West Seattle Crime Watch: Street robberies; gunfire; car prowls

We noticed several street robberies on the Seattle Police crime reports map for the past week-plus, so we’ve rounded up the reports on those, and details of an incident listed as a “drive-by.” We also have a reader report about car prowls, and altogether, these add up to the West Seattle Crime Watch report ahead:

The information below is all from police reports, and includes all the descriptive information provided in those reports:

FRIDAY HOLDUP: The most recent street robbery listed happened last Friday at California and Dawson south of The Junction (reported around 3:45 am). The two victims told police they were on the sidewalk there, waiting for a friend, when they noticed, according to the report, “two males standing nearby talking about a bus. Suddenly, both approached them. Suspect 1 was an Asian male displaying a silver handgun. Suspect 2 was a black male displaying a black handgun. Suspect 1 stated, give me all your stuff. Suspect 2 began to order them to the ground. Both victims agreed the suspects didn’t appear to have a real good plan as to what to do. Both victims handed over their items and the suspects fled with their belongings,” eastbound on Dawson from California. A K-9 officer helped search but lost the trail at 41st/Dawson.

FRIDAY GUNFIRE: The “drive-by” report explains a report of gunfire on SW Thistle in Westwood Friday night. Police got a call just after 11 pm Friday from someone who “stated he was with a group of juveniles that stated they had just been shot at,” according to the report. They told police they were walking across the street from Chief Sealth International High School when an “older model red Chevy sedan” drove slowly by; the driver nodded at them, they nodded back, and then the driver “reached out of the driver-side window with a silver handgun and fired approximately 3-4 shots at them.” Police found six shell casings and other witnesses who told them more about the car, saying it had “a black bumper-type trim all around the vehicle.” They described the driver as a “Hispanic male in his 20s” who, they said, yelled “What’s up, little homie?” One victim said he “knew the driver was a ‘VL’ gang member.” No one was hurt.

WEDNESDAY ROBBERY: Last Wednesday night, police were called after an Admiral Safeway employee taking a break outside the store was harassed by two suspects asking for a cigarette. After she told each one no, one came back, she said, shoved her from behind, and then stole the pack of cigarettes she had resting on a ledge next to her. She told police she recognized the suspects as frequent shoplifters in the store’s deli. Both were described as black, in their mid-teens, around 6 feet tall, one slim and wearing a black jacket and red/black knit cap, the other stocky and wearing a gray hoodie and black jeans. The report said she was hoping to find them on store surveillance video and provide that to police.

WEDNESDAY ROBBERY ATTEMPT: Just before 2 am last Wednesday morning, police were called to a West Seattle home to take a report about a reported robbery attempt earlier in the evening at a bus stop near Westwood Village. The victim was described as a man with a mental disability who lives with a parent that helped police talk with him about what happened. He said a group of teenagers approached him as he walked near the Westwood McDonald’s and “started talking about taking his wallet,” according to the report. “(The victim) told them not to but one of the teenagers, a white male, told (him) to give him his wallet.” He tried to get away but that teenager hit him in the face, the victim said, before he finally escaped. Police checked the log and did have a report of a “fight” near the bus stop before midnight, with nobody still in the area when they had arrived to check that out. The suspect was described as wearing a white T-shirt and possibly having blonde hair.

TWO APRIL 27TH INCIDENTS: We also noted reports on two April 27th incidents. At about 2 am that day, a Sunday, a man said he was robbed at gunpoint by another man who followed him into his apartment building near 35th and Graham, claiming to be another resident. The robber took his wallet, cell phone and an envelope containing whale-watching tickets he had won in a contest, and then threatened to kill the victim if he called the police. The victim described him as 5-11, Hispanic, 250 pounds, with long black hair, wearing a dark jacket and blue jeans. … Not far away, in the 6300 block of 35th SW, another man had been robbed after midnight, strong-armed by a man he says he often sees at a bus stop in the area and who is usually friendly. This time, the man demanded all his money – which amounted only to $1 – and hit him in the head multiple times. The robber/attacker was described as black, skinny, mid-20s, 6 feet tall, with a “short jerry-curl afro haircut” and dark clothing.

