Update: Delridge reopened after SWAT team search, arrest

| Delridge | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(photo replaced 1:15 pm with better shot of police when Delridge was blocked)
Thanks to those who have e-mailed and called about police, reportedly with guns drawn, at Delridge/Holden. On our way to check out.

12:02 PM UPDATE: Northbound traffic is being turned around at Kenyon a couple blocks south of this scene, and according to the scanner, Delridge also is about to be blocked at Orchard (Arco intersection) – so avoid the area. Because of the roadblock it will take us a few more minutes to get close – just talked to Seattle Police’s media unit and they don’t have much information yet, aside from “We have the SWAT team out attempting to locate some people.”

12:23 PM UPDATE: The “command post” for this is a stone’s throw from the precinct, at Delridge/Webster. But we still have no information on exactly what the search is all about. We’re told a media-unit officer is on the way to deal with us and the rest of the media.

12:47 PM UPDATE: This is winding up and the road is being reopened. Police say they have arrested a male suspect in his mid-20s in a car, and that he is believed to have been involved in a “robbery with force.” SPD is now more actively using Twitter, and described this in a tweet as a “warrant service” in the 7500 block of 21st SW.

1 PM UPDATE: Listening to the short video clip we’re uploading from Officer Renee Witt‘s brief briefing at the scene – the robbery in which the suspect was wanted was a “takeover-style robbery” that she says happened on May 12th. Checking for incidents resembling that description.

1:11 PM UPDATE: Here’s the entirety of what Officer Witt told us and other media at the scene:

2:43 PM UPDATE: Checking back with police, Officer Witt tells us they have NOT confirmed possible reports that someone else might have been involved in the same case, so this arrest closes the search for now.

4:47 PM UPDATE: SPDBlotter has a short item – the only new information is that the suspect’s age is now specified as 24.

10:42 PM UPDATE: Tony Wright took photos at the southwest edge of the “containment zone” during the search. He and we happened to notice that some of the action was outside the same house where we (and he) photographed a Bellevue SWAT team visit a month ago – here’s his photo from today:

We don’t know if the house (where WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli also covered a story earlier in the spring) is directly linked to anyone involved in the case.

Sage May 21, 2009 (12:18 pm)

anxiously waiting to hear more on this. So close to the police precinct, cops should be able to turn out a pretty effective search.

sandy May 21, 2009 (12:24 pm)

I’m concerned…it’s just down the street a little, right in the area where some of our little neighbor kids live…can’t tell by our angle, which house the police are at.
I hope everyone is okay…haven’t heard any shots…hopefully they won’t have to use that type of force.

jgonplay May 21, 2009 (12:24 pm)

I’m near the riverview playfields and the helicopters have been circling for the past 15 minutes and now have moved away. Any further updates?

brian May 21, 2009 (12:25 pm)

I’m sitting here without a gun, listening to a helicopter search for someone who is probably violent. Should I be passive and offer tea if they break into my house assuming I have no way out? Or… get a gun and shoot them? Both would have consequences for my family and young child. I’d rather have protected myself so as to provide for and nuture my child than to risk being harmed in any way by a criminal.

Lisa K. May 21, 2009 (12:41 pm)

Kids at a school nearby are to have an outdoor jog-a-thon today…Any word if this is impacting neighborhood schools?

WSB May 21, 2009 (12:42 pm)

No word but I will call to check. (added 12:45 pm) Sanislo says no, all’s well there, they only knew about it from hearing the chopper(s) – and they checked here too. Still working on more details of exactly what this is about … TR

Sage May 21, 2009 (12:47 pm)

This is not terribly far from John’s Corner Deli, which had a major police-helicopter search event recently. What the heck is going on down here lately? By the way, have the police solved the John’s Corner Deli crime yet?

sandy May 21, 2009 (12:49 pm)

hey Lisa, thanks for thinking about the kids!!

brian May 21, 2009 (12:49 pm)

Well, all you have to do is drive up and down delridge a couple times and you get a feel for what this is all about. Hate to say it, but I bet police helicopters aren’t around daily over in Redmond suburbs.

Jewel May 21, 2009 (12:52 pm)

We have had a few break-ins and car prowls here on 31st lately. My friend caught some weirdo bleeding in her yard not too long ago on 28th. Whats up with all this recently? Do i need to lock myself in the house to have lunch?

b'smomma May 21, 2009 (12:58 pm)

Hate to bring it up but does anyone know if/when we’ll find out if the crime rate has gone up? or are we just hearing more about crimes?

Sage May 21, 2009 (12:59 pm)

New question: what’s with closing the street and deploying helicopters and a SWAT team to deploy a warrant? Sounds like a colossal over-reaction or a colossally misleading description of what all was involved.

sandy May 21, 2009 (1:06 pm)

We have lived in this area (on 20th right behind the house in this story) for 12 years and have seen a decided lessening in “activity” over the years.
Our first experience about a month after we moved in was a fatal stabbing at the bus stop right there.
I am personally glad that the police over react in their responses…It makes me feel like there are out there. And in some ways I feel if they are more visable, then that alone could be a deterrent to crime.

