West Seattle Crime Watch: Pellet shooting in park; car stolen by wheel-swapper(s); more

In tonight’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup:

PELLET-GUN SHOOTING IN LINCOLN PARK: The victim e-mailed us tonight with this report:

As I was jogging in Lincoln Park on Friday, September 30th, around 5:15 pm, I was heading downhill on the the trail directly above Colman Pool. I felt a sharp stinging pain in my chest, and realized I had just been shot with something! I saw two Caucasian boys, in their early teens, hiding in the brush above the trail. As I went towards them, they tried to hide themselves with their shirts and ran off! When I got home, I found the pellet in my shirt and the pellet had broken the skin. Just wanted to get the word out! Be aware!

CAR STOLEN IN GATEWOOD: From Melissa: “We had our white 2000 Honda CR-V, WA plate ASK3577, stolen from the front of our home. It did have a club attached to the wheel; officer said thieves come with their own wheel and swap it out. If anyone sees the vehicle, please call the police.”

PLEA BARGAIN FOR REPEAT OFFENDER: In July, we reported on Taylor Church, a 26-year-old repeat property-crime offender arrested for prowling in Highland Park/South Delridge and then charged with burglary. Checking online records, we found that Church had reached a plea bargain and was sentenced on Friday afternoon. She pleaded guilty to residential burglary for a July break-in in the 9000 block of 17th SW. And she pleaded guilty to a drug violation from a May incident in which court documents say she was found in a community-center bathroom in Tukwila trying to inject heroin. Superior Court Judge William Downing sentenced her to time served – almost three months – plus the residential version of the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative, which she is expected to begin on Monday – three to six months of residential treatment. It will be followed by two years of “community custody” (probation).

15 Replies to "West Seattle Crime Watch: Pellet shooting in park; car stolen by wheel-swapper(s); more"

  • Westgirl October 1, 2016 (9:52 pm)

    Wow, any ideas on how many CRV’s have been stolen lately? We have one and that makes me pretty nervous.

    • WSB October 1, 2016 (10:01 pm)

      It doesn’t break out geographically (maddeningly, still) but for an idea citywide, you can look at SPD’s stolen-car Twitter feed @getyourcarback – http://twitter.com/getyourcarback

      • Westgirl October 1, 2016 (11:25 pm)

        Ok thanks! I counted 8 CRV’s just for the month of September. I just recall seeing multiple  posts on WSB about CRV’s being stolen. 

  • Mike October 2, 2016 (12:55 am)

    Hopefully the parents of those boys shooting people with the pellet guns will read this.  That is assault with a weapon.  If they did that to somebody carrying a 9mm side arm, they could have ended up with a 9mm nailing them in the chest in return, to which we’d be reading a far different story in WSB.  Get a damn grip on your kids, people.

  • Egigik October 2, 2016 (3:29 am)

    More people equals more crime.

  • Vanessa October 2, 2016 (10:48 am)

    I can’t believe there are more comments about cars, albeit only 4, that is more than a person being shot in the chest with a pellet gun, while walking in the middle of the day, on a trail above  Coleman Pool in our beloved Lincoln Park.  

    I am beyond sorry that this happened to you. Will you feel safe enough ever again, to take a walk in the park?  

    I am heart sick this morning trying to respond here….

  • ScubaFrog October 2, 2016 (1:09 pm)

    Today’s pellet guns are extremely powerful.  They can kill you.  I’d expect any concealed carrier to return fire, frankly.  I would – knowing how powerful modern pellet guns can be.

    As far as car theft?  Sadly it’ll remain that way, until the SPD and our judges start taking car theft seriously.  Bait cars have been employed by other states in their battle against car theft – and it’s worked (by incarcerating the most egregious offenders).

    But the SPD has other priorities, like spending 10’s of millions of dollars on a new luxury precinct in the north end.  Certainly not hiring more officers that we’re in dire need of.

    • Mike October 2, 2016 (4:32 pm)

      Sawant is the one moving to block all increases in SPD officer staffing.  Go after her first and foremost.

  • Pops October 2, 2016 (1:52 pm)

    Kids shooting people like that is a big red flag. I’d be worried about future anti social behavior (serial crime perpetrators).

  • SeaVieu October 2, 2016 (4:12 pm)

    I’m so very sorry to hear about the shooting and hope the individual involved is doing ok. Years ago I was shot with an air rifle by a random stranger and it’s a horrible experience. It shouldn’t happen in Central America, where I was at the time, and it certainly shouldn’t in our treasure of a park.

  • WestCake October 3, 2016 (1:13 am)

    Is there a police report for a man being shot with a pellet gun?

    If the next person gets shot in say, I don’t know, they eye, do you feel any sort of obligation to reported such an assault to the authorities? Curious why that person contacted the local blog but not the police.

    • WSB October 3, 2016 (1:26 am)

      Yes, it has been reported to the police (we always ask people who send reader reports, if they don’t mention it in their first note). You’ll find the incident # in Tweets by Beat.

  • Jw October 3, 2016 (10:20 am)
    • Any adult that suggests that shooting a child is a reasonable response should not be allowed to own a gun. 
    • Is shooting someone with a pellet gun terrible? Yes. Should you be killed for it? Probably not. 
    • newnative October 3, 2016 (2:05 pm)

      I don’t know if you’ve ever had a BB gun pointed at you but it sure feels threatening and we know that cops won’t think twice of shooting a child with a bb gun.

  • WSince86 October 3, 2016 (1:34 pm)

    Many years ago my son and dog were shot with a pellet gun just down the block from our house. At that time,  SPD took it very seriously and ended up finding the gun but not the perpetrators.  It was very scary for a 10 year old .  

    JW- I don’t think the commenter was advocating shooting children, simply pointing out that if an armed person was shot at by unknown persons hiding in the woods and returned fire, those unknown persons would have been in danger of being severely injured be they a child or adult. Makes sense.  

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