READER REPORT – CAR PROWLS: And finally, from a Highland Park resident on Friday:

I was woken up at 6:45 am by a thoughtful neighbor coming home from the graveyard shift. My Toyota Avalon and my neighbor’s GMC Arcadia were broken into on 13th Ave SW off Kenyon some time last night. No signs of forced entry: no shattered Windows, Windows off tracks, or broken locks, just driverside doors wide open. We keep nothing of value in the vehicles so all that’s missing is my $1 tire pressure gauge. Both were locked, so we’re not sure how they got in.

Police still ask that you report car prowls even if nothing was taken/damaged – you can even do it online.

24 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Street robberies; gunfire; car prowls"

  • B May 5, 2014 (8:16 pm)

    Wow…seems like the latest C.W was a little more serious than normal. Summer starting already?

  • ttt May 5, 2014 (8:59 pm)

    It is scary to read of so many street robberies…and by gunpoint…

  • deb breuler May 5, 2014 (11:50 pm)

    Our mail boxs were all broken into at our townhome. delridge and cloverdale area

  • a_b May 6, 2014 (8:00 am)

    What time of day was the Friday robbery at California & Dawson? And does anyone have advice about how to avoid being a victim?

  • Rick May 6, 2014 (8:02 am)

    Welcome to the new West Seattle normal.

  • Scooterista May 6, 2014 (8:16 am)

    What time of day/night did the Dawson & California attack occur?

    • WSB May 6, 2014 (8:36 am)

      Sorry, it wasn’t in the report so I had to look it up on the police-report map and got sidetracked while doing that. 3:45 am.

  • miws May 6, 2014 (9:40 am)

    a_b, Here’s a link to an SPD page on Personal Safety:

    http://www.seattle.gov/police/prevention/personal/default.htm

    .

    Mike

  • BMC May 6, 2014 (9:49 am)

    Harmless but weird incident at our house. Husband was up watching TV at 11:30 PM. Someone knocked on the front door. He watched and waited until they started down the steps. Then opened the door to talk to 20-something female with a white cat who said it was the street – Admiral – and she thought maybe it lived at our house. hmmm. She was not dressed in running clothes – but appeared “normal”.

  • lola May 6, 2014 (10:18 am)

    Everyone asking about the Calif. & Dawson robbery did you not read what it said? It tells you the exact time that it happened 3:45 AM.

    • WSB May 6, 2014 (11:45 am)

      Lola – I added that after the questions – it wasn’t in here originally – so while sometimes commenters do miss a fact in the story, not the case this time, I got sidetracked while tracking that down before publishing this last night, sorry -Tracy

  • 56bricks May 6, 2014 (10:30 am)

    I carry a gun since I can’t carry a cop.

  • WMF May 6, 2014 (12:27 pm)

    We need Paul Kersey.

  • BJ May 6, 2014 (2:54 pm)

    @ deb breuler – Mailboxes got broken into at our apartment building at DRidge & Trenton this past weekend. Sounds they were scouring the neighborhood….

  • rob j May 6, 2014 (3:42 pm)

    OK: nothing good happens after 3am. Not to minimize the seriousness of armed robbery, but I’m just saying.

    this still is a major city, as much as we like to think we’re relatively free from violent crime compared to other similar cities.

    What i’m really concerned about is the rise of major national gang franchise activity. Vice Lords? Bloods? I saw a Blood strutting downtown in full outfit, at 3rd and Pine around midnight on a Thursday a couple weeks ago, daring people to look at him. Little snotnosed kid couldn’t have been more than 12 years old.

    What the heck is SPD doing about this?

  • A May 7, 2014 (12:01 am)

    rob j – what can SPD do? They’ve got federal oversight, and all the perps or wannabes have their ‘rights’. If someone looks like trouble, you cant profile, judge, or act like anything is amiss. SPD can’t fight lawsuits 24/7.

    It’s a societal problem, and goes way beyond SPD. As long as the masses are cowed into inaction and PC non-judgement (until something happens) these thugs will continue to exist and only get bolder. The bottom line is the law-abiding public is intimidated. And even if SPD gets them, the judicial branch seems to be quite sympathetic to the plight of the perps – even the frequently repeating ones.

