West Seattle Crime Watch: Roxhill Park attack report, and more

Today’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup has four reports – one from the Seattle Police some-reports-viewable website, three from the WSB inbox. After the jump, we start with the SPD report, in which a man said he was attacked in Roxhill Park last Friday night (just heard from a WSB’er that a TV crew is out and about trying to follow up on this) – read on:

This is the ONLY new West Seattle report added to the Seattle Police website since the reports we included in yesterday’s roundup. The report was taken by an officer last Saturday, June 5th. Here’s the narrative (reminder, exact addresses and most names are “redacted” by police before they upload the report – we have placed dashes in the resulting gaps, but otherwise this is a direct cut-and-paste from the report PDF):

At or about 1519 hours, I arrived at — 26th Av SW to investigate an assault that occurred last night on 06/04/10. I contacted victim — who reported the following: At about 2300 hours last night, was walking his golden retriever puppy in Roxhill Park, which is located directly behind his house at — 29th Av SW. — observed approximately five black males and three Samoan females loitering around in the park. The group appeared to be in their early twenties. An unidentified black male in the group approached — and asked if he could borrow a cigarette. reached in his pocket to retrieve a cigarette for the male. When, without provocation or warning of any kind, the black male unexpectedly punched — in the head two times
with a closed fist. — said he was “knocked out” as a result of the blows, and believed he was unconscious for about “twenty seconds”. Once he regained consciousness, — got up from the ground and ran home. As — ran, he could hear the group screaming, “This is my park!”

While — was still unconscious, his puppy ran home and scratched at the back door until, — girlfriend opened the door — claimed that she “instantly knew something was wrong.” — called 911 and reported the assault, but told the call taker that she did not want Officers to come to her house because she lived so close to the park. — then drove to Highline Hospital where he received medical treatment for his injuries.
— told me that his assault seems similar to the assault that he saw on the news. — face did not have any visible signs of injuries. — advised me that he did not get a good look at any of the suspects and could not identify them if he sees them again.

Now, to the reports from the WSB inbox. From Kristina:

Both of my cars were broken into with nothing taken last night. I live on 44th north of Admiral. Expensive sunglasses, c.d’s, even a can of mace and my checkbook were left behind. They just made a mess of my car and left it open. Its as if someone were to rearrange my furniture with out taking the goods. I don’t get it.

From Matthew in the 6300 block of 37th:

My house was broken into sometime (Tuesday) during the day. They broke the lock on the back door and forced their way in. Not much was taken, but they went through everything. Items stolen were: small amount of cash, portable back-up drive, and several pairs of cuff links.

From Nicole:

Just wanted people to be on the lookout. We had a Dewalt Drill go missing from our front porch (Tuesday) afternoon. It was left out as we were changing out old door for new door. I left to run an errand, came back and as I was walking from my car to the front door a “scruffy” looking man, short with dark hair, puffy coat with a terrible body odor problem, walked by me on the sidewalk. I went into my house without removing the drill from the porch.

A little while later the dog barked but I didn’t go and look. Half hour after that my husband came home and asked what happened to the drill, he needed to use it.

I can only assume that said scruffy man saw drill, but saw me going into house. And later returned to grab drill. Sad. And a little scary for the middle of the day.

We are on 35th and Henderson. I have had my car broken into 4 times since Nov. It is always parked on busy 35th. ( We have no driveway) Twice it was during the day. Usually just the coin collector cleaned out and the glove compartment contents thrown everywhere, as there is nothing of value in my older model Toyota.

I will be more vigilant when the dog barks and make sure I go and look.

Reminder: The West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets next Tuesday, 7 pm June 15th, at the Southwest Precinct, with special guest City Attorney Pete Holmes; this meeting is always an excellent chance to bring concerns directly to local police leadership.

27 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Roxhill Park attack report, and more"

  • HolyKow June 9, 2010 (2:46 pm)

    Great, another hate crime.

    Just lovin’ these ‘upstanding citizens’ we have in this area these days….

    can’t we all just get along?

    hk

  • Alkiman June 9, 2010 (3:02 pm)

    And McGinn wants to keep us from carrying our legally owned guns with our state licenses to carry concealed in OUR parks? I live near this park and walk my dog there at all hours. This is disturbing. Almost as disturbing as the mayor wanting us to not be able to protect ourselves from these types of hate crimes.

