Update: Police investigate Alki fight that left 2 hurt, 1 arrested

1:31 AM: Police are reported to be investigating an incident in the 2800 block of Alki SW – that’s where fire crews were dispatched to an “assault with weapons” call. According to scanner traffic, at least one suspect is in custody and a gun was found – we don’t know anything yet about any possible victim(s) – there’s a possibility someone else may have been involved. More as we get it.

1:58 AM UPDATE: Our crew is on scene but we haven’t sorted out yet exactly what happened – police are talking to a variety of people, and the activity seems to be concentrated in the alley behind the 2800 block, though multiple cars and a fire engine are visible on Alki SW itself. On the scanner, police have mentioned two “victims,” no indication of what type of injury nor how serious. We’ll update when we are able to get some information directly from police.

2:17 AM UPDATE: Police confirm one arrest and two victims taken to the hospital, but exactly what happened is still being sorted out.

3:16 AM UPDATE: As of right now, Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams tells WSB that officers are still trying to “piece together” exactly what happened, but they do know, he says, that “2 people were injured as the result of a fight disturbance. They were both transported to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment. One suspect – an adult male – was arrested and a handgun was recovered. The investigation is ongoing and the cause of all of the victims’ injuries has not been determined at this time.”

4:18 AM UPDATE: Via radio, dispatch just told police investigating this case that the hospital reports “the stabbing victim has a gunshot wound to his chest.”

9:45 AM: Just posted on SPD Blotter:

A verbal argument led to a fist fight and shots fired. Just shortly after 1:00 a.m., the victims and suspects were very intoxicated and got into a verbal argument at the Bamboo Tavern at 2806 Alki Av SW. Soon it developed into a bloody fight. A gun was pulled and at least one shot was fired. One victim sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound. The second victim sustained a concussion and a possible broken rib.

The two suspects fled. Responding officers located and arrested one suspect and recovered the handgun.
Both victims were transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of their non-life threatening injuries. The victims’ conditions are unknown at this time. The second suspect is still at large. The arrested suspect was booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Assault.

Alki Bee August 19, 2012 (1:39 am)

Boy you’re fast! 1:38 am, just heard/saw several emergency vehicles arrive at 63rd & Alki. No sounds other than sirens.

RG August 19, 2012 (1:40 am)

Has an aww always been a 7 per rule?

WSB August 19, 2012 (1:58 am)

No, there is also Assault With Weapons, Aid, which often means something obviously minor from the start (“stabbed in hand” type of thing).

mair August 19, 2012 (1:59 am)

Just came home after checking it out. deffinately a shooter.

patrick August 19, 2012 (2:31 am)

@ RG, there is also the somewhat rare AWW 14 per rule but like I said it’s somewhat rare, the last time I saw one was the Cafe Racer shooting

DC August 19, 2012 (2:37 am)

There was no shooting, just an assault and a stabbing of some sort, then the guy pulled a gun when people tried to stop the beating.

WSB August 19, 2012 (2:47 am)

That would make more sense with what we saw at the scene – or didn’t see, as in, no markers for shell casings or anything else indicating gunfire, nor did I get any notes from people saying they heard gunfire. If I can’t reach a supervisor here in the wee hours, hope to get something more definitive later in the morning.

mair August 19, 2012 (2:57 am)

I take it back about a shooter. Sorry. I heard an officer pointing at an area and mention ‘firing pin’.

WSB August 19, 2012 (4:17 am)

And dispatch just told police over the radio that “the stabbing victim also has a gunshot wound.” (4:16 am) – TR

Smythe August 19, 2012 (7:24 am)

Tollbooths on streets leading to the beach.

Dano August 19, 2012 (7:54 am)

I am so sick and tired of this…. Someone actually says “… There was no shooting, JUST an assault or stabbing of some sort…” are you kidding me??!! Have we become that accustomed to this kind of stuff?
I live down the street from this establishment….. It needs to be closed down. Our authorities, and the business owners have not been able to control what has been a problem for years…. It may not be the owner’s fault….. But the business seems to attract a clientele that repeatedly jumps into dangerous confrontations that involve weapons….. If it can’t be turned around… And quickly…. It needs to be closed.

w.s. maverick August 19, 2012 (7:54 am)

the new alki. to bad

jiggers August 19, 2012 (8:13 am)

Nothing good happens after midnight…

Lisa August 19, 2012 (9:12 am)

any updates?

John August 19, 2012 (9:43 am)

@ Dano, which particular “establishment” are you referring to that needs to be closed down? As I read the article, I didn’t notice any particular business on the block mentioned at all.

WSB August 19, 2012 (9:50 am)

Just added what is now up on SPD Blotter. Relates to the two newest comments here.

John August 19, 2012 (9:58 am)

Ah, thanks WSB, that helps.

