West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 incidents in Lincoln Park area

This afternoon, we have two reports from the Lincoln Park area – one from a man who e-mailed to report he was chased through nearby Solstice Park last night; the other was a robbery/attack reported in LP last week, published on the new SPD online-report website. Read on for both:

First, we just received this from Tony:

As a public heads-up I just wanted to report a somewhat bizarre and disturbing situation that I encountered last night while walking my dog through Solstice park. We were cutting through the park from Vashon Pl SW at about 10 PM when a large male started to run down the upper path from 44th and proceeded to come directly at us in a full sprint. When he got within 10 – 15 yrds, we opted for flight rather fight and were pursued until we got down the hill to the pea patch. As someone who walks their dog nightly I can say this was the first (and hopefully last) encounter of this kind I’ve ever had in WS. Fortunately I’m also a runner and don’t carry a gun because I think this situation would have end much differently. I also stopped by the SW Police Precinct today to report the incident although no formal report was taken.

Second Crime Watch case is from early last Tuesday at Lincoln Park, found in the new online system that SPD is using to make certain reports available, with a few days’ lag, instead of the previous system of putting them on discs that reporters could peruse at precincts. We’re checking it regularly, while also continuing to bring you the unofficial Crime Watch reports e-mailed by WSB’ers, which are invariably newer – and in categories the online reports do not include (like car prowls). In this report, a man says he was beaten and robbed. Here’s the narrative:

On 6-1-10 at about 0330 hours, the victim said he was in Lincoln Park in West Seattle with some friends. He stayed afterwards to put out the fire and his friends left without him. While leaving the park, the victim said he was stopped by 2-3 large suspects, possibly Samoan or Hispanic males, who asked him if he had any money for a bus. The victim said he did not and the suspects started patting him down for a wallet. The victim told them to stop, but they kept searching him for his wallet.

One of the suspects punched the victim in the left side of his head. The victim does not remember what happened after that due to being unconscious. When the victim woke up, he walked to the [redacted] and called his friend, Witness to pick him up. His friend took him to the [redacted] a medical clinic at 35 Av SW and SW Findlay for treatment, and that is where Officer Wilson first saw him.

Officer Wilson called for Fire to treat a deep laceration on the victim’s scalp. Engine 37 responded and checked on the victim. The victim’s friend, Witness [redacted] volunteered to take him to the hospital.

The victim said he didn’t know the suspects and couldn’t describe them other than they were in their mid to late 20’s, and one was wearing a dark jacket. The victim thought the suspects may have been armed with brass knuckles. The victim said his wallet was out of his pocket but still attached by a large chain. All of his credit cards were still accounted for, but about $5-6 cash was missing from his wallet.

Officer Wilson and another officer did an area check of Lincoln Park for the suspects. The area check was negative.

That’s the entirety of the information in the report. Like the other ones distributed this way, it has victim/witness names and exact addresses “redacted” (blacked out) before the report was turned into a PDF to link to the new online-report-access system, which, again, only includes four categories of crimes, and seems to be working fairly slowly out of the gate – we just checked it again and there’s nothing newer than June 2nd (last Wednesday).

11 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: 2 incidents in Lincoln Park area"

  • Adam June 7, 2010 (2:27 pm)

    It’s a good thing that it’s illegal to carry guns in Seattle parks. Imagine what would happen if it wasn’t!

  • DOC June 7, 2010 (3:03 pm)

    I think the park gun ban was lifted, but you still can’t carry in a community center
    Source: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011061469_parksgun13m.html

    Was the guy running down the steps of solstice park in jogging atire, or more obvious non- exercise gear like jeans?

  • bridge to somewhere June 7, 2010 (4:01 pm)

    first story was super creepy. second story was incredibly irritating–what cowards to gang up 3-on-1 on some guy. i REALLY hope the SPD starts to intercept the gangs of thugs who hang out at public parks after they are officially closed. at lincoln park people are supposed to be out of there by 11:30; at roxhill park it’s supposed to be 10:00 i believe. but in both parks there are people hanging out in big groups drinking well past 2am. i can’t remember one warm weekend night where there weren’t people drinking, screaming, fighting (etc.) at 1am at roxhill park in absolutely plain sight of the road (29th). my intuition tells me that big groups of drunk men at 2am in a city park may increase the potential for crime in the area. but i am not a criminologist.

  • DOC June 7, 2010 (4:30 pm)

    Bridge,
    I would agree with you somewhat. I would say that the big groups drinking may increase vandalism and stupid acts like that, but I don’t think they are the kind for strong-arm robbery. If anything, just like in the above crime, they are the people who may get preyed upon after a night of partying (hey, is was 3:30 am in a park!)

  • i\'m here June 7, 2010 (5:18 pm)

    Lincoln Park seems to be pretty busy at 3 Am…

  • fauntleroy_resident June 7, 2010 (5:56 pm)

    It would really be useful to have a description of the sprinter in the first incident. Seeing someone with the perp’s description at a distance, would allow people to proactively turn tail and notify the po po with out a run-in (no pun intended).
    .
    As far as the 2nd incident, I would be surprised if this was anything more than a group of violent teens. It sucks, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think that a wandering band of bullies is part of a larger problem. Still, having been part of a not-cool group of kids growing up, it’s important to communicate that this kind of one-time violence can happen anywhere and for no good reason. I’ve been on both sides of this kind of incident, I’m not proud to say, and it’s just a sad part of life that shouldn’t turn the park into a war zone.
    .
    Summer’s starting, neighbors, and pranks ranging from the harmless to the laceration-inducing will be on the increase until September.

  • nulu June 7, 2010 (8:24 pm)

    In the old days, of the 60s and 70s, we high schoolers had keggers in Lincoln Park. We were often met by squad cars and a spotlighting police helicopter, before 10PM.
    Now there is apparently no enforcement, even 4 hours after the park is closed.
    Anyone surprised by such incidents?

  • bridge to somewhere June 7, 2010 (9:09 pm)

    @DOC: good point.

  • Lincoln Park citizen June 7, 2010 (9:56 pm)

    …well Fauntleroy_resident…. I think you were lucky for your “not-cool group of kids growing up”. And,… all you sob’s… out there… it’s our park and I hope the police and others watching our park take care of you.
    You are not suppose to be hanging out in the middle of the wee hours of the early morning in our city parks. And, of course, those who committed this sin are not reading this WS blog. All of us must take action and inform our politicians and local governing folks that we will not permit such activities in our public parks.

  • Brian June 8, 2010 (3:37 am)

    You learn over time to have a sense of time and place, your surroundings, and sixth sense alerts you to potential danger. Trust these feelings and move out of harms way.

  • HolyKow June 8, 2010 (11:23 am)

    1) Please do not carry a gun unless you take a class and posses the proper credentials.

    2) It is legal to carry concealed at this time in Seattle Parks with proper credentials (State Issued CCW Permit)

    3) You should be able to walk anywhere at anytime, from 0x00 to xx00, but should is not can in a great many area of our fair berg. Make good choices in that regard or you will be set upon by the criminal element. If you do go out at night, like dead of night 0330, do not go alone.

    be safe and smart and you will always have a better chance at whatever you do.

    hk

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