West Seattle, Washington
20 Friday
(UPDATED 4:29 AM SUNDAY with word that he’s been found)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 5:10 PM: Have you seen this man? Seattle Police are trying to find him :
Seattle Police are looking for this developmentally disabled male. He was last seen this afternoon at 12:30 pm, riding a blue bicycle on Alki beach. He is a 26 year old mixed race male, wearing a gray T-shirt with “West Seattle High School” printed on the front. He was also wearing brown/blue plaid shorts and sandals. Please call 911 if you see him.
(Photo added, 5:29 pm)
8:55 PM: He is still missing, according to SPD, which has just tweeted the alert citywide, adding that the missing man’s name is Vincent.
11:14 PM: No updates, but it appears Guardian One revisited West Seattle to help take a look this past half-hour:
Assisted @SeattlePD at Jack Block park on search for missing person
— KCSOAirsupport (@KCSOAirsupport) June 1, 2014
4:30 AM: SPD says the search is over – and ended a ways away:
Update on missing 26 year old. Found safe in Bothell.@SeattlePD would like to thank everyone that assisted in looking.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) June 1, 2014
4:49 AM: And we also have confirmation from Southwest Precinct Sgt. Neil Larkin that Vincent’s been found “safe and sound.”
11:06 PM: The Guardian One helicopter is on the way to join Seattle Police in a Lincoln Park-area search. We’re still tracking down details but wanted to let you know that’s what’s happening, in case you see/hear the helicopter (or are seeing police on the ground).
11:15 PM: They’re looking for multiple suspects, one of whom was described as armed with a knife, last seen running into the north end of Lincoln Park. There’s a K-9 team in that area too.
11:32 PM: They’re still searching the park. Still no word on the nature of the call; all we know for sure is that there have *not* been any major-injury incidents in the area tonight.
11:47 PM: Basically the helicopter – which has been circling for a full half-hour now – is helping point police to just about anyone in the park/vicinity.
11:57 PM: Possible suspects found in the park, toward its central area.
12:06 AM: They’re still working to figure out if the possible suspects are who they’re looking for. And via multiple sources and bits of information, we believe this all started with a business robbery.
12:14 AM: Chopper has moved on – but the case isn’t necessarily closed yet. Their tweet confirms this is a robbery case:
Assisted @SeattlePD on search of Lincoln park for robbery suspects.
— KCSOAirsupport (@KCSOAirsupport) May 31, 2014
12:23 AM: Seattle Police add that it “started as a shoplift call in 7400 block of Fauntleroy – male suspect drew a knife and fled into Lincoln Park.” (That’s the mini-mart/gas station across from the north end of the park.)
(Thursday night WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
New information from Seattle Police might help solve the Thursday night hit-run that injured a bicycle rider at the east end of the “low bridge.” It was added to the original SPD Blotter post last night; we added it to our original story but in case you didn’t go back looking for an update, here are the new details:
Detectives have reason to believe the suspect vehicle is light metallic blue and is missing the right-side mirror. The vehicle should have damage to the front bumper as well as heavy damage to the windshield. The suspect’s vehicle had been traveling westbound at the time of the collision and likely continued over the lower bridge and into West Seattle. Detectives are asking anyone with information to please call TCIS Detective Andrew Norton at (206) 684-8934.
Please do call that number with ANY information – don’t post it in comments; thanks. (In case it helps with time frame, the original SFD dispatch to the incident scene was at 9:17 pm Thursday night.)
Ladies and gentlemen it is my honor to introduce to you the next Chief of Police for the City of #Seattle pic.twitter.com/yrN4NoGWeo
— Ed Murray (@Mayor_Ed_Murray) May 19, 2014
Mayor Murray has just appeared at City Hall with his choice for Seattle Police Chief, Kathleen O’Toole, who will be the first female SPD chief if confirmed.
Speaking after Murray’s announcement, O’Toole said she has four themes:
*Public trust – “work tirelessly to restore” (it)
*Restore department pride – “if people make honest mistakes we’ll stand by them”
*Crime and quality of life – “I think we need to develop a plan for each neighborhood in this city,” including violence prevention
*Good business – “we’re running a large organization … we need to do it efficiently and effectively as possible”
In questions post-announcement, she said she hopes to visit the precincts often. “No one person can change this organization – it will be a collective, collaborative effort,” she added. And she called the job “the icing on the cake [for her career] not a stepping stone. … I love the fact that this city is an innovation city, second to none.”
As of this writing at 10:19 am, she’s still answering media questions (live stream here; we’ll add the video when it’s available later). You can read more about her in this recent Seattle Times (WSB partner) profile.
ADDED 4:45 PM: As promised, city-produced video of the announcement:
The mayor’s news release is here.