  • Josh June 9, 2010 (3:03 pm)

    Sickening.

  • 4thGenWestSide June 9, 2010 (3:24 pm)

    Our kids play softball at EC Hughes. it sounds like the same group of hoods. After drinking and loud swearing, we asked them to keep it down. Verbal threats followed. We called 911 and 2 police cruisers drove by about an hour later. Then the cars came back after a second call to 911 and the officers managed to get out of their cars slowly. Just slow enough to give the hoods time to collect their effects and leave on foot across the field to the south.

    Alkiman, I’m with you. I’ve never owned a gun. Never wanted to. Went and got my carry permit a few weeks ago. Still don’t want to get a gun. They scare me.

    But these thugs are taking over. Has anyone been down to Alki at night recently on a sunny evening?

    Scary.

  • moxilot June 9, 2010 (3:41 pm)

    HK… hate crime? It doesn’t even say the ethnicity of the victim… you must mean golden retrievers only like white people.

  • Andrea June 9, 2010 (4:00 pm)

    My boyfriend couldn’t sleep last night and saw a male and female checking car doors to see if they were unlocked around the north admiral area . This was around 4:30 a.m.

  • CandrewB June 9, 2010 (4:10 pm)

    “Got a light? Got a cigarette? Got the time?” are all tactics to get one of guard for an attack. You are being sized up.

  • k2 June 9, 2010 (4:12 pm)

    You need a GUN to protect yourself? That is just hilarious…what will you do, pull it out and wave it in his face? Just pull back your sport jacket and tap the handle, so he knows who the boss is? Maybe shoot him for punching you?

    Carry some brussel sprouts, he won’t get within 5 yards of you…kids hate them.

  • Pete June 9, 2010 (4:50 pm)

    Andrea did you or your boyfriend call 911 when you saw this activity? Just curious as you don’t mention calling 911.

  • Pedro June 9, 2010 (5:12 pm)

    Here’s my suggestion, next time some young tough asks you if you’ve got a light, say “no, but I got a gun and an itchy trigger finger.”

  • Pedro June 9, 2010 (5:13 pm)

    “You need a GUN to protect yourself? . . . what will you do . . . Maybe shoot him for punching you?”

    That’s exactly what I’d do. You commit an unprovoked attack on a random person (me), who has no idea of your ultimate intention; f-yeah I’m going to pop you. Stupid question. Next.

  • bridge to somewhere June 9, 2010 (5:15 pm)

    On June 7th on the “WS Crime Watch” covering the Lincoln Park attack I wrote, “at roxhill park [the closing time] is supposed to be 10:00 i believe. but in both [Lincoln and Roxhill] 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.” Fast forward to today. It really dismays me to read about this Roxhill assault, but unfortunately I am not at all surprised. It boggles my mind how little the SPD police this park and it’s really spiraling out of control at night. I call 911 when the crowd gets extra rowdy and nobody ever shows up, or when they do, the police just do a slow drive by and the thugs just scatter and mock the police. Where are you SPD?!?! Why don’t they make that park less savory for thugs at night? PLEASE DO SOMETHING SPD.

  • nulu June 9, 2010 (5:20 pm)

    Pete,
    Why bother calling SPD?
    If they do come you will be informed that it is not a crime to check car doors at 4:30 AM.
    Just as it is not illegal for a stranger to walk up and try your home’s door.

    Maybe it was Neighborhood Watch participants checking on the well being of parked cars?

  • marty June 9, 2010 (5:23 pm)

    It’s painfully obvious that the consequences for auto theft and car prowling are not stiff enough to stop the activities. It’s way past time to change this.

  • kg June 9, 2010 (5:30 pm)

    Ninjas don’t need guns eh k2. Please tell us what you would do in the same situation. Not being there in the first place isn’t part of the scenario and I doubt you could outrun them.

  • wseattleone June 9, 2010 (6:37 pm)

    Pedro has got it right. I carry (legally of course) for the protection, not for the heck of it. Someone attacks me like that and I will fight back. You have the right to defend yourself. Having had a car stolen already I can see how little it seems to mater to the authorities. Protect yourself.

