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?”

*At least one West Seattle business has been struck by the “pay the overdue power bill” scam going around the city. Luckily, the employee became suspicious and called City Light, which confirmed that the company’s bills were up to date and that no payment was necessary (especially to a third party pretending to be a collector).

*On Monday the 2nd, 911 received a call about a man pointing a gun at someone in the 4500 block of Delridge Way. The suspect car was stopped and positively identified in the 6000 block. The driver claimed the incident was the result of road rage — that he had been cut off and “forced to stop” back at the West Seattle Bridge. He also admitted that there was a gun in the car. His passenger was ID’d as the one pointing the gun; his passenger was also his son … and a convicted felon. The 41-year-old Westwood-area resident was booked into King County Jail for investigation of firearms violations.

Five more summaries ahead:

*On the 3rd, officers were provided a description of suspects and (their car) in the theft of a lawn mower from a Highland Park yard. On a hunch the officers drove to the nearest place that might buy yard equipment: a local pawn shop. In the parking lot was a car matching the suspect vehicle. It was owned by a man known to officers for weapons and burglary violations, and he and a friend were seen tinkering with a lawn mower on site. Both men were identified and booked into King County Jail.

*An Alki man ran into a coffee store at the beach on Monday afternoon, screaming that a motorcycle gang was after him. He ended up in an employee-only area, along with his large dog, hiding and waving a broom. After shoving and assaulting employees, he was met by officers. He didn’t want to be seen and, when placed in the patrol car he ducked down. Medics couldn’t evaluate him, and after being placed in handcuffs he tried to run away. Trespassed from the coffee shop, he was transported to the hospital for a mental evaluation. The dog was returned to his mother, who said that her son had not been sleeping well and had been acting paranoid.

*On the 2nd, two acquaintances checked on an elderly Alki woman they’d been unable to contact. Firefighters were called to the scene and were able to speak to her through the door: She had fallen and couldn’t get up. At her request, they broke down the door to assist. She was confused and needed treatment for bed sores and bruising and was transported to the hospital for treatment.

*Saturday afternoon, at a residence on 32nd SW, two friends were enjoying the day; one with a beer and one with a couple of marijuana cigarettes. At one point, the smoker went inside the house, and the friend heard a “thunk.” Racing inside, he found his friend on the floor, unresponsive, with his tongue hanging out of his mouth. When medics arrived the victim became combative and had to be held to the ground to be treated. Officers recovered the marijuana cigarettes, which the victim’s friend believes might have been laced with a narcotic of some type.

*Child Protective Services requested officers accompany their agents in removing three juveniles from their mother’s home. (She had not been participating in her mandatory substance abuse treatment.) Only the youngest child, aged 7, was home. Mom explained that the other two, 15 and 12, had run away to California and the she had already reported them as missing.

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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.