ADDED 5:57 PM: Read even more about the new chief, including the fact she doesn’t drink coffee, on SPD Blotter.
When Judy asked via Twitter why Seattle Police SWAT officers are in The Junction, near 42nd and Oregon, we suspected they’d come for training (the to-be-demolished homes in that block have been used for it before); as our crew discovered, that suspicion was correct. The team has a request, though: If you parked along 42nd in the area (4400 block, north of Oregon), please go move your vehicle(s) ASAP …
… they need the space!
Maybe you’ve heard about the Seattle South King Sluggers, a team of blind and visually impaired athletes who play “beep baseball” here in West Seattle, but you’ve never gone to one of their games. You’re now officially invited to a special matchup later this month:
The Seattle Police Dept. team will don darkened shades to compete in a game designed for blind athletes against the Seattle South King Sluggers. SPD players will have to listen for the ball and listen for which base to run.
The public is invited to attend the Sluggers vs. the Seattle SPD match Saturday, May 31, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at Walt Hundley Playfield #2, 6920 34th Ave. SW, Seattle. Food, drinks, and t-shirts will be on sale.
Officer Chris Gregorio met the Sluggers and said, “I loved the idea of a beep baseball match because these guys were not ‘poor me.’ The trash talk began with the handshake.”
“The Sluggers motto is ‘beating challenges.’ We showcase what people who are blind can accomplish. This sport is highly competitive. The men and women on our team plan to compete in the Beep Baseball World Series in Minnesota this August,” said Sluggers Manager, Kevin Daniel.
Washington Council of the Blind (WCB) will sponsor this event to raise awareness about the sport and encourage people dealing with vision loss to get active.
“As a state organization of the blind, we voted to sponsor this event because we want to empower and engage people experiencing vision loss and their families,” Cindy Van Winkle, WCB President.
“Too often stories focus on what sighted people do for this faceless category called ‘the blind.’ We want to change the dialog. Come see what we can and are doing to make life better for others,” said Gaylen Floy, president of South King Council of the Blind, the chapter that sponsors the Sluggers.
Here’s a Seattle Times story from last year about the Sluggers.
A (relatively) short but scary drama played out Friday afternoon on Pigeon Point – a search for two children who got lost. We did not have enough information to report on it until now, with the details that accompanied the photo:
Yesterday afternoon a large amount of SPD officers converged on the greenbelt behind Pathfinder (K-8) in search of two missing girls (ages 3 & 9). The younger one had run into the woods and her older sister followed to find her. They couldn’t find their way out and were missing for 2+ hours. Officers spent a long time searching the greenbelt for the children. Thankfully, they were found by Officer Nicholson. They were barefoot, soaking wet, and shivering. She carried them both out and returned them home. The girls were very cold and scared but safe.
I wanted to share this picture with your blog readers. All of the officers who searched for these children exude the professionalism and compassion that makes the Southwest Precinct truly outstanding.
Officer Jenifer Eshom
Southwest Precinct
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
8:54 PM: Thanks to the texter who tipped us about police investigating a report of gunfire near 18th and Thistle after 7 pm tonight. We found them looking at the pickup truck you see in the photo above. One of its tires went flat, possibly because a bullet hit it. Police also found a bullet hole in the pickup’s bumper:
The pickup’s driver, a teenage boy, was not hurt. No suspects so far.
ADDED 8:50 AM: Lots more details just released by Seattle Police via SPD Blotter:
On 5/10/14, just shortly after 7:00 p.m. officers were initially dispatched to a report of a male saying that he was being chased by seven people who were armed with guns and knives near 16 Ave SW & SW Holden St.
The suspects were in a black, medium-sized truck with tinted windows. Officers arrived in the area and observed a person flashing gang signs to a truck that matched this description. Officers contacted the person flashing gang signs and while doing so, multiple 911 calls were received of shots fired in the immediate area.
Officers arrived in the area and located the truck in question at 18 Av SW & SW Thistle St. The pickup truck had a flat tire. The driver, a 17-year-old white male was detained. A closer inspection of the truck revealed a bullet hole in the left front tire and on the passenger side of the rear bumper.
Officers located a scene in the 7700 block of 18 Av SW, in the alley to the east. Three shell casings were recovered. The 17-year-old male claimed he didn’t know anything and had no idea why anyone would shoot at him. He did admit to driving down the alley. Officers obtained consent to search his vehicle and a small bag of methamphetamine was recovered.
The subject was investigated released from the scene. The original caller could not be located nor were any other victims found. This appears to be related to ongoing gang activity centered near the 8400 block of Delridge Way SW. The suspects were described as black and Hispanic male teens.
Busy night for police. Now they’re at the scene of a confirmed drive-by shooting – no injuries – in Westwood. Per scanner, they have found shell casings at 29th and Cambridge, which maps to just west of Roxhill Park.
