Crime Watch reader report: Where the rubber meets the vandal(s)

| Crime | West Seattle news

Just out of the WSB inbox from Kendall:

I feel somewhat silly reporting this. It seems so trivial compared to the serious crime reported on the blog, but my wife and I both had flat tires this morning. Apparently, we have some “harmless” vandals in the neighborhood-the north Admiral neighborhood. This is the second time it has happened in the last two months. The perpetrators flattened one tire per car and were even so kind as to replace the valve stem caps before scurrying off into the darkness. We do not know if these have been random acts or if we are the targets of someone’s ill will.

The first time it happened, my wife assumed (as anyone would) that it was a flat tire and not merely a deflated tire. She took it to Barnecut’s to have it repaired. Of course, they could find no leak. The young man working that day mentioned that there had been other people in the neighborhood with the same problem and suggested that it was some bored kids. Other than his saying so, we have no idea if this is the case.

The first incident happened several weeks ago and we imagined it an isolated event. This morning we were surprised to find both of our cars with flat tires. We park in the alley behind our house. Although it is just one block off California Avenue, it is a quiet, dead end alley. To the best of our knowledge, our nearby neighbors are not experiencing this problem.

It’s not the end of the world, but it is not fun to come out to your car in the morning and find a flat tire. Luckily, we have an air compressor so the vandals are not creating as much trouble for us as they imagine. I am sure our neighbors don’t appreciate my need to run the compressor at 7:00 AM, but at least we can solve the problem without putting on a spare.

Of course, we are thankful that they are not puncturing the tires, breaking into the cars, or engaging in some more seriously damaging activity, but it is a nuisance.

We don’t really have a clear understanding of whether the architects of this annoyance are targeting us directly or if this is a rash in our neighborhood. We’d like to think that we are random victims. We’re nice people and have done nothing to warrant this kind of special attention.

We are just wondering if anyone else in the neighborhood has experienced the same problem.

coffee geek June 24, 2008 (12:40 pm)

Great band name: “Architects of Annoyance”.

brj June 24, 2008 (1:00 pm)

Where exactly was this?

JanS June 24, 2008 (1:06 pm)

I live on 42nd just east of Adm. Safeway..apartments up and down the street, parking lot in the back. This has happened to me on two occasions….first one I took it to Barnecut’s and they added air, replaced the valve stem cover. The second time…same tire, I saw the valve stem cover on the ground, and the tire was only a little low on air. It’s so easy to not be seen in these alleys at night…and it’s a quiet “crime” for sure.

We’ve even had an old 15 yo hose stolen right off the spigot behind the building at 12:30am.

I would venture it’s random boredom, mischief…parents…it’s midnight…do you know where your kids are?

JanS June 24, 2008 (1:06 pm)

just wanted to say…it’s been a while since it last happened..but…the summer is young…

OP June 24, 2008 (4:14 pm)

Do you have a security light out near your car that trips when somebody comes by? if not, that might act as a good deterrent and alert you when they come by for an air-letting attack.

Curtis June 24, 2008 (4:53 pm)

Last year I had some bored somebodies drawing “tags” on my car; they have now upgraded to black magic marker. I’ve noticed alot of small taggings around the neighborhood. At one point it was pointed out that these were not gangs, rather teenage girls! Wonder if it’s the same story? In any event it has gone from mischief to malicious mischief. Anyone else?

cw June 24, 2008 (5:44 pm)

am i wrong saying that the police dept is prevented from stopping suspicious kids running around all hours of the night probely up to no good. or did i dream this

JanS June 24, 2008 (6:13 pm)

OP…we have outside lights on the back of the building, in the carport area, and along the wal next to the building to the door. They’re on a timer, our landlord does NOT live on the premises, and at the moment the timer has gone wacky…lights on at mid day, off at night. No one in the building has been instructed as to how to fix/change timer…don’t even know where the danged thing is…and landlord was told about it…but…hasn’t gotten around to fixing, since…well…it’s not that important to him, we suppose – lol….

life is just grand isn’t it?

miws June 24, 2008 (10:15 pm)

Sure, this isn’t as bad as water balloons, actually slashing the tires, keying, or tagging the cars, but, it is a great inconvenience.

Not everyone has a compressor, so would possibly have to have a road service come out to inflate the tire(s). It could cause a person to be late for work, or miss work altogether if they can’t immediately resolve the problem.

The perfect punishment for these apparently board perps, would be to make them inflate all of the tires they deflate, to full recommended pressure, with one of those old fashioned tire pumps that you stand on the little tabs protruding from the base, and pump by hand.

Mike

fiz June 25, 2008 (2:13 pm)

Our motion sensor light was torn right off the wall and the bracket destroyed by vandal(s). Funny thing, though. Since one neighbor disappeared the break-ins and vandalism seem to have ended. hhhmmmmmm

Kendall and wife are the sweetest couple you would ever want to meet, this just makes me sick.

140.6 June 28, 2008 (9:01 pm)

Kendall,

We’re just south of you (south of Walker). I had both tires flattened on my truck two weeks ago. Same deal, pulled the tires off and checked them for leaks, after finding nothing I re-inflated them and have been driving on them since. My wife and I noticed several other vehicles in the block with their tires deflated.