WTF August 19, 2012 (10:04 am)

I’m with @Dano on the front end, but hold ownership accountable for the customers they attract and how they attract them.
This place used to be a fairly fun place to go. Today, I wouldn’t walk in there to use the bathroom at 10 in the morning. It’s a pit hole with garbage on the street in front it, dirty tables, and immature staff. It caters to the kind of people who would get so drunk they’d fight, stab someone and attempt to murder another human being. How many drug deals happen in the bathroom there Saturday nights? Hmmmm.
The (new) owners need to sit and take notice. Be examples of responsible grill/bar owners and come out of hiding and talk to us! Tell us, then show us you’re going to change things about how your business will be run, how you will hire and manage staff, how you will market to better clientele, so that this will never happen again. We don’t want to hear whining about how you can’t control what people do. We want to hear how you WILL change things and DO THE RIGHT THING! Game on…

DC August 19, 2012 (10:22 am)

Dani, the emphasis on the “just” was placed there by you, not me. It wasn’t any kind of qualitative evaluation or social commentary on the seriousness of acceptableness of such crimes. I was there, I saw most (but clearly not all) of what happened. At least one of the original 911 callers reported hearing a shot. I didn’t see it hear a shot fired, but I also didn’t see the “stabbing of sort” just the victim afterwards.

Silly Goose August 19, 2012 (10:52 am)

This just makes me sick and is the reason as life time residents we don’t feel safe taking our family to alki any longer. I would bet money that these individualas don’t even live in West Seattle!!

@John Bamboo Bar and Grill is the establishment.

Rob August 19, 2012 (10:56 am)

Dano. It’s not Bamboo’s fault. It’s the fault of the thug, idiots that converge there. Blame THEM! besides. They are shooting eachtother. If they ever got good at it they would be doing us all a favor by killing themselves off. Too soon?

will o wisp August 19, 2012 (11:34 am)

The decision to allow many alcohol licenses on Alki started about 15-20 years ago. No one complained when the licenses were granted now we have reaped the consequences. About 30 years ago we complained when a licenses for a package store (7-11 type) was proposed for the space that is now where Dukes restaurant is. Because they could not get a license the 7-11 was never built. Later it was claimed that booze in a restaurant was not a problem. It may not be a problem but many light night drinking places in an area brings late night drinkers and the consequential lack of judgment and trouble. solutions? Reduce licenses?, early closures?, more police?. It seems like the Bamboo has been the associated with several incidents. What do they propose to reduce the problem?

WSB August 19, 2012 (12:10 pm)

Before anybody else wastes time typing a comment that I’m not going to approve for publication, let me be clear about a few things: Civil discussion is welcome but two things involved in comments that are already trash-can-bound – profanity and racism (including implied, inferred, suggested) – are not. Ethnicity/skin color of the people involved, the patrons in the bar at the time, etc., is completely irrelevant UNLESS it turns out that it was the reason the victims were attacked – and at this point, there is no such suggestion. Since there is someone in custody, we will be able to track this case through the charging process, at which time we should find out more about what police believe happened. And regarding the oft-mentioned “bet they weren’t from West Seattle” – the last time that was brought up regarding an incident on Alki, the suspect turned out to be local. Whenever we know more about the suspect who’s in custody (might not be till tomorrow), we’ll be looking at their background too, but I don’t have that info yet – Tracy

RG August 19, 2012 (11:34 am)

DC: Were you inside the building? Is that where it took place? If so, what’s it like in there? Are the customers always that out of control? Thanks.

kj August 19, 2012 (11:35 am)

It’s totally not Bamboo’s fault. They are/have been changing the way they do things on weekend nights to try to prevent things like this from happening. They can only control what they can control, they can’t control peoples actions. The staff was very helpful, cooperative, and handled themselves accordingly. There are a lot of things the police have to sort out, because it was very hectic and crazy, and everything happened so fast. and @Rob… not tooo soon. =P

DC August 19, 2012 (12:17 pm)

RG: The incident was outside in front of Bamboo. There were a few random groups inside at the time, but no specific “crowd” of any type. There weren’t too many people inside and an instrumental band was playing.
.
Bamboo used to have a dance/hip-hop DJ on Friday and saturday nights, but ended that a couple months ago, to avoid attracting any kind of trouble making crowd. Since then, business seemed slow on fri and say, with only very low key DJs or bands. Last night seemed like something random that could have happened anyplace. Unfortunately, it will only add to the perception of it attracting a bad crowd.

G August 19, 2012 (12:23 pm)

I feel safer in LA – literally.

LE August 19, 2012 (12:32 pm)

I believe it would help if bars were required to enforce common sense rules on how often patrons can go out and back in again.

Rob August 19, 2012 (12:34 pm)

Maybe our broken system should actually enforce laws strictly. This guy that used a gun should get 20 years. A few of these type of punishments reach the news and maybe things will tighten up a bit. This guy will not be heard of again by the news and will be back out in no time.