WSB May 21, 2009 (1:11 pm)

b’s momma, we reported the latest crime trends in the Crime Prevention Council story the other night. assaults down, car prowls down, car theft down, residential burglary up.

WSB May 21, 2009 (1:53 pm)

sorry, my reply didn’t take. i checked with sanislo, they had no effects, didn’t even know till they heard the chopper. as for deli robbery, that was asked at the crime council the other night, answer no.

that was exciting! May 21, 2009 (1:59 pm)

there is still a suspect at large in the area around where Holden meets Delridge. As I was biking South on Delridge to pick up Rebecca at 11:30, I saw an unmarked car speed by me going South. As I passed the SW Precinct building, I noticed their SWAT vehicle rolling out and wondered if they were connected.
At the corner of 21st and Delridge, there is a field of blackberries and a house with a blue roof. Just south of that is a run down house where there are always chickens and roosters in the yard and kids riding oversized bicycles. In front of this house, there were about 8 police cars and officers out, behind the cars, with rifles drawn. As I realized that something heavy was going down I started biking faster than I ever have in my life. That jolt of adrenaline got me up the hill in record time. The police were closing off streets north and south of the area as I passed. When I got to school I noticed helicopters circling.

I left the school and took a huge detour around Sealth etc. not sure where I could safely pass through, and circled around the precinct. The scene was visible from the precinct—how convenient! – and the reporters were congregated there. The PR person from the police department came to talk to the media. She said that it’s a very active investigation; the suspect, a mid 20s male, was apprehended in a car (my note: outside of the house with chickens), he was involved in a strong arm robbery of a business on May 12, and another suspect is at large. She wouldn’t divulge much because of the suspect running around the neighborhood potentially “going to ground.” I’m very curious whether Sanislo, Denny or Sealth are locked down if this person is “at large.” It was quite exciting.

Note: this incident did not happen IN the house with the chickens but immediately in front of it. It is unclear that it is connected with that house or whether it is coincidence.

Brian, I chose to keep my child inside for the duration. I also have no firearm, but I am keeping my phone handy in case I have an untimely visitor.

WSB May 21, 2009 (2:11 pm)

clarification – the helicopter(s) by the way were NOT law enforcement – they were TV. Patrick saw KING, I don’t know if anyone else had their chopper up, but I reconfirmed with police, it wasn’t Guardian One (the King County-owned helicopter that is the only one used by law enforcement around here) … And the reason the SWAT team was involved was because the suspect was considered “high risk” – TR

WSB May 21, 2009 (2:39 pm)

And a correction! It wasn’t KING’s chopper; we are told by someone from the station that theirs is not in service at the moment. Still checking with police awaiting updated information on this case, described as a “very active investigation.”

AJP May 21, 2009 (2:48 pm)

Brian, you are welcome to move a compound in Montana at any time.

TeresaP May 21, 2009 (2:58 pm)

AJP,

A father wants to protect his family and himself and you suggest he move to a compound?

Shame on you! What would you do to someone who broke into your house that was running from the police? Talk to him about how he is messing up his life and suggest her turn himself in?? He does not care about his life or yours for that matter.

Honest to God.

KateMcA May 21, 2009 (3:17 pm)

Wow, that’s a great idea! All the law-abiding citizens will move to Montana with Brian and just let these people take over our city– now why hadn’t I thought of that myself?

AJP May 21, 2009 (3:43 pm)

I just think people get really hyped up about things and should be calmer. I live a few blocks from Roxbury, and a couple of months ago there was a manhunt on our street and the place was crawling with cops. I made sure the doors were locked and continued with my evening. Chances are extremely slim that someone whom the cops are chasing will break into your home. You have a much greater risk of being hurt slipping and falling in your own home. I guess I just don’t see the situation as that big of a deal. Sorry if my comment was flippant.

bz May 21, 2009 (4:15 pm)

I was on my motorcycle comming around the corner off Holden and Delridge at 12:01 and almost plowed into the first police car there to block the intersection. The officer and I were there at almost exactly the same spot at the same time. The training that I got from MSF motorcycle training class saved me today from plowing into the officers passenger side door. The quick stop training we learned in class was put to good use today. The class just paid for itsself. I did not hear any sirens or see any blinkers, the police car came out of no where at a high speed and made a sudden turn right in front of me to block the right lane ! The officer said the road was closed because guns were out. He directed me out of the area. I cut thru the Home depot parking lot and got back on Delridge with no problem and made it to work.

Sage May 21, 2009 (4:16 pm)

Thanks WSB for the clarification on the helicopters. I still do wonder if the SWAT team paramilitary-style deployment of our police force makes us any safer or just makes us all more petrified of the authorities and each other. At this rate, how long until they start using unmanned Predator drones to serve warrants in sketchy areas?

