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Home-invasion robbers in Highland Park awaken woman, steal car

April 10, 2013 11:13 am
|      45 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news

Police are looking for three men who they say kicked in the door of a Highland Park residence this morning, overpowered the woman who was asleep inside, and robbed her of items including her car. They say it happened around 7 am in the 7900 block of 9th SW (map). The robbers are described only as “three young black males, light-skinned”; they demanded the woman’s car keys and made off with her purse and some cash as well as her 2006 white 4-door Chevrolet Malibu, which has a magnetic cat’s-paw print on the passenger-side door. The robbers did not show a weapon, police say, and the victim was not seriously hurt, but did suffer a bloody nose because one of them put his hand over her face to keep her from screaming. She ran out of the house right after they left and saw them driving away in her car; police were nearby and say they arrived quickly but were not able to find it. If you see the car, call 911.

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45 Replies to "Home-invasion robbers in Highland Park awaken woman, steal car"

  • datamuse April 10, 2013 (11:40 am)

    Wow. That is messed up. I’m glad she wasn’t badly hurt! Scary. :(

  • Eileen April 10, 2013 (12:00 pm)

    That poor lady. Beyond brazen to break in at 7 am in broad daylight. I wish they had been greeted by an attack dog, alarm, or gun. My tolerance for these cowardly creeps is at an all-time low. Keep your eyes out for her car!

  • joel April 10, 2013 (12:07 pm)

    7 am on a Wednesday morning. crazy stuff. what do these hoodlums have planned for the weekend?

    but when you don’t work or go to school or contribute to society in a positive way it’s a saturday night 24/7 in the hood.

  • Norma April 10, 2013 (12:09 pm)

    So sorry this happened to her. These guys need to be stopped. Good luck to the authorities trying to catch them.

  • Andi April 10, 2013 (12:11 pm)

    That is far too close to my parent’s house. D: I will pass along the info so they can keep an eye out.

  • lord help us April 10, 2013 (12:13 pm)

    Nice

  • LuckyNeighbor April 10, 2013 (12:30 pm)

    I am so sorry, Neighbor. May they catch these jerks quickly.

  • GlitterHips April 10, 2013 (12:40 pm)

    frightening :-\ So glad she wasn’t hurt. Will keep an eye out for the car.

  • Jb April 10, 2013 (12:51 pm)

    Just read an article which suggested to put your car keys by your bed at night and if something like this happens, hit the panic button. Sorta like having a cheap burglar alarm. The noise most likely will send your unwanted pests running away.

  • TanyaR23 April 10, 2013 (1:00 pm)

    This is alarming and I feel very disturbed and less safe in my neighborhood too.

  • stephanie April 10, 2013 (1:00 pm)

    Jesus, that is two houses away from my wife and I. Glad she is okay.

  • Sarah April 10, 2013 (1:01 pm)

    Seriously? WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!

  • stephanie April 10, 2013 (1:05 pm)

    please keep us up to date on any other info.

  • brandon April 10, 2013 (1:15 pm)

    this thing makes me disgusted with society, sometimes the hermits have the right idea. @JD thats a worthwhile idea, I will have to try it, anything to keep my family safe.

  • Raven April 10, 2013 (1:19 pm)

    I am a law abiding, licensed to carry citizen. I live near the corner of 9th and Holden. I find it VERY unfortunate that scumbags like this aren’t SHOT more often. Thank goodness this woman was not beaten raped or killed. I hope these guys get shot next time they try to rob someone. I promise I keep my 1911 .45 loaded at all times in my home and on my person.

  • T Rex April 10, 2013 (1:59 pm)

    Good Lord, I am guessing she knew one of them and they knew she was alone.

    Wonder of any cameras could have picked them up?

    Raven, high five. It is coming to that isn’t it?

  • HPRez April 10, 2013 (2:35 pm)

    Wasn’t there another incident a year or so ago in the same area where a woman was tied up during a similarly brazen and random attack?

  • rico April 10, 2013 (2:45 pm)

    Sure wish there were more armed folks like Raven willing to help out society. I don’t personally own firearms, but sure wish more victins did.

    Raven, maybe you can create a desirable home for a thief as a lure so to speak and take care of business. Place a bunch of electronic boxes out front for a while or something.

  • West Seattle Hipster April 10, 2013 (2:56 pm)

    Jb, good tip on posting the car alarm remote next to the bed.

