijuana were found in the house.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 6:15 PM: We’re on our way to a report of a big police response in The Junction. A TV helicopter is checking it out too – so if you’re seeing a chopper, that’s what you’re seeing. Updated: They’re checking out a possible robbery alarm in the 4000 block of SW Alaska.
7:34 PM UPDATE: Apologies that heavy traffic crashed the site – it is the result of an underlying problem we are working very hard to permanently fix. We have been reporting on Twitter (twitter.com/westseattleblog) and Facebook (facebook.com/westseattleblog) – even if you don’t regularly use social media, please consider bookmarking our pages there for situations like this – and on our backup site, but in the meantime, here’s the bottom line of what happened:
A “duress alarm” was triggered at AmericanWest Bank at 4022 SW Alaska. It was false, but that kind of alarm requires an in-person response by police – it cannot be remotely (by phone, etc.) confirmed as false. That tied up traffic and led to tense moments, because the huge police response – necessary in case someone really had been in trouble – required officers to clear people away from around the bank.
A TV helicopter showed up and, according to scanner traffic, was asked to back off. Finally, the manager of the bank got to the scene and went in with police to verify that everything was OK. Officers stayed a while longer at the bank to be sure everything was OK, and also to try to find out how the alarm was triggered; there was a scanner suggestion that a cleaning person might have been to blame, but we don’t know if that has been confirmed.
3:39 PM: The 7900 block of 31st SW (map) is where police and fire are responding to an “assault with weapons” call. No other details yet, aside from the fact that it’s an “assault with weapons/aid” call, which suggests no major injuries.
3:54 PM UPDATE: Police believe it’s a case of domestic violence, though we have no other details, aside from the injury involving some kind of sharp object.
Thanks for the tips on police with rifles out in the 20th/Holden vicinity. According to scanner traffic, this started with a passserby reporting seeing someone in a house possibly pointing a gun at someone else. At least one person was reportedly detained. We have just passed through the area and the scene is clear.
(Photos by Tony Bradley)
We’ve had some questions about a big police response in Sunrise Heights, near 32nd/Webster. Here’s what we have learned from Seattle Police Lt. Steve Strand at the scene: It started as a medic call – no details yet of the original call – but the person that needed help became combative toward the Seattle Fire crew, and police were called. While they were trying to get the combative man under control, he collapsed, police say. He has since been taken to Harborview; because he collapsed while police were dealing with him, that escalated the incident to a different level of investigation, which is what the SPD personnel on the scene are doing now.
We don’t have details so far about the person’s age or condition. But we’ll add anything more we find out.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of the WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled in the past several weeks by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases 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?”
*At least one West Seattle business has been struck by the “pay the overdue power bill” scam going around the city. Luckily, the employee became suspicious and called City Light, which confirmed that the company’s bills were up to date and that no payment was necessary (especially to a third party pretending to be a collector).
*On Monday the 2nd, 911 received a call about a man pointing a gun at someone in the 4500 block of Delridge Way. The suspect car was stopped and positively identified in the 6000 block. The driver claimed the incident was the result of road rage — that he had been cut off and “forced to stop” back at the West Seattle Bridge. He also admitted that there was a gun in the car. His passenger was ID’d as the one pointing the gun; his passenger was also his son … and a convicted felon. The 41-year-old Westwood-area resident was booked into King County Jail for investigation of firearms violations.
(January 2013 photo taken at Westwood Village by Tammy Wooley)
We’ve already previewed the upcoming open house at the Seattle Police Mounted Patrol‘s Highland Park headquarters on September 22nd – and now Sgt. Jim Scott tells us you’ll get a chance to see them even sooner: This Saturday (September 7th), they’ll be at Daystar Retirement Village (2615 SW Barton, across from the south side of Westwood Village) 12:30-2:30 pm, and then at WV itself, in the east parking lot near Starbucks, 2:45-4:15 pm. (We’ve noted Westwood sightings in the past – like the one in the photo above – as the horses are taken out to be acclimatized to people and places, but never before with advance notice.)
7:28 PM: Thanks to everyone who tipped us about Guardian One circling over Myers Way just south of Roxbury (map). It’s a King County Sheriff’s Office search, according to a Seattle Police officer who told us she could only say they’re “looking for somebody” and SPD is assisting. We’re trying to reach KCSO to find out more.
