Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports and an FYI: First, from Kevin, a prowler spotted early this morning:
I’ve called 911 to report it, but wanted to let you know as well in case anyone else in the neighborhood saw or heard anything.
About 6:45 this morning, I heard someone talking outside that seemed too loud to be coming from the street or sidewalk. I got up in time to see a guy just outside my window walking along the edge of the house to the side gate. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and backpack and carrying what appeared to be a metal rod of some sort.
Our house sits on an upslope. He had to climb the hill from the sidewalk to get that close to the house so it was deliberate. I saw him glance in the basement window which is covered by blinds and also check the gate but couldn’t tell if he tried to open it. He then headed to 29th where I lost sight of him but appeared to go south from there.
I did see a patrol car drive by less than 5 minutes after I called 911. This happened at 28th and Webster.
Next, Rich shared a quick video clip of suspected car prowlers in his neighborhood:
Having been a victim of mail theft 3 weeks ago, a car break-in, purse theft and expensive shopping spree 11 months ago, and a car theft 3 years ago, I finally got around to installing a security camera system on my home (6700 block of Murray Ave SW, a poorly lit street). Sunday afternoon, I noticed an empty Coors Light beer bottle in my driveway. I wondered who would have tossed it and checked to see what was recorded. (The) front camera captured images of 10 teen boys prowling cars on my street at 2:30 am Sunday. One is riding a bike and drinking a beer (which he later tosses in my yard). The bike in question appears to have a headlight on it, and looks an awful lot like John‘s stolen Townie Electra in (this WSB post).
I told my neighbor that I had film of her car being prowled, and was informed that it had in fact been broken into, contents rifled, and that the registration and other papers found in the bushes down the street. I would have figured it was a lone prowler or maybe two… but a pack of 10? Knowing this, readers could be on the lookout for suspiciously large packs of teens out late at night, and if they see this type of activity, call the police straight away to investigate.
The :11 above represents the only usable video Rich recovered, but he has since upgraded and tweaked the system so any future visuals will be more extensive.
Third, an FYI: Someone asked via text if repeat offender Ryan Cox is out of jail; they thought they had seen him at Lincoln Park. We checked the jail register and indeed, his most recent sentence expired on Thursday, and he was set free after almost four months. The circumstances were somewhat complicated, as detailed here.
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