  • highlandpark April 10, 2013 (4:17 pm)

    How very frightening for this woman. Also, a good reminder to strengthen your doors and make them harder to kick in:
    https://westseattleblog.com/2012/12/west-seattle-crime-watch-spds-burglary-prevention-advice

  • westseattlecodger April 10, 2013 (5:02 pm)

    Rico, chill. What you’re suggessting could be called entrapment and may not be a good idea. Hold down the shoot-em-up rhetoric please. Raven, I fully support your feelings about self defense but keep in mind the consequences of any shooting. Stay safe, be on gaurd but don’t try to draw possible miscreants into an ambush.

  • Kay April 10, 2013 (5:37 pm)

    Should be an automatic death penalty for ANY home invasion, and any third burglary or drug crime, with NO taxpayer attorneys for constant appeals.

    We have had tens of thousands stolen from us by drug addicts who we live in fear of, with our house barricaded, alarms, mace at hand. (and the police do NOTHING, and the JUDGES are worse! Violent repeat criminals are out on the street faster than their victims heal with better care in jail than our elderly and children get!)

    I am loading the shotgun today. Thanks, Joe Biden for your support.

    And they want to take OUR guns away!

  • dsa April 10, 2013 (6:11 pm)

    I know my home burglar alarm will go off as soon as any house door or window is opened.

  • AJ April 10, 2013 (6:48 pm)

    Codger, while I do agree that Rico’s idea could have legal ramifications as far as premeditation goes, it wouldn’t be entrapment any more than a police bait car would. I would be more than supportive if the Seattle Police were to carry out a sting like that.

    That being said, any homeowner (as in the case with this defenseless woman) should have no qualms about ending the lives of those who break into their home and wish to harm them. She is lucky they only robbed her of her possessions and nothing more.

  • kam April 10, 2013 (6:51 pm)

    I am with you raven its sad but the way things have got in west Seattle. I carry a gun every time I leave my apartment and have a shot gun ready for them at home. I will not let them make me or my neighbors a victim to their crimes.

  • Seetoencel April 10, 2013 (7:00 pm)

    I’m with Kam it’s a shame the west has come to this. Carry legal and protect love ones never leave home with out mine.

  • rico April 10, 2013 (7:49 pm)

    Codger, you are wise to point out the legal issues associated with the idea of a “bait house”. No doubt a tenuous thought I proposed (legally speaking), particularly in the state of WA.

    That being said, at some point the pendulum begins to swing when the community believes that the “legal” system is failing to protect them adequately from damn near everyday crimes, and things happen to rectify the situation.

    The pendulum needs to take a serious swing.

    We all know it! (well most anyways)

    But similar to war and sewage, few want to be involved in the details of actually doing something, for all sorts of legitimate and rational reasons.

    I am quite chilled codger, but have no problem with others “icing” these $#$#(insert your own derogatory term here). Sympathy for human kind in general needs to replaced with sympathy for thy neighbor and fellow upstanding citizen.

    And I have no doubt the American public would love the new weekly TV series “bait house”.

  • Neighbor April 10, 2013 (8:23 pm)

    Kay, no one wants to take your guns away. Stop believing the NRA propaganda.

  • LuckyNeighbor April 10, 2013 (8:38 pm)

    Yes, that’s all we need, for everyone to walk around armed. We will all feel so much safer — ?!?

    As for me, there is plenty we can do to our homes to make them less appealing to these jerks…outdoor motion lighting, reinforced doors, large thorny shrubs beneath windows, trained personal canine unit…

  • kam April 10, 2013 (9:05 pm)

    Hay luckyneigbor none of those things you mention will stop a armed criminal. But I will! That being said I hope all these things work for you and you never feel a need for a gun. I do and I am not happy about it! But the bad economy is changing things.Not a enough money for police and more desperate criminals.

  • Young Lino April 10, 2013 (9:11 pm)

    @neighbor seriously? NRA propaganda? So fienstein is fake? Bloomberg is fake? The city of Austin is fake? Get off the network news? Being armed is the way to go. You might not believe in God that’s your choice. You may not believe in guns that is your right.. But when the shtf the two things you’ll do is 1.call someone with a gun and 2. Pray they get there in time! -watch out for each other it’s our community.

  • m April 10, 2013 (10:20 pm)

    @ Kay…”automatic death penalty” with no legal representation?! Not the kind of country in which I want to live.

  • jc April 10, 2013 (11:43 pm)

    Watch out for a grey Celica (mid to late ’90’s) riding on a spare tire with 2 white guys, one rocking cornrows. They strolled the back alley of our house super slowly, pointing at houses, stopping at some. I live in Highland Park.

    6 months ago someone tried to break in at 10 pm on a weekend. They turned all the light bulbs outside and managed to unlock the doorknob on 3 doors, but not the dead bolts. Pretty balsy.