7:42 PM UPDATE: Just talked to KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West, who says the search started with a report of a domestic-violence situation at a supermarket on 1st Avenue South in Burien; a plainclothes detective happened to be there, saw the male suspect on the run, called for backup, got in his car and followed the suspect, whose vehicle was determined to have stolen plates. The suspect abandoned the car and fled in White Center, and was believed to have made it to the Joint Training Facility vicinity, which is where the helicopter was searching. No word of an arrest yet, Sgt. West said, and she also didn’t know about the domestic-violence victim’s condition/status.
8:34 PM UPDATE: Sgt. West says the suspect’s not in custody yet but they did determine that not only were the plates on the car stolen, the car itself was stolen too.
(WSB photo of Mounted Patrol officers, from our coverage of Delridge Day 2013)
Every time one or more officers/horses from the Seattle Police Mounted Patrol appears in the area, it surprises someone who didn’t realize they’re based in West Seattle, right next to Westcrest Park. Now, we’re getting word of your chance to find out more about the unit firsthand – its first-ever public open house has just been announced for 1-5 pm Sunday, September 22nd:
The Seattle Mounted Patrol is holding a picnic similar to those of Department’s precincts at its stables at Westcrest Park in West Seattle (entrance at approx. 8th and Henderson). Join the Mounted Patrol for an opportunity to tour the stables and meet the Officers and their Partners.
They will exhibit their skills, primarily crowd-control training and maneuvers, in two demonstrations at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. Their skills are likely ones you have not seen before: If you have never seen a horse push a 5’ rubber ball, here is your chance. The officers enjoy talking to the community about their horses, and their role as one of the unique units of the Department, providing community relations, crime deterrence, and crowd control. Refreshments will be provided. Don’t forget to bring your cameras; these beautiful horses love a good photo opportunity!
And we’ll add those to our forthcoming calendar listing for this when the parking info’s announced; on FB right now, there’s a specific page just for this event.
The newest Twitter service launched by the Seattle Police Department is aimed at getting stolen/lost bicycles back to their owners. It’s @getyourbikeback – but instead of tweeting info on stolen bikes as @getyourcarback does for stolen vehicles, it will include info on bikes that SPD has recovered but not been able to return. In many cases, according to this explanation on SPD Blotter, that’s because the bikes weren’t reported as stolen. So if your bike does get stolen – be sure to report it to police; let us know too, so we can include it in a West Seattle Crime Watch report; and keep an eye on @getyourbikeback.
In case you wondered about a big police presence in the Genesee area this past hour – Seattle Police are trying to sort out a collision involving one of their cars and an SUV (not pictured) near 48th and Andover. No serious injuries, we’re told, and nobody had to go to the hospital. We don’t know anything at this point about the circumstances of today’s crash, but commenters brought up safety concerns about this intersection back in April, when a crash left a car upside-down.
P.S. Thanks to the WSB’er who texted us about the SPD involvement – otherwise, this was noted only as a “motor vehicle accident” on the Fire Department log, not an indicator of unusual circumstances, and we might have missed it. Text or voice: 206-293-6302 any time.
6:50 PM UPDATE: More info has just been published on SPD Blotter:
A female officer sustained minor injuries in an intersection-related collision today in West Seattle. At approximately 12:26 p.m. today a Southwest Precinct patrol officer was driving her marked police car eastbound on SW Andover Street approaching 48th Avenue SW, an uncontrolled intersection. At the same time a civilian-driven passenger vehicle was approaching the same intersection northbound on 48th Avenue SW. The two vehicles collided in the intersection and both drivers sustained minor injuries.
The civilian was treated and released from the scene by fire department medics. The officer was transported by police vehicle to an area hospital for follow up evaluation and treatment. Both vehicles sustained disabling damage and were towed from the scene.
There were no citations issued at the scene pending further investigation and collision reconstruction.
Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives responded to the scene and continue to actively investigate.
1:53 PM: At City Hall, Mayor McGinn just announced $400,000 will be added to the Seattle Police budget for violence-prevention patrols in trouble spots citywide. Obviously downtown is in the spotlight right now as one of those spots, but he stressed they’ll use data from around the city to decide where else to spend the money. It’ll largely go toward overtime for officers on the force now – Interim Chief Jim Pugel says that’s about 180 hours a month – though 30 more hires are in the SPD pipeline for the next year. The mayor is still answering questions at a live briefing right now; we’ll add the full announcement when it’s available.
