West Seattle, Washington
19 Tuesday
If you weren’t able to get shredding done at last weekend’s free event in West Seattle – today we have word of another one coming up. John L. Scott Real Estate Westwood (WSB sponsor) has announded the date and time for its annual free shredding event – 9 am-12 pm Sunday, April 28. They’ll be set up again in the northwest parking lot at Westwood Village, and accepting donations for the White Center Food Bank – food and/or cash. Last year, community donations totaled 1,250 pounds of food and $2,000, while more than two and a half tons of paper got shredded. So if you need to shred, set your calendar now for April 28!
Eight months after we first reported that Westwood Village had a Daiso store on the way, the space is finally sporting signage. We have been passing by every few days or so and noticed the signage this afternoon. Daiso is moving into a combined space (formerly SportClips and Fresh Vitamins) a few doors north of Ross. While the signage simply says “spring” for its projected opening, one WSB reader who’s a frequent customer at another Daiso store in the region says the staff there told him they’re aiming for May. The only other claimed-but-not-open-yet space at WWV is the future Panda Express north of QFC.
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: Thanks for the tip. A reader found a sign on the door at Westwood Village Marshall’s saying the store’s without power. The Seattle City Light map shows a 26-customer outage in the area, blamed on “equipment failure.” We went to the center for a quick survey and it appears that businesses north of QFC, on the east-facing side, are affected, so if you’re planning to go to one of the businesses in that area, try calling before you leave.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: We asked SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang about the outage: “This appears to be an underground system issue. In order to fully and safely access equipment, we will need to take additional phases of power to the shopping center offline.” They delayed that a bit at the request of WWV management, but the outage appears to be resolved now.
One month after those trucks brought in the equipment for Westwood Village‘s new gym Fitness 19, it’s finally about to open. Thanks to Christopher for the tip that Fitness 19 has announced it’s opening its doors tomorrow (Wednesday, February 7, 8 am), after passing its SFD inspection. As we first reported one year ago, it’s opening in the three-years-empty 24 Hour Fitness space on the breezeway. According to its website, the fitness chain has locations in 12 states.
Thanks for the tips that the Westwood Village McDonald’s is temporarily closed. We just went over to verify. The sign on the door doesn’t give a reason for the closure; one tipster says it’s a pipe problem. We’ll check again in a few hours; let us know if you see it reopened sooner.
We received some questions today about trucks unloading stacks of cargo outside the ex-Bed Bath and Beyond store at Westwood Village, so we went over to check. The trucks were actually carrying equipment for Fitness 19, the new gym opening in the former 24 Hour Fitness space on the breezeway to the east. No opening date announced yet; it’s been one year since we first reported Fitness 19 was taking the space, which had been vacant for two years by then. (As for the ex-Bed Bath and Beyond space, it, like the ex-Staples store, remains advertised for lease.)
The fireworks some set off after the Seahawks‘ Monday Night Football victory over Philadelphia (20-17) less than half an hour ago spawned some “possible gunfire” calls to 911. However, in one case, it was actual gunfire. Dispatch sent officers to a home in the Westwood area where a resident reported a bullet piercing a wall; police have reported back to dispatch that it was “confirmed bullet damage.”
1:28 PM: Thanks for the tips. The police search in the Westwood Village/Roxhill Park this past half-hour followed a report of an armed robbery. We’re still catching up on details – more to come.
1:33 PM: Police at the scene tell us the victim was robbed in the park. The search has wrapped up; they lost the robber’s trail in the Westwood Village parking lot (which could mean he got away in a car). He was described initially as a Black man in his 20s, 6’1″, thin, red jacket, armed with a handgun.
Though today was the biggest holiday bazaar day of the season, there are more to come, including one at Village Green West Seattle (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) that has room for more vendors – here’s the announcement:
Village Green West Seattle is hosting a local Festive Holiday Fair. We are looking for 5-6 more local artists, candle makers, quilters, glass makers, ETC., to come and set up shop at our community. This event is open to the public; it will be on Wednesday, December 6th, from 12-3 pm. Local vendors/artists, please reach out to Corinne at corinne@villagegreenretirement.com or call 206.937.6122 to reserve your spot.
10:35 AM: Thanks for the tips. Shoppers tell us they were told to clear out of Westwood Village Target around 9:40 am, after a shoplifting suspect turned violent. Police arrested the suspect on Delridge Way a short time later. According to dispatch audio, the suspect was reported to have assaulted a store manager inside the fitting-room area. Shoppers at some point were told to evacuate the store (which has since returned to normal operation), and the suspect left the store too. Police searching the area made an arrest a few blocks away, at Delridge and Henderson. Medics were called for the injured employee; we’re following up with SFD.