Chris W August 19, 2012 (12:43 pm)

Thanks for being so on top of WS news! Just moved to WS this weekend and am thrilled to have this blog as a resource. I also really appreciate Tracy’s 12:10 comment about appropriate Commenting.

jiggers August 19, 2012 (12:51 pm)

You want to take the police out of a policeman, have a hug a thug attitude, this is what you get.

evergreen August 19, 2012 (12:58 pm)

I want to buy a home in West Seattle, but the frequency of crime is really concerning.

WSB August 19, 2012 (1:09 pm)

EG, this is actually the quietest precinct in the city. We report crime here so people will be aware of what’s going on, but it happens everywhere and often much more often. Here’s the latest precinct-by-precinct crime stats (June 2012). http://www.seattle.gov/spd/Crime/12_Stats/Precincts/2012_June.pdf
.
TR

RG August 19, 2012 (3:09 pm)

DC: Thank you for sharing your insight, I have a better understanding now of the context of the incident.
.
Chris W: Welcome to West Seattle, it’s great here. Especially if you have children! As for ‘The Blog’ it’s a great news organization. They run a tight ship; ethically and professionally. Their news content is well-rounded and has a great community feel to it. Also, it’s news in real-time.

KD August 19, 2012 (3:36 pm)

Alki is one of the safest neighborhoods in the city. I’ve lived on Alki for four years now and have never felt unsafe or threatened in any way. People need to stop overreacting. Fights happen. Crime happens. The fact that a gun was involved is not a problem with Alki. It’s a symptom of a nationwide problem with guns.

SJ August 19, 2012 (5:35 pm)

Bamboo IS the problem. As a 20 year resident I watched everything change in the neighborhood when they were allowed to stay open until 2am. No bar should be allowed to operate past 11 in a mostly residential neighborhood. Cactus has been a good neighbor…they close at 11. The drunken staggering shouting and fighting on our block happens almost daily after midnight and their license must be modified or revoked.

Alki Birthright August 19, 2012 (5:41 pm)

You know what? I’m so sick of the inherently violent crowd that the Bamboo Bar attracts. It needs to be shut down. Period. There have been NUMEROUS shootings outside of Bamboo, and in association with Bamboo. I’m going to research this via the West Seattle Precinct, and all complaints hailing from Bamboo. I’m going to contact my legal team. This has to stop. A lawsuit/class action suit presented in concert with residents on Alki would be appropriate to decimate their fiscal status, forcing them to close. The next stray bullet from a Bamboo shooting may hit a child, me, or you. ENOUGH

visitor August 19, 2012 (6:28 pm)

Will o wisp said: The decision to allow many alcohol licenses on Alki started about 15-20 years ago. No one complained when the licenses were granted …… Dear Will, it is not true that no one complained. As I recall, there was quite a lot of concern and comment on the part of the local community council, and a LOT of pushback from the local bar owners who were operating at the time. The council tried to focus on long-term planning for the Alki business district, while some of the bar owners stated that the council shouldn’t try to impede the free business opportunities there. I remember this conflict well, because it was mentioned in the old Alki newsletter that used to circulate around the north end of West Seattle.

ano August 19, 2012 (7:03 pm)

None of you were there.

Greg August 19, 2012 (7:11 pm)

Last time a petition went around to shut down Bamboo, I obstained. I’m really starting to realize that this place is a problem for our neighborhood. It’s become a drug haven and the fallout is both repeated and obvious.

Harry Reems August 19, 2012 (8:30 pm)

Sad that there is so much violence these days.

ano August 19, 2012 (9:17 pm)

And you all think crime is bad there.. look around, it happens everywhere. Plus the mayor dosent let us enforce the laws. Blame him. He doesn’t back us up when we try to enforce laws! It’s the Mayors fault. I serve to pertect!!

Boy August 19, 2012 (9:33 pm)

I’m glad to go to white center for a couple of beers. So much safer then alki.

bsmomma August 19, 2012 (9:56 pm)

This CAN and DOES happen anywhere! Enjoying a day at the park with your little ones,all of a sudden shots fired. Having your morning coffee, shots fired. Go to your local drinking hole, never to be seen again. Meeting a long time friend for a glass of wine, huge fight breaks out. At your place of worship, shots fill the air. It doesn’t matter where you live, who you are or where you live…….this stuff happens everywhere. You never want it to happen in your hood. Wether you hear about it or not, it happens. Sad but true.

Noelle August 19, 2012 (11:27 pm)

NWCN and Komo are saying there was gun fire. Its no good, no good at all, to have this kind of thing going on at Alki.

