By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents of note that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block (whenever)?”:

*A resident received two odd phone messages on his cell regarding a woman he doesn’t know: The first said, “I don’t know who you are, but if you’re looking for Ms. XXXX, she doesn’t own a phone anymore. She just got shot in the chest. Hope she’ll survive.” The second message relayed that the woman had died. The recipient called the number back, said he didn’t know the woman, and the calls stopped. He decided to contact police to provide information in case a woman actually had been assaulted.

*On Friday the 18th, a citizen reported a potential hazard in the 5200 block of 44th SW. A property owner had dug a 20-foot-deep hole but hadn’t shored up the walls. The caller was afraid the walls would collapse. The property owner/digger told officers he was working with an architect and a seismic expert and had permits. Looking up the permit, the officer found one that had expired in April. The man kept digging, saying, “If it collapses, it collapses on my property.” The officer planned to follow up with the Department of Planning and Development. He also noted that the location was not fenced off and could be easily accessed by children.

Seven more summaries ahead:

*On Thursday the 10th, in the 9000 block of 16th SW, a man allegedly pointed a gun at some children playing tag and threatened them with a knife. A 14-year-old said he had walked toward her, holding the gun. As he neared, he put something into the bottom of the handgun, racked the slide, and pointed it at her, saying, “You want to play? Let’s play.” She immediately ran away. Several other citizens made calls as well. Officers arrested a man in his 80s at his apartment. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of harassment.

*A teen was waiting for a bus at the Alaska Junction on a recent Thursday evening when he was approached by an older man. The stranger began asking questions about West Seattle and then placed his hand on the young man’s leg in a suggestive manner. When the young man knocked the hand away, the man stood up, declared his desire to perform a sexual act, but walked off when the young man showed no interest. The suspect was described as a mixed-race male in his 40s or 50s. He had short, light brown hair and wore a green jacket.

*Around 10 p.m. on the 11th, claiming he “loved her,” an acquaintance attacked and tried to strangle a woman inside his van, parked in the alley behind the 5400 block of Delridge Way. The victim was able to talk her way outside the vehicle to “catch her breath” — and then called 911 while running away. The suspect drives a gray Dodge van but had left the area before police arrived.

*An Admiral business received a special present on a recent weekend: Overnight between Saturday and Sunday, someone smeared human feces on the door and entry — enough to seep under the front door and into the carpet. A derogatory note was also left behind.

*A man called 911 to report that his girlfriend was off her meds and was acting strange. An officer determined that her behavior wasn’t enough to warrant an involuntary commitment, but since she was wanted on a felony warrant she did get an involuntary trip to the King County Jail.

*A Highland Park man is convinced he is being harassed and stalked by the same person who reprogrammed his computer network, tampered with his car alarm and rearranged his TV settings. And because he’s been suffering from headaches and urethral pain, he’s pretty sure that he’s being poisoned by the culprit. He has been advised to stay in touch if he gathers additional suspect information.

*A West Seattle woman with a known history of mental illness repeatedly called the Seattle Fire Department to report that her neighbor had been “pouring gas” through vents into her apartment. Officers responded and told her to call 911 only in case of emergency. After they left, she called a security company — more than 50 times within a few hours. An officer returned and found that she had stuffed her mouth full of tobacco to “stop the gasses from getting in.” She was taken to the hospital for a mental evaluation.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Also, remember, the CRISIS LINE is a resource for those in crisis, including thoughts or acts of self-harm: 206.461.3222 … WSBeat roundups are archived here. 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 = calling or texting 206-293-6302 is the best way.