By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog

This edition of the WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled in the past several weeks by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases 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?”

*Apparently unhappy at seeing a flatbed repo truck pull up in front of her house in the 3500 block of SW 98th, a woman ran outside, jumped into the car, started it up, gunned it, and drove straight into the repo-company employee. The victim landed on the hood of the car, which went another twenty feet before the driver braked abruptly, dumped the “passenger” to the cement, and drove off. Although she suffered abrasions, the victim declined medical attention.

*An alert officer at Westwood Village recognized a woman who matched someone wanted on a $100,000 felony hit and run warrant. He called for backup and monitored her activities (which included trying to claim freshly stolen items as “returns without receipts” at one store). A records check showed that the woman (under an alias) also had more than $3,000 in theft warrants and a $20,000 warrant (under a second alias) for trespassing. While police were processing her at the scene, another store reported a woman of her description had stolen items that afternoon. The 34-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail on the warrants and for investigation of the other incidents.

Five other summaries ahead – including a call that came down to a single word:

*A citizen called 911 early on the 23rd to report that he was watching someone who had broken into his car, which was parked in the driveway of a home in the 3800 block of SW Olga. As officers arrived, they saw a man matching the suspect description; he took off running through a back yard of a nearby home. He didn’t get far and was placed under arrest. He provided a written and signed statement to officers and was released from the SW Precinct.

*Late on the 23rd, a man wandering along near 63rd and Alki began to watch an officer. He then began to walk around the patrol car, staring. When he approached the door, the officer got out to talk to him. “I want to kill someone,” the man said. “I’m thinking about killing you.” Since the man didn’t seem to have the means to carry out his threat, the officer detained him in the back of the patrol car until an ambulance could transport him to Harborview for a mental evaluation.

*On the 28th, a man known to officers for living under the Admiral Way bridge was spotted and reported as “suspicious” — likely because he was wrapped in a black sheet and walking through the alley and a yard near Belvidere and SW Grayson. He was cooperative and explained that he was just passing though, and that he had used one yard as a shortcut. There were no signs of a break-in in the area. Officers did confiscate his 8-inch knife.

*A 24-year-old with known mental issues was taken to Harborview for an involuntary mental-health exam after he ran (dripping wet and shoeless), yelling, through Lincoln Park and then to a nearby home, where he ran onto a deck (and then a roof), screaming that someone was after him with a knife.

*Officers were dispatched to a Highland Park residence for a disturbance on the 22nd. A man reported that visitors in a neighboring home had used the F word in his direction and that he wouldn’t put up with such a criminal verbal assault. The officer explained that, while rude, the use of the epithet did not fall under the category of a crime. “But you can’t say it on TV,” replied the victim. The officer then pointed out that the Federal Communications Commission monitored such matters but that officers had less leeway to enforce. Declaring that the F word was “gang slang,” the victim demanded that the incident be documented.

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EDITOR’S NOTES: Remember, the CRISIS CLINIC hotline is a resource for those in crisis, including thoughts or acts of self-harm, or trying to find help for someone in crisis: 206.461.3222 … Previous WSBeat roundups are archived here. We also publish crime reports when we get tips or otherwise hear about noteworthy incidents – they don’t all turn up on the scanner, so please don’t be shy about letting us know when you see/hear something happening = calling or texting 206-293-6302 is the best way.