  • SimJ May 7, 2014 (8:41 pm)

    The crime reports that come in repeatedly give the same physical description, month after month. How hard can it be to find these guys?

  • LL May 7, 2014 (9:57 pm)

    Westwood Village and all surrounding….LOTS of crime since that bus station went in.

  • Receiptsa May 8, 2014 (12:50 pm)

    I’m glad to see A advocating for a fascist state where the executive branch (the police) are not held accountable by an independent judiciary, but instead can act out their violence on anyone who they deem a “thug.” With our nation’s history of violence directed at members of the underclass, the disenfranchised, and people of color, what could go wrong? Brilliant thinking A!

  • Sammy Bellstar May 8, 2014 (1:31 pm)

    Recieptsa – You might want to look up what fascism is, because I’m pretty sure you are not using it correctly here. A lot of hyperbole in response to A’s comment, no?
    .
    I think what A was getting at is that the police are playing it very conservatively these days due to the Dept. of Justice’s investigations – allowing criminals to seemingly get the upper hand. I have family on the force and have heard it stated that, “The SPD has pretty much been reduced to reactive policing instead of a mix of proactive and reactive”. I don’t advocate brutality, etc, but the police also need to be able to do their job. It’s a fine line.

  • Receiptsa May 8, 2014 (3:40 pm)

    @Sammy – I intentionally used the term fascism. If you look at examples from history of fascist states, i.e. Spain, Germany, Italy, you find that the executive powers were consolidated and unchallenged by other institutions, namely the judiciary or legislative institutions. The police are an extension of executive power.

    The DOJ oversight is due to Seattle PD’s unconstitutional use of force. From the DOJ’s website: On March 31, 2011, we opened an investigation of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) pursuant to the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.We found that SPD has engaged in a pattern or practice of excessive force that violates the Constitution and federal law.

    There are plenty of effective police departments that are not under DOJ’s oversight — because they did not have a pattern of engaging in excessive force. By implication you are arguing that the police need to use excessive force to be effective enforcers of the law. To the contrary, their very actions contravened the rule of law, namely violating the due process and equal protection rights of citizens. Other than in far right wing circles, I don’t know any rational person who would put the police above the accountability of law. I don’t think any rational person would say the police need to employ excessive and unconstitutional force to protect and serve our community. It says a lot that your family member who is on the force blames the DOJ rather than accepting responsibility for being in this situation in the first place.

  • A May 8, 2014 (10:31 pm)

    Receiptsa, please reread my post – I said nothing about violence, the disenfranchised, thugs, or people of color. That is all conjecture on your part, and very confusing.

  • A May 8, 2014 (10:38 pm)

    And would your description of a ‘person of color’ include a freckled red-headed Irish kid?

  • Receiptsa May 9, 2014 (7:35 pm)

    A, I’ve copied your comment since you have a selective memory:

    “rob j – what can SPD do? They’ve got federal oversight, and all the perps or wannabes have their ‘rights’. If someone looks like trouble, you cant profile, judge, or act like anything is amiss. SPD can’t fight lawsuits 24/7.
    It’s a societal problem, and goes way beyond SPD. As long as the masses are cowed into inaction and PC non-judgement (until something happens) these thugs will continue to exist and only get bolder. The bottom line is the law-abiding public is intimidated. And even if SPD gets them, the judicial branch seems to be quite sympathetic to the plight of the perps – even the frequently repeating ones.”

    You bemoan the fact that the “perps or wannabes have rights,” and then half articulate some indictment of PC as being the cause of SPD’s ineffectiveness. I happen to applaud the constitution’s protections for all which entitle everyone to due process and equal protection under the law. You seem to advocate for a country in which suspicion equals guilt and appearance warrants intrusion. Thank god we have a judiciary that upholds our constitutional rights as opposed to, as you suggest, a reactionary rule of law. As for your comment thay the judiciary is too lenient on offenders: we have the highest incarceration rate in the world, and some of the stiffest sentences for non-violent crimes. But admitting that would require you to acknowledge fact instead of your pre-determined myopic worldview.

Sorry, comment time is over.