3:56 PM: A man who abandoned that vehicle near in the Fauntleroy ferry dock waiting lane and ran into Lincoln Park is still being sought. Now Guardian One has just made a pass over the area. Ferry-bound traffic is tied up, meantime, while police deal with the abandoned vehicle. More to come.
4:20 PM: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams explains, “A parking enforcement officer on-viewed a person asleep or passed out in a stopped vehicle. Police officers were en route when the guy woke up and ran off. No known crime involved but officers tried to locate him to see what the issue was (medical? – probably not, but we needed to try to check with him).”
Four notes in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon. First, police are responding right now to Roxhill Park again – this time to check out a report of an assault/fight involving people who apparently know each other. Via scanner, it sounds as if they’ve caught up at Westwood Village with one person involved, but they’re getting conflicting stories as to what, if anything, really happened. So this is just an FYI in case you saw/heard the police response. Now, from the WSB inbox:
JUNCTION CAR BREAK-INS: Richard reports multiple cars broken into in the Jefferson Square Apartments garage in The Junction overnight, including his, and the thief/thieves broke car windows (including his) to get in. It’s been reported to police.
Car prowl and mailbox prowl reports ahead:Read More
(Reader photo substituted for original WSB photo of police cars on Fairmount)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 7:06 PM SUNDAY: Lots of questions about a big police response in the north West Seattle area. Thanks to the tipsters who told us it was focused in the Fairmount Ravine area; our crew has just spoken there with police. They say it started with a reported burglary. They tracked the suspect to an area near the top (south end) of Fairmount Ravine and pursued the suspect, at which time the suspect brandished a weapon at officers. They believe it was a knife. They subsequently used “non-lethal means” – reportedly, a Taser – to stop him. The big response was when they called for backup.
(Added: Photo texted by reader)
The suspect is in custody.
ADDED MONDAY MORNING: We asked SPD for more details last night and they’re now available this morning, via SPD Blotter. According to that writeup, the suspect is a 45-year-old man. The burglary happened in the 2200 block of Fairmount Avenue, and the suspect had been “living in one of the victim’s vehicles outside the home.” The man threatened police with a dagger when they found him and the vehicle a few blocks away; even after they Tasered him, leading to him dropping the dagger, he “got back up and charged at officers, who were able to take the man into custody after a brief struggle. Neither the suspect nor the officers were seriously injured.” Police say they found two of the victim’s debit cards in the suspect’s possession and a receipt showing that he had pawned a camera belonging to the victim.
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 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?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …
*On the afternoon of Wednesday the 16th, a car with heavily tinted windows drove past an officer on patrol at Don Armeni Boat Ramp. A routine records check of the license plate showed that the 27-year-old owner was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant for car prowling. A check of the owner’s name brought up a no-bail felony warrant, extraditable throughout the United States, for unlawful firearms possession in the second degree. The officer was able to take the suspect — described in the warrants as a violent gang member — into custody without incident.
*In the Admiral area on the 14th, an officer recognized a man who was violating a protection order by walking near a girlfriend’s residence The suspect was also wanted for failing to register as a sex offender. When arrested he was carrying an illegal switchblade knife and a bag of crystal meth. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of all four violations.
*A woman paid a visit to her ex-boyfriend’s place of employment and argued with him in the parking lot. After he went inside, she rammed his car with hers six or eight times, yelling all the while, before driving off. The woman has been trespassed from the property.
This roundup covers a longer timespan than usual, and includes 13 more summaries ahead:Read More
10:52 PM: Police are out in the 3000 block of Alki after what was first reported as a possible drive-by shooting. No injuries are reported, but some damage was apparently done by someone firing what radio communication indicates was likely a BB gun.
MONDAY 1:27 PM UPDATE: Police confirm BBs were what hit the residence on Alki, “two holes,” they say. No vehicle or suspect seen; no injuries.
Wish you could get more/better/faster information about crime/police activity online? Have ideas for how Seattle Police could improve/beef up what they offer online now? Come talk about it in person with Shanna Christie from the SPD Web team, next Tuesday (April 22nd) at the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network. As explained by WSBWCN leaders Karen Berge and Deb Greer:
She wants our feedback about the online tools that are currently available on the SPD website, how they work and how they don’t. Are you able to find the information you need? Is the Block Watch Toolkit useful to you? She will talk about the plans in the works for a re-vamp of the precinct webpages, starting with the SW Precinct. They hope to provide better information, and more timely information, about what is happening in our neighborhoods. Your feedback is needed!
That’s 6:30 pm Tuesday in the meeting room at the Southwest Precinct (Webster/Delridge).