Lisa K. May 21, 2009 (5:36 pm)

We’ve lived two blocks off Delridge for 6 years now, and while there’s still definitely a sketchy element, things in our neck of the woods are much better than when we moved in. (And you should hear our neighbors talk about what it was like 10, 15 or 20 years ago.) The huge armed police presence in these situations makes things seem scarier to the general public than I think they (usually) truly are. I have yet to hear of one of these suspects charging into someone’s West Seattle home and endangering innocent folks unknown to them. Other than the unfortunately dangerous job of being a convenience store cashier, I’m struggling to recall an incident of violent crime in the Delridge area where the victim either didn’t know the assailant (usually domestic violence) or wasn’t involved in illegal/gang activity. We lived near St. Mark’s Cathedral on Capitol Hill for several years, and that’s where my car was severely vandalized (huge chunk of cement through the windshield, auto parts strewn across the road) and our friends were mugged. I feel safer walking down Delridge on a summer evening than strolling down by the beach: getting caught in gang crossfire–verbal or otherwise–at Alki seems far more likely these days. Do what you need to to feel safe, but getting to know your neighbors and looking out for each other, and getting involved in neighborhood issues seems like it’ll get us further in the end.

Brian May 21, 2009 (6:28 pm)

It’s interesting. I’ll run from a confrontation and aways have. If I’m protecting my child and wife I will stand and fight to protect them. If a gun isn’t handy I’ll use whatever is.

Also, I remember that when I was single my perspective was much more passive. You have a lot more options when you are on your own.

Lisa K. May 21, 2009 (7:32 pm)

Brian, I think our feelings are more similar than dissimilar. While we will never have guns in our home, I know I would fight tooth and nail, and whatever else, to protect my little kids. And I am the world’s biggest chicken! And it wasn’t like I left the backdoor open while the helicopter whirled about overhead and I headed off to help out at the jog-a-thon at my kid’s school. I just don’t want to get caught up in that particular sort of fear. Materialism, entitlement, ignorance—-those are the things that probably most middle-class parents like me should worry about. I guess maybe someday things will begin to change in this world when I (and others) are willing to fight tooth and nail for all kids. It makes me scared and sad to think that children are shooting children out there. I’d like to believe it doesn’t have to be that way.

Tony May 21, 2009 (8:41 pm)

A officer responded to a small fight on the street and was severly injured when he was assaulted( kicked in the head), leaving him unable to work for almost a year. Sound familiar?? See High Point assault covered by WSB. So give the cops a break when they seem to be overreacting. Better safe than sorry.

HS May 21, 2009 (9:21 pm)

I drove past this today with a pregnant friend and two toddlers. We were a bit freaked out to say the least! Now I’ve been hearing sirens since dinner time. What the heck is going on out there today/tonight?

WSB May 21, 2009 (10:09 pm)

90% of the time, sirens are for fire/medics. And hopefully you already know you can check them on real-time 911:
http://www2.cityofseattle.net/fire/realTime911/getRecsForDatePub.asp?action=Today&incDate=&rad1=des
Meantime, no major crimes tonight so far. I can say that at least up thru close till 9 pm, because the top two guys from the Southwest Precinct were both at the Alki Community Council meeting and if something really big had happened, they would have been outa there! – TR

Jesilyn May 21, 2009 (10:45 pm)

I grew up and have lived almost my entire life just off Delridge. The neighborhood has most definitely gotten safer over the last several years, and this incident sounds like it was a whole lot of police presence, but ultimately a non-violent resolution. If anything, it’s a sign things are getting better, not worse, around here. Thanks WSB for keeping us informed, too, as I could hear the sirens, and found out later my husband happened through as the police were getting out the shotguns, but we couldn’t find info about this anywhere else.

1234 May 22, 2009 (1:15 pm)

you guys got it all wrong they are not killers and will not harm kids

HS May 22, 2009 (2:22 pm)

THANK YOU, as always, WSB… I did not know about the real-time check…. will be using in the future!

WSB May 22, 2009 (2:32 pm)

It’s a major bookmark.
There’s nothing comparable for police but SPD is starting to use Twitter .. there was a bit of info about yesterday’s incident at one point, for example … and you don’t have to be a Twitter member to see what someone has posted on their “feed” or “page” or whatever you want to call it:
http://twitter.com/westseattleblog
http://twitter.com/westseattlenews
are ours, and police:
http://twitter.com/seattlepd
.
We often post one quick line about possible breaking news on Twitter first – if it doesn’t pan out, it may never turn up on the actual site here, but it’s one more place to check. We have a couple places in the sidebar, and the bottom of the tab Twitter page below the header, where you can access that too. So much info, so little time…

Brittany June 11, 2009 (1:05 pm)

I know I’m a bit late on this but was checking in to see if there was anything about an incident the morning of May 21st. I had an early flight out of SeaTac and woke up at 5:30 am to let my dog out. As we were in the backyard I noticed several police officers circling around a girl’s body on the street on the other side of my fence, it’s right around the Delridge/Kenyon street area. I was in a hurry to catch my flight and wasn’t able to find out what happened but at 5:30 am you’d wonder why a girl is laying on the cold pavement of the street with cops surrounding her just looking down at her…

Sorry, comment time is over.