  • bridge to somewhere June 9, 2010 (7:31 pm)

    by the way, saw three dudes smoking pot at roxhill today . . . again, zero police

  • anonymous June 9, 2010 (9:21 pm)

    I have a question that may or may not relate directly to above but DOES relate to neighborhood crime and safety. My nieghbor plays very loud, disturbing music on a regular basis. My house has been broken into and most neighbors stated that all they could hear at the time was the one neighbor’s loud music. This neighbor continues to play extremely loud and disturbing music in the am at at night. Sometimes the music contains lots of derogatory cuss words about women. He usually stops at 9:55pm. What can be done? To my knowledge, the SPD has been there 4 times with noise complaints. The noise is very annoying and frequently gives me a headache, most importantly I feel that it may mask a crime. What to do? Any advice please?

  • anonymous June 9, 2010 (9:24 pm)

    BTW, I don’t know if it makes a difference but I own and he doesn’t. We live in houses.

  • d June 9, 2010 (10:50 pm)

    I posted this on the wrong thread originally, but I’ll repeat it here. Still applies.
    —-
    Everybody around there is on Block Watch, right? If not, ask yourselves why not.
    Sorry, but there are no valid excuses to not have a BW when good neighbors are at risk. Is there?
    Block Watch is not the cure, but guns and burglar alarms are not necessarily solutions to incredibly complex situations either.
    Know your neighbors. Report suspicious activity on your street.
    Report. Report. Report.
    Find your Block Watch Captain.
    Join your Block Watch.
    Start a Block Watch.
    Be a better neighbor with BW. The neighbor you don’t know just might be the person who could save your home, your property, your family member, maybe even your life. Or you could do the same for them.
    Think about that.

  • Dan'a June 10, 2010 (12:14 am)

    Is it still legal for someone to come onto your property (solicitors and the like) once you post a no trespassing sign? I was thinking of picking one up tomorrow.

  • West Seattle June 10, 2010 (8:32 am)

    “Sometimes the music contains lots of derogatory cuss words about women”

    Country and Western? I always hate the part where they sing about their pickup trucks.

  • k2 June 10, 2010 (12:49 pm)

    KG – nobody ‘needs’ a gun.

  • bridge to somewhere June 10, 2010 (1:46 pm)

    @anonymous: i once had a problem with a neighbor playing music really loud all day long, and i eventually went to his place and said, “look, i like music as much as you do and i don’t want to impede on that. how about we agree that you just turn your music down by 8pm?” he obliged, and i found it was much easier to live with loud music if you knew it would end.

  • Dave June 10, 2010 (3:43 pm)

    Loud music: Call the police. If the neighbors’ have been drinking/intoxicated, include it in the report. And, keep calling. If these folks are renters, research the property records (and state licensing/incorporation docs, if necessary to determine ownership), and contact the owners, putting them on written notice. SMC 25.08.500 applies to public disturbance noises generally and supersedes the 7am to 10pm exemption for noise disturbances. Folks this disrespectful may also find it difficult to maintain thier properties in code compliance; if that’s the case, file a confidential report and ask for feedback.

  • kg June 11, 2010 (7:26 am)

    k2 – Everyone can protect themselves. Great way to answer the question btw.

  • Highland Parkr June 11, 2010 (8:52 pm)

    On Thurs June 3rd at aprox 12 noon, I (white middle aged male) was out jogging in this area and I ran down to the big park on 12th (Riverside park?).

    As I was crossing the parking lot (at the park by the kiddy area) a car with several black males was in the lot and one of them made a comment toward me as I jogged by; “Mother F–ker got an attitude etc..”

    On my return I avoided the lot.

    A few blocks later into my run (at 13th sw and holden area) I was passed by the same car and bunch of people (including another vehicle) which seemed to be with them.

    Then they passed me again and flipped a U turn ahead near Highland Park. Then later again I noticed the same car as it passed me one more time near Highland park school.

    The “neighborhood” is beginning to feel more like the “hood” every day.

    Anyway, I don’t play word games and I have lived in the inner city my whole life so I know a threatening situation when I see one.

    VEHICLE DESCRIPTIONS:

    Brown station-wagon (older and slightly beat) with loud exhaust – contained multiple black males (teens to 30’s?) one of whom made the comment to me in the park.

    Black Large SUV (Late model, Chev suburban sized)
    with darkly tinted widows was following other car and turned U turn with them as though together.

Sorry, comment time is over.