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
First of two reports from tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting: The Southwest Precinct’s second-in-command, Operations Lt. Ron Smith, had a long list of quick updates on crime trends and individual situations. Top of the list, the investigation of the death discovered at the scene of this morning’s 24th SW fire, barely a block southwest of the precinct. We had asked Lt. Smith about it before the meeting began, and he mentioned that in addition to SPD joining the investigation by mid-morning (photo above), ATF arson investigators checked out the scene a few hours later. Still no official word on what if anything they found in what Lt. Smith called a “full-blown investigation” – only that it’s “somewhat suspicious … it might not be (a crime) but … we’re at a very preliminary part of the investigation.” The victim has not been identified, nor has her cause of death been announced.
Other case updates/mentions and trends:
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes for you: First, we start with the one that is more often the side note – the WS Crime Prevention Council meeting. Since it’s TONIGHT, here’s your last reminder about this monthly chance to bring a concern directly to police. The meeting usually begins with their update on local crime trends, and quickly moves to an invitation for anyone to ask a question or air a concern. After that – and there’s usually plenty of time – it’s the featured guest speaker(s), this time from the Seattle Police Crisis Intervention Unit. Meeting’s at 7 pm, Southwest Precinct; enter from the parking lot along SW Webster west of Delridge [map].
Ahead, two reader reports – break-ins and a hit-and-run:
King County Sheriff’s Office Air Support has just published the video – and dispatcher/pilot/officer audio – from this morning’s helicopter-assisted search following an attempted burglary in the 9000 block of 16th SW (map). We reported on this as it unfolded just after 1 am. We have also followed up with SPD, which tells us four teenage boys were arrested, three of them booked into the Youth Services Center, one “declined by YSC and released to Spruce Street because officers could not locate a parent/guardian.” No one is living in the apartment where the break-in attempt happened, according to the police report, and there was no sign anyone actually got in. A neighbor heard the sound of breaking glass and called police, who spotted suspects on the run as they arrived; Guardian One was nearby and asked to help. The incident report says one of the suspects had a felony warrant out for his arrest, on a recent “taking a motor vehicle without permission” charge.
Thanks to those who texted us wondering what police were doing at the bus stops across the street from the south side of Westwood Village earlier this evening. Our crew talked with Metro Transit Police on the scene and they said they had been looking for what was believed to be a missing child – who has since been found. A woman and her 9-year-old daughter were on the bus home to West Seattle from downtown. The mom fell asleep on the bus, woke up at Westwood, and could not find her daughter. Seattle Police and Metro Transit PD responded; SPD found the girl at home, though they hadn’t figured out yet why the girl got off the bus without waking up mom.
New Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske told the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting earlier this week (WSB coverage here) that he hoped to get the SPD Mounted Patrol out and about more in West Seattle – they’re based here, after all. And today, we’re getting reports and photos of sightings – above, south on 49th SW between Spokane and Charlestown, with the photo shared by Dawn F (whose child is seen, watching); next, headed toward Alki Beach on 59th SW, photographed by Emily and shared via Instagram:
Let us know if and when you see them around!
6:00 PM: Police are setting up containment in what sounds like the general Roxhill Park vicinity. Don’t yet know why but multiple cars converged on the area, and from scanner traffic, it sounds like they know who they’re looking for and he was last seen in the 9400 block of 27th SW on the south side of the park. More as we get it.
6:07 PM: Sounds like somebody’s in custody now, per radio communication, which also indicates this originated at 26th/Barton.
6:12 PM: Sergeant on the scene told our crew they had stopped someone who had a felony warrant out for his arrest, and then he took off running.
If burglars/thieves get away with something that belongs to you, how do you get it back, and what can you do in advance to increase the chances your property can/will be recovered? An expert on that topic spoke to the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network this week – Detective Everett Edwards from the Seattle Police Special Investigations Section’s Pawn/Property Recovery Unit. He works with pawn shops, used-goods stores, and metal recyclers, seeking to recover stolen items.
Some basics you should know:
11:38 PM: Happened to hear this on the scanner – Guardian One was in the vicinity and volunteered to help check out a call police were en route to, a possible prowler sighting/possible shots heard in the 30th/Roxbury vicinity. Now we’re hearing that sheriff’s deputies told police the shots were in White Center county territory to the south, involving someone firing a gun after an incident involving a car. No report of injury. The helicopter isn’t seeing any evidence of a prowler so might not be around for long.
ADDED 12:10 AM: A texter on the county side of the line says deputies are still out looking for evidence of the reported gunfire, in the 28th/104th vicinity.
ADDED 12:31 AM: Our texting tipster adds that deputies did find shell casings in that area. But still no indication of any shooting victim or damage. The deputies arrived on the scene quickly, he says, because they were in the area for canvassing related to the ongoing search for the Roxbury rapist.
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