5:26 PM: We’ve since also checked with SPD and jail/court records. First, SFD says the 36-year-old assault victim was treated for “minor injuries” and did not want to be taken to a hospital. Second, SPD says the 33-year-old suspect was booked for investigation of robbery – they say he still had stolen property in his possession when he attacked the store employee, so that turned the shoplift into a robbery. According to jail/court records, this is his fourth time in the King County Jail this year – the other three were on misdemeanor cases, one day in jail in June, three days in July, two weeks in September/October. He had five felony cases in King County Superior Court between 2008 – when he was 18 – and 2015, including auto theft, drugs, and gun possession. He’ll likely have a bail hearing tomorrow, so we’ll follow up.
FRIDAY NIGHT UPDATE: We’ve been waiting for prosecutors to send a document so we could do a detailed followup, but in the meantime, the jail roster shows bail was set for the suspect today at $150,000.
Ten years ago, we reported on an application filed to turn a space on the south side of Westwood Village into a location for Panda Express, the fast-Chinese-food chain. That proposal eventually stalled, and the space became a physical-therapy clinic. Today, checking the Westwood Village map – which is where the center’s new-ish owners have first publicly disclosed future tenants – we discovered Panda Express is back in the picture.
That’s a screengrab showing a new addition to the map today – Panda Express is penciled in for the spot next to QFC that Pet Pros occupied before moving to Jefferson Square. It’s in the row that already holds many of WWV’s other food/beverage businesses – Sub Stop, Toshi’s Teriyaki, Happy Lemon, Starbucks. We have an inquiry out to Panda Express to see if they’ll comment. Their nearest restaurant is in Burien; the two existing Seattle locations are both in the north part of the city.
10:06 PM: SFD has sent several crews to Westwood Village for what’s reported as an “exterior fire” at the Target loading dock They’re checking to see if it’s having any effects inside the store.
10:31 PM: This did not turn out to be major and two of the four units were dismissed quickly, with only one still on the scene, We’ll follow up with SFD.
ADDED: Here’s what SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo told us: “Crews responded to a rubbish fire outside of a retail strip mall. A bystander was able to knock down the fire with an extinguisher, then our firefighters fully extinguished it. The fire did not extend to any nearby buildings, and no injuries were reported.”
Thanks for the tips. Another big-box closure at Westwood Village – signs up today announce that the shopping center’s Staples store is closing November 17th. We have a message out to the company to ask why. A check of national news doesn’t show any large-scale wave of Staples closures, though the privately held office-supply chain is closing one in Massachusetts this week. Other major retailers that have closed at WWV include Bed Bath & Beyond (in the space currently temporarily occupied by Spirit Halloween) and Barnes & Noble (replaced by Ross Dress For Less), though the center’s new-ish ownership has filled other smaller spaces, and has a Daiso store on the way (as we first reported in July).
West Seattle Wellness has a new location and new owner as of today, founder Joe Bielling has announced. The practice, which has been located in Westwood Village (over NK Nails), is now in The Junction, at 4744 41st Ave SW (the City Watch building). And ownership has been transferred to West Seattle Wellness’s acupuncturist, Dr Xiangyu Xu. Everything else stays the same – business name, website, online calendar access, phone number, contact info for practitioners (they include acupuncture, pelvic health, counseling, and massage therapy). Bielling says he’s long been managing the business remotely while splitting his time between Seattle and Austin; now, he is focusing on a new personal career trajectory, post-psychedelic integration therapy.
Students at “small but mighty” Sanislo Elementary on Puget Ridge could use your help if you haven’t yet locked down on dinner plans for tonight. Until 10 pm, a portion of proceeds at the Westwood Village MOD Pizza will benefit the Sanislo PTA. Their announcement says, “Families can eat in and mention Sanislo, or order online using the coupon code MODGIVES25, and MOD Pizza will donate to the Sanislo Elementary PTA 25% of the proceeds.”
First one appears to be a definite candidate for the dumped-likely-stolen file:
Abandoned burgundy KIA found on 27th and Kenyon. Obvious signs of being stolen (broken windows, ignition, etc.) and signals of drug use. This has been reported to police and assume it will be towed soon. Also footage from camera shows multiple people and cars involved during the dump.
The second one is a little more of a mystery. The reader report came in Saturday; we looked about an hour ago, and the truck is still there, so we’re publishing this:
Appears to be abandoned at 41st and Ida. Half in parking strip. Side work door attempted to be pried open.
It’s also parked facing the wrong way. The person who emailed said they’ve reported to police. Also of note – that’s the same Gatewood intersection where a stolen Hyundai was dumped earlier this week.
It’s all about love. For a second year, a family who lost a loved one too soon is celebrating his memory with a community event, and you’re invited.