2:11 PM: The mayor’s briefing is over. It was noted by at least one reporter in attendance that this came several hours after City Council President Sally Clark and Councilmembers Bruce Harrell and Tim Burgess – present and past chairs of the Public Safety (etc.) Committee – published an item on the Council Connection website in essence challenging the mayor to do more.
5:53 PM: We promised we’d add the announcement when the news release turned up – here it is.
We received this earlier this week from Kent and Parris Sadow, proprietors of Atomic Boys in the Admiral District. They wondered if we might share the vignette about what happened to their son Monday:
Our 16 year old was skateboarding home when he fell hard. Just by chance, a Seattle police officer happened to see him fall. The officer took the time to stop his car and check on our son, checking for any real injuries, and even asking concussion related questions. Once he determined that nothing more serious than a banged-up elbow resulted, the officer still then insisted on giving our son a ride back to his friend’s house nearby to clean up his elbow.
I wish we knew the officer’s name, but unfortunately our son did not notice. Maybe if he sees this on the West Seattle Blog he will get our thanks. We always hear of typical police activity, but this was to us above and beyond the normal, and just genuinely really nice.
(SCROLL DOWN for latest update – adding the first car reported to have been hit by the stolen truck)
10:37 AM: A Seattle Police car was hit and seriously damaged in the Morgan Junction area – and police are looking for the pickup truck driver who did it – he might be on the run in Gatewood. The truck is described as a ’98 gray Chevy pickup with landscaping equipment. According to scanner traffic, the officer driving the damaged car is not hurt. More to come.
(Added photo – tweeted by Robert) 10:45 AM: Co-publisher Patrick Sand was in the area when this happened. Police at the scene tell him that an officer checked the plate on the truck as it headed westbound on Fauntleroy and discovered it was stolen. They tried to pull it over and that’s when it hit the patrol car and took off, headed eventually into Gatewood, where they are still searching. The truck itself has been found.
10:49 AM: Suspect is in custody in Gatewood. Just added our photo of damaged SPD car in Morgan Junction. Engine 37 has been dispatched because the suspect, described as 23 years old, is complaining of an injury.
11:04 AM: At least one TV helicopter is in the area trying to get some visuals on this.
11:18 AM: Traffic is blocked southbound on California at the crash scene south of Fauntleroy until the damaged police car is towed. The suspect is reported to be facing potential charges of assaulting an officer as well as hit-run. We also confirmed directly with police at the arrest scene that, as we’d heard via radio communication earlier, the officer whose car was hit was not hurt.
11:35 AM: We’ve learned the truck was reported stolen from the Admiral/Alki area and apparently hit a car there before continuing on to the Morgan Junction area where the incident with police happened.
11:43 AM: SPD Blotter has just posted its summary, saying the car hit in Upper Alki contained someone who had reported the theft to 911.
12:26 PM: That’s the car hit in Upper Alki. We talked with its owner and the owner of the stolen truck. They told us that the truck’s owner was doing work at Cactus on Alki, packing up to leave, stepped away from the truck for just a moment – and that’s when the thief jumped in and took off. The Audi’s driver was a Cactus employee who saw it happen and followed the truck while calling 911; he says the thief noticed he was being followed and pulled the same maneuver that was used to hit the SPD car later – put the truck into reverse and deliberately back into the vehicle behind him.
9:19 PM: Police are searching for a suspect in a reported stabbing in the 6300 block of 42nd SW in Morgan Junction. According to scanner, traffic, the suspect is reported to have left northbound on 42nd in a red car. The dispatch is “assault with weapons/aid,” which suggests the injuries might not be major. More as we get it.
9:21 PM UPDATE: Police now report catching up with the/a suspect. Meantime, the 911 log has added more units and upgraded this to a “7 per” call, which suggests the injury could be worse than first reported. We have learned that the call originally was dispatched for a 21-year-old pregnant female victim possibly stabbed in the arm.
9:32 PM UPDATE: Our crew on the scene says police are describing this as a case of domestic violence, and is also being told there are NO major injuries involved. Investigators are still trying to sort out exactly what happened.
10:50 PM UPDATE: SPD confirms via Twitter that the victim was not seriously injured (“superficial wounds”) and that a suspect is in custody.
Officers are in the 5400 block of West Marginal Way SW right now, waiting for the Medical Examiner to come for a body found in a railroad car, according to the Seattle Police Twitter feed:
Deceased man found inside railroad car at cement factory. Death appears to be accidental –NOT SUSPICIOUS. … Body appears to be several days old … it’s possible death did not occur in Seattle. Identity of the deceased & cause of death to be determined & released by the medical examiner. No indications of foul play.