WSB August 19, 2012 (11:36 pm)

That’s in the story and has been since I quoted the scanner at 4:16 am and SPD provided a formal update at 9:45 am. Those outlets weren’t even at the scene – co-publisher Patrick Sand and a KING photographer were the only journalists who actually went there while police were investigating – TR

Noelle August 20, 2012 (9:13 am)

Yes! Thank you West Seattle Blog! They were saying there were shots fired too. Sorry for the typo, I was trying to say they were agreeing with your story.

Rats August 20, 2012 (11:06 am)

I wonder how long until Bamboo is deemed a nuisance business by the city? Maybe this will help clean up the area? One can hope I guess.

John August 20, 2012 (1:03 pm)

“Bamboo used to have a dance/hip-hop DJ on Friday and saturday nights, but ended that a couple months ago, to avoid attracting any kind of trouble making crowd.”

This is funny as I believe that “dance / hip hop dj has was there for around 8+ years with no incidents to this effect. Fact of the matter is this…. Before changes were made the staff, dj , security actually cared about that place and all crowds (even the hip hop crowd that nobody seems to like) were all regulars and West Seattlites. The worst thing that happend was a fight here and there which mind you happens at all of the bars on Alki and everywhere else for that fact.

This shooting is the direct representation of a new owner who has no clue as to the people of the area. Yes the bar has been slow but to still have large groups come to your establishment with no security is a big no no and you are only asking for trouble let alone having your bartenders over pour drinks on a constant baisis.

Before you get started that I am bashing the place. I still have friends who are regulars there and work there but I can no longer support that establishment do to thier decline in responsiblility for the protection of thier patrons. Oh and just to be clear…… IT’S NOT THE MUSIC that brings the bad guys. The bar has the right to refuse service to anyone. Last time I heard of a bar brawl and shooting to a justin bieber, Earth Wind & Fire, Shakira, James Brown or black eyed pea song was ummmmmmm never.

LT Alki Resident August 20, 2012 (1:04 pm)

I agree that the Bamboo IS responsible. They are the ones serving alcohol to people and allowing them to get to the point of intoxication that violence ensues. Any responsible bar owner would not allow patrons who are visibly extremely intoxicated to continue drinking, yet this happens again and again. I urge you to contact the prosecutor for Seattle- Melissa Chin -(Melissa.Chin@seattle.gov) who is aware of this situation and is monitoring the Bamboo and Mayor McGinn about this. When enough people complain we can finally shut this seedy establishment down.

jiggers August 20, 2012 (2:32 pm)

John.. what do you mean when you say “the owner has no clue to the people of the area.? Are you saying that they are better than us because they can afford to live in a ritzy neighborhood with gorgeous views?

my 2 cents August 20, 2012 (2:50 pm)

Wasn’t there also a scuffle with a knife behind the Cactus a few months ago? That place is as urban/hipster/yuppie as you can get!
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To be honest I avoid ALKI during the summer months, especially at night with my kids because of this activity. No, they don’t stay up till 1 am, but who’s to say this riff-raff won’t start something earlier? Not worth it!
______

While it’s not the businesses fault as to who shows up, it is their fault if they let them stay. Common sense should tell them who’s going to cause trouble – no matter their age, color, creed or income. Get the job done!

Lisa August 22, 2012 (7:56 am)

There were a lot of sirens last night in that area. Can WSB find out what that was about?

WSB August 22, 2012 (8:12 am)

Unless you actually saw police at a certain address at a certain time, in which case I can inquire (but I have to have specific sighting info), all I can tell you is that there was one single-engine aid (low-level medical) response in the 1700 block of Alki around 8:30ish, per the SFD 911 log. West Seattle fire crews were very busy on a variety of calls elsewhere throughout the evening – if it was closer to 6:45, 7, you might have heard the engines responding to the truck/garage fire we covered in Genesee, but that was the only incident of note. The police do not have anything as comprehensive as the SFD log but they do have a time-lagged map of incidents and there is nothing in that area from last night on the map. – TR

Marc August 22, 2012 (3:39 pm)

“my two cents”, I’m the owner of Cactus and I was surprised to see you involve my business in this violence. The article and police report clearly state where these people came from and never once mentioned us so not sure why/how you bring Cactus into this discussion. We weren’t involved in the other incident either–it just happened in the public alley behind our building—long after we closed. Lastly, I’d like to mention that we are a family restaurant and close at 11:00 (on Friday and Saturday, 10:00 the rest of the week) simply so we don’t have to deal with late night shenanigans. We have never had a single issue with violence and we take pride in running an establishment that is purely a value add to the neighborhood—we are the only ones I’ve seen (residents included) who pick up trash on 63rd and Alki Ave.

Cami August 22, 2012 (4:17 pm)

Cactus has been the best addition to Alki in many years and many locals appreciate them. Plan to attend the meeting tonight. Hope other neighbors do as well.

Sorry, comment time is over.