Just getting going in the gym at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle) is the second “Long Live King Cee Day.” The namesake is Antoine D. Matthews Jr.; tomorrow would be his 34th birthday, if he hadn’t lost his life to gun violence almost two years ago. His family is working to serve and inspire youth, with the affirmation “MOBB (My Obstacles Became Blessings).”
“King Cee” is remembered by family and friends for his big heart; he was also known nearby for his sports days at Chief Sealth, just across the street from where this event will continue until 7 pm, with youth activities, performances, food, and more. The gym is on the south side, lower level, of SWTLC.
From a reader who wanted to be anonymous:
I think it’s important for the public to be aware of this (for lack of a better word)… insanity occurring in places that are generally considered safe.
Police Call Reference Number 23-246390.
There was a guy at the park who was either high out of his mind, or very mentally impaired. Around noon he emerged from the playground area bathroom completely naked, exposing himself to lots of kids that were present. An agitated woman who I do not know told me her son just went in the bathroom where this naked guy was just weirdly hanging out and he was pretty shaken up.
Several people called the police. We did not engage him as we weren’t sure if he was violent.
For the next hour, no police showed up. A couple of Park Services people showed up and tried to contain the guy to the bathroom area, but they were pretty helpless. Anyways, this guy continued to go in and out of the bathroom and walk by the play area, where people were trying to shield their kids.
After an hour of no police response, a few people eventually had enough of this guy, decided he wasn’t physically violent, and chased him away. He walked over to Westwood Village, still naked.
Two hours after the police were called and we left the scene, I got this text:
“The officers searched the area for your incident but were unable to locate the incident or person(s). We appreciate your help in keeping our community safe.”
It’s frustrating that a drugged-out naked guy can hang out at a playground for 2 hours before law enforcement shows up.
We were away from the scanner much of today while at the Admiral festival, so we didn’t hear the related radio traffic, and the Broadcastify audio archives are missing significant chunks of time prior to 4:15 pm today. The Twitter/X call logs did time-stamp this call – usually the time when it was received, not necessarily when it was dispatched – at 12:04 pm, and show a separate “lewd/flashing/exposing” call at Westwood Village, 23-246448, at 1:01 pm.
As noted here a few weeks ago, the seasonal store Spirit Halloween has returned to the ex-Bed Bath and Beyond space at Westwood Village. Going through the center this morning, we noticed this morning that it appeared open, so we went in to verify. Here are the posted hours:
This is an earlier start than last year, when the store didn’t open until September.
2:06 PM: We first noticed that visible water flow late in the day yesterday, bubbling from a drain at Westwood Village – more like what you’d see during a storm, but of course, the weather remains dry. It’s resulted in the taping off of part of the south-side east/west drive, just east of Target/Game Stop/Ross. We went back at midday today and it’s still taped off, with the water flow continuing, so we’ve contacted Seattle Public Utilities to find out if they’re aware of the problem and if repairs are planned. Meantime, you’ll have to detour around it if you’re driving to/at WWV.
4 PM: SPU spokesperson Ingrid Goodwin tells WSB, “SPU crews were dispatched this afternoon to check out the running water. They determined that the leak is not coming from the City’s pipe, but rather is the result of a leak on private property.” So that means it’s up to the center to fix.
In case you heard the sirens and/or saw the notation on the SFD Real-Time 911 log – the “scenes of violence” response in the 9400 block of 27th SW was a false alarm – a person in crisis claimed someone had been shot, but no one had been. The call is now closing.
Last month – one year after we first told you that the burger chain Five Guys was taking over the ex-Payless spot on the south side of Westwood Village – the company told us it hoped to open “end of July.” With just days left in the month, we checked back today – and a company spokesperson tells us they do have a “projected opening date” for the Westwood location: This Saturday, July 29th. Hours will be 11 am-10 pm, seven days a week.
As reported here, that reader-provided photo shows the scene Monday morning at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex as what was left of a burned, presumably stolen Kia Soul was towed away. The fire was reported around 4 am; nearby residents say the lot has been a chronic trouble spot for stunt driving and worse. It’s a Seattle Public Schools facility, so we asked the district whether the gate to that part of the lot was supposed to be locked. Short answer, yes, per a district spokesperson, whose full reply to our inquiry was:
Locking the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex gates is part of the nightly routine of the nighttime attendant at the complex. Seattle Public Schools facilities and grounds team reviews the safety and security procedures with the staff on a regular basis. The grounds team responds in a timely manner when gate locks are not functional to repair or replace the hardware.
The community can use our Safe Schools Hotline 206-252-0510 to report threats or dangerous activity on any SPS property. This phone number is managed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
After getting that response Tuesday afternoon, we went by NCSWAC at 1:30 am today to see if the gate was secured; it was.
| 0 COMMENTS