The address given by police, and shown on the Seattle Fire 911 log, cross-references to the Lafarge plant. SPD also tweeted that the railroad car has been in Eastern Washington recently, so that’s why they say the death might have occurred elsewhere.
Lots of discussion of, and deliberation on, policies regarding our state’s legalization of marijuana in recent months – but here’s the first time we’ve seen this come up: An agenda just landed in the inbox for a special meeting of the City Council’s Housing, Human Services, Health, and Culture Committee this Friday at 2 pm. City Attorney Pete Holmes is scheduled to lead a 20-minute briefing titled “City Policies on Public Consumption of Marijuana.” We’re checking with the City Attorney’s Office for a preview; we’re wondering, though – what do YOU think those policies should be?
ADDED 1:19 PM: City Attorney’s Office spokesperson Kimberly Mills says this is related to a request for an ordinance to be drafted, and sends along a statement from Holmes:
We highly recommend avoiding the Lincoln Park area right now. Besides a major ferry-line backup for several reasons, there’s also a police response. Multiple WSB’ers had texted us about SPD cars heading somewhere in a hurry, and Bill solves the mystery:
Noticed a police car blocking Fauntleroy at Monroe a few minutes ago. Several more came up soon after. Walked down the street to get a look… total of 8 squad cars. 1 guy in cuffs on the sidewalk in front of Lincoln Park, another (apparently the victim or a witness) talking to police. Asked an officer what happened and he said the guy pulled a knife on someone. Police confiscated a bike and backpack too.
Working to find out more. But if you saw a TV helicopter earlier and/or TV truck at the park – this is NOT what they’re covering – they headed over for the wading-pool-closure story.
(With the mayor: SW Precinct Capt. Joe Kessler, center, and Lt. Ron Smith, right)
After a tour of West Seattle with Seattle Police‘s West Seattle leadership, Mayor McGinn met the media (WSB and three TV stations showed up) this morning for a Q/A session outside the Southwest Precinct. He’s been doing this at every precinct; West Seattle was originally scheduled for July 5th, but breaking news that day elsewhere in the city forced a postponement to today. First, here’s our video of today’s entire 32-minute briefing/Q-A session with the mayor and precinct commander Capt. Joe Kessler:
We asked about something that was a hot topic on the post-Independence Day Friday when this event was originally scheduled – this year’s fireworks craziness, which was not just a West Seattle hot topic (we saw it come up on multiple neighborhood sites around the city, as well as sparking regional-media coverage). The mayor agreed there would need to be “a dialogue” before next Fourth of July, but also insisted “the community” would have to step up here, since it was beyond SPD’s ability to deal with possibly thousands of violations. We also asked about the status of the SPD surveillance cameras installed from Fauntleroy to Alki to Harbor Island and beyond (our coverage archive is here), which the mayor had said would not be activated until a “thorough public vetting” had taken place. The next step, he said, would be for “protocols” to go to the City Council, at which time there would be more public vetting; no timetable so far, though originally, when we first reported on this almost six months ago, SPD was working toward a March 31 target for activation.
While robbery and burglary numbers for the Southwest Precinct were higher in the first half of this year than a year earlier, Capt. Kessler said they had dropped in recent weeks due to some key arrests. Having reported some of those arrests here, we asked the mayor if his administration works with King County on issues such as prosecution of the suspects; he said they do. (No specifics.) Capt. Kessler also mentioned that SPD has changed up its Alki patroling strategy to some degree this summer, focusing on nighttime rather than daytime, and so far, no major problems. Alki was part of the tour the mayor took before the precinct Q/A; he said he also had visited High Point to talk about issues such as those raised at last week’s community meeting (WSB coverage here) and had been to the “Nickelsville” encampment – where, he said, the population has been going up, not down (we have heard a recent estimate of 170). On our video, you’ll also hear the mayor answering some non-WS questions asked by the TV crews.
The entire visit was pegged to a followup on the Safe Communities initiative, which included a meeting here in West Seattle nine months ago (WSB coverage here). A city staffer handed out paper copies of a handout with West Seattle-specific toplines on how concerns raised at that time had been dealt with since; we’re checking to see if we can get a digital copy to attach here.
This edition of the WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled in recent days by 
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