By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:

*An alert citizen called 911 early Tuesday to report a suspicious male with a flashlight peering into car windows near the 4000 block of 34th SW. Officers arrived and encountered one of the community’s more prolific thieves. He was carrying a backpack that held two GPS devices, and his jacket pocket contained a large amount of change. The 18-year-old Delridge-area resident was booked into King County Jail.

*Just after midnight Saturday, a taxi driver picked up a fare downtown and drove her to the 6700 block of Delridge. She started to leave without paying. He threatened to call 911. Her response? “Then I’ll shoot you.” The driver called her bluff (and 911) and continued driving until he saw patrol cars approaching in the 6900 block of Delridge. Officers questioned the woman, asking if she had a gun. She opened her purse, which contained a loaded five-shot Smith and Wesson. She was booked into King County jail for investigation of assault.

After the jump, four more summaries, including one with more information on a story covered as breaking news earlier this week:

*(MORE ON A STORY PREVIOUSLY COVERED HERE) … Around 6:45 Monday evening, an officer had successfully handled a case of chronic trespassing outside of a Junction supermarket, but as he turned to leave, one of the subjects said something to the effect of, “You’re lucky I don’t have a gun.” The officer took the suspect to the ground and waited for backup. Meanwhile, the suspect’s companion began screaming and swearing and refused to control her pit bull dog which was barking loudly and snapping near the officer’s head. A bystander stepped into help control the woman and the dog until additional officers arrived. The male suspect is a convicted felon and was wanted on a $15,000 auto theft warrant and a $30,000 warrant for violating a domestic-violence court order. He was booked into King County jail for the warrants and for investigation of harassment and resisting arrest. His girlfriend was booked for investigation of obstruction. The dog was placed at the city shelter.

*Off-duty officers saw a woman slumped over the wheel of an SUV in a Junction parking lot late Tuesday. The car’s engine was running, but the gearshift was in the Park position. They asked the woman if she was OK and offered several times to get her a taxi. “I’m waiting for traffic,” she replied, putting the car into gear and lurching ahead toward other parked cars. The officers jumped out of the way, and one was able to reach in and turn off the engine. “You’re calling 911 on me?” she yelled. She then reached out and grabbed one officer’s shirt, ripping open a large hole. She was finally subdued and taken to the precinct. When asked where she thought she had been arrested, she mentioned an Admiral-area bar that’s about 14 blocks from the actual scene. The Gatewood-area resident was booked into King County Jail for investigation of DUI and non-aggravated assault.

*A disabled Highland Park woman e-mailed a number of sources looking for government grants to assist with her living expenses. She received a response saying she had, indeed, won a $5,000 grant, but needed to wire $190 to Delhi, India to claim it. The Western Union clerk advised her to call 911 instead of wiring the funds, and the officers who arrived took some time with her to explain about scams.

*A Metro driver has been advised to call 911 if the passenger who spat in her face Sunday morning in the Roxbury area ever boards her bus again.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: The WSBeat has an archive category of its own. 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.