    I think it’s a matter of time before someone breaks in ’cause they definitely don’t care if the time of day or if someone is inside.

  • DiverLaura April 11, 2013 (2:21 am)

    We had a guy case our house a couple weeks back, it was a bit after the post about the people posing as meter readers. White guy in a reflective vest / meter reader looking outfit. Came though our back gate, was greeted by our very barky growly dog when my boyfriend let her out – she was barking to go ‘out’ because she’d seen an ‘intruder’, he didn’t notice guy out there. The guy said ‘oh, well, there was a fence in front so i couldn’t get to your meter’ when I asked what was going on and recommended he touch base with home-owners before entering gated back yards. It wasn’t until I was doing yard work on that side of the house later on that i realized there was no meter to be read on that side of house (our meters are very visible on the other side, not fenced side of the house).

    Anyhow, after the fact I’m very glad that our dog didn’t like him, since at the time i didn’t give it a second thought.

    Just posting as a reminder that the casing is often done separately and you (like me) may not even be aware of it. I feel stupid after the fact for not looking closer for a name badge and also for not snapping a picture of him with my iphone (after i’d shoo’d the dog inside)

    we live down down by whale tail park.

  • phil dirt April 11, 2013 (7:45 am)

    As the economy worsens there will be more crime like the Highland Park home invasion. Those of you who are not afraid of guns should get one while you can. Kay is correct, there is nothing the anti- gun people in this country would like more than to totally disarm the American public. If you aren’t already familiar with guns, in terms of the law and safety, GET TRAINING. There is no substitute for having a gun, if and when you really need one. I speak from experience.
    Neighbor……. you are either badly misinformed or you haven’t been paying much attention. As young Lino said, Feinstein, Obama, Biden, Bloomberg and countless others are totally dedicated to destroying our Second Amendment rights, no matter what they say. If not for the NRA, they would have already done so.

  • bestbets April 11, 2013 (8:43 am)

    After reading these comments, I feel safer in my home – sounds like a lot of people in West Seattle are just itching to act as judge, jury and executioner to anyone they think might break the law! Most people in West Seattle I believe however, have cooler heads. Best wishes to the woman who was attacked – horrible! Hope the police catch the perpetrators.

  • Arm April 11, 2013 (10:30 am)

    I enjoy walking through my community regardless of projected fears from crime paranoid individuals. Its sad things like this happen but its even more disturbing that people are so quick to judge and condemn. I have most likely often been seen as a “suspicious person” while walking black through the “wrong” nieghborhood. But I like to think most people in West Seattle are more evolved.
    Crime needs to be stopped but so do these racist trigger-happy countermeasures. We have enough young blacks killed by cops that were not armed and did not recieve a warning before being murdered.

  • anti-obstruction April 11, 2013 (11:32 am)

    Criminals on one side, vigilantes on the other.

  • Andy April 11, 2013 (1:45 pm)

    Please, stop with the race-baiting. No one has brought up race except except the victim who reported that she was apparently attacked by “three young black males, light-skinned.” Crime is crime.

  • West Seattle Hipster April 11, 2013 (6:29 pm)

    Economy worsens? Granted, it was much better during the Clinton years but I think President Obama has done a remarkable job cleaning up the mess he inherited.

    The vigilante thoughts amuse me. Many folks watch the old Clint Eastwood and Charlie Bronson films and fantasize about what they would do when confronted by crime. Reality is usually different than what Hollywood portrays.

  • arm April 11, 2013 (7:08 pm)

    truth is truth…sometimes it hurts.

  • Cascadianone April 12, 2013 (5:59 am)

    We are heavily armed and sick of it here at my house, too. I carry everywhere. Crime may be down, but if it kicks in my door it’s gonna be deceased. These violent thugs don’t scare me one bit, do you really think pacifists and legalists can stay my hand? I’ll do the right thing in the moment and take my chances with the bleeding-heart apologists after.

  • arm April 12, 2013 (9:10 pm)

    So violence and hate speech is ok but mention race-related truths and thats too much to accept? Being triggered by such comments, that were not directed toward anyone here, proves it as a shadow to explore rather than deny.
    We are all responsible for people feeling included in the community. Those seen as thugs didn’t get like that on their own and don’t deserve a death sentence for reacting to systemic racism, internalized disdain and disregard. We are all responsible and have the power to choose cooperation, compassion, and peace.

    • WSB April 13, 2013 (9:49 am)

      And on that note, given the number of rule-breaking comments we’ve had to decline to approve, this thread is closed. If there is new information about the case, we will publish a separate update. – Tracy

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