By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:

*Early Monday, passersby reported an abandoned vehicle in the westbound lanes of the West Seattle Bridge. Both front airbags were deployed and the car had severe front end damage. About 15 minutes later, a Delridge man called 911 from home to say he had been carjacked downtown “by a Hispanic male.” An officer was dispatched and noticed that the “victim’s” injuries were consistent with those suffered by someone in an accident with activated airbags. The officer’s suspicions were confirmed when the man’s girlfriend (who had similar injuries) spilled the beans. The man was arrested (but taken to Harborview for treatment) for investigation of false reporting, hit and run, and negligent driving in the first degree.

*Scammers continue to call elderly people, plying them for personal and financial information under the guise that the victim is a money winner who has been “blessed by God.” Officers recommend that you never give out personal details and simply tell the caller that police will be notified. A savvy Arbor Heights woman received such a call this week and knew right away that it was a scam. The potential haul for the “lucky woman”? Nine and a half million dollars, two Mercedes Benz, and — if she were *extra* lucky — a Chrysler.

7 more summaries ahead:

*A citizen called 911 to report a stranger sleeping in the doorway of a Westwood-area home early Tuesday. Officers found the man walking down 24th SW. He provided officers with his true name and Social Security number, said he was homeless and had been on the porch simply to stay out of the rain. He was, however, wanted on a misdemeanor warrant from the Department of Corrections and received a ride to the dry environs of the King County Jail.

*Alerted by employees of two Fauntleroy & Alaska convenience stores, officers were able to catch a local 17-year-old red-handed as he reached into his pocket for a non-functioning revolver. The intoxicated teen had visited the stores earlier, had threatened one employee, and stolen items. He claimed a gang affiliation and said he had been a member since the age of 12. He was booked into the Youth Service Center for investigation of firearms violations.

*A man was arrested in the Junction on Tuesday morning after spitting on and shoving his ex-fiancee and scratching her chest while trying to rip her shirt off. She was able to run to a payphone at a convenience store and call police. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for investigation of first-degree domestic violence assault. The victim explained that the man had asked her to return her engagement ring and became angry when told it had been sold.

*On Tuesday afternoon, a citizen reported seeing a suspicious man pushing a loaded grocery cart into a Morgan Junction alley. An officer found the man — who readily held his hands up in the air — taking apart an air conditioner in a nearby bus shelter. He claimed the items had been outside a home and he was stripping them for metal. (The suspect does have a history of theft.) The officer made the man clean up the debris and take the material to a friend’s home for storage. Authorities are waiting to hear from the homeowner if the items in question had been given to the suspect or if they had been stolen.

*On Walnut SW, a citizen reports that someone has been throwing black bags of dog feces onto his front and back stairs. He’s concerned that someone might slip and injure themselves. The man says he does not currently own a pet.

*Early Saturday, someone shattered the window of an Arbor Heights home and stole two TV sets, two video game systems, and two pit bull puppies.

And a bit more information on a case featured on WSB earlier in the week:

*On Sunday afternoon, officers traveled to the area of SW Hudson and SW Erskine Way in response to a report of a car prowler. The suspect description sounded familiar to them and, indeed, a known prolific burglar and car prowler was nearby. He and a companion were found with catalytic converters, burglary tools, and a meth pipe and were booked into King County Jail for investigation of theft. (Editor’s note: We checked on this suspect’s record. After the Sunday arrest, he was out of jail on Monday. But he was booked again Tuesday night – we don’t know the circumstances but will continue watching his case – and is still behind bars. No charges filed yet, so far as we can tell)
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WSB Editor’s Note: The WSBeat has an archive category of its own, though we’re still linking the weekly reports on the WSB Crime Watch page, so you can catch it there if you miss it in the main news stream. We also continue to publish crime reports the rest of the week, when we get tips or hear noteworthy incidents via the scanner, so don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening.