WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire reports; followups in car-prowl and auto-theft cases

| Crime | West Seattle news

In West Seattle Crime Watch, a call working right now, plus two followups:

GUNFIRE REPORTS: Police are responding right now to reports of gunfire heard near 17th and Henderson, and further east. If you heard it too, be sure to call 911, since that helps them trace the location.

Meantime, two followups:

CAR-PROWL SUSPECT OUT OF JAIL: The 37-year-old man arrested in Fauntlee Hills early yesterday after watchful neighbors called 911 got out of jail tonight. We’re not identifying him since he hasn’t been charged, but the King County Jail Register listed this as his sixth time in jail in the past 11 months, and Superior Court records show that he has an extensive criminal history, going back into his teens. We don’t know who the judge was or why s/he set the suspect free, only that the jail register says he got out on “conditional release” at 7:07 tonight. This doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be charged, so we’ll keep watching the case.

AUTO THEFT x 2: Back on Monday night, we covered the police search for two men who ran off after abandoning a stolen Subaru wagon on Beach Drive SW. Neither was found, but we’ve learned that they dumped another stolen vehicle before taking the Subaru. First clue came when J e-mailed us this photo that night, saying it was a stolen pickup, according to the tow truck driver:

That was in the 4000 block of California SW, which is also where police had told us the Subaru was taken. Today we finally got the police report narratives, which confirmed that the two men who took the Subaru had left the Chevy pickup behind at the scene. The report added that police spotted the stolen Subaru headed northbound on Fauntleroy Way past Lincoln Park while the responding officer was still talking with its owner. Then the two ditched it on Beach Drive (shaved keys were found in the ignition and dropped near the vehicle, the report says). As for where the pickup truck was stolen – all we know is that it’s described in the police report as a King County Sheriff’s Office case.

flimflam June 2, 2017 (5:33 am)

6 times in jail in less than a year but released? what the heck is going on here?

Sickofit June 2, 2017 (10:37 am)

Seattle’s Catch and Release program is alive and well…

Double Dub Resident June 2, 2017 (7:51 am)

What’s the deal with 16th/17th and Henderson? I’ve seen it on the blog quite a few times. I’ve also spoken with an officer who worked that area some years ago who talked about that specific area

WSB June 2, 2017 (7:59 am)

That’s where it was reported to have been heard but I don’t know if that’s where whatever happened, happened … there were also reports from elsewhere. I haven’t checked yet to see what if anything was found.

Darryll June 2, 2017 (8:15 am)

I called in the shots fired last night. It sounded like it was a ways east of my house,, not actually near me.

wscommuter June 2, 2017 (9:48 am)

@Flimflam … knowing nothing about this case except what WSB reports … I’d be willing to bet he has been repeatedly arrested for low-level crimes such as this vehicle prowl. The hard truth is that we don’t have enough jail space or funding for jail-related costs to keep in the low-level repeat offenders. So the judges have no choice but to grant low bail and/or release on promise to appear in court.

If you don’t like this reality, talk to your elected officials who tax and appropriate money to pay for such things. Vote for higher taxes to pay for these services. Just don’t be anti-government and vote against the taxes necessary to fund law enforcement/jail/court/prosecution/public defense resources. And don’t blame judges who have to play the hand they are dealt.

WSB June 2, 2017 (10:20 am)

I got the superform from yesterday’s appearance and one interesting thing, the checkbox where it says “does law enforcement object to release” – it’s not always checked “yes” but in this case it was. And yes, what I’ve seen on his record so far is mostly property crime, will be looking some more later.

WestCake June 2, 2017 (11:01 am)

WSCommuter, where did you learn all that? How did you figure such things out???!?!

Cerutta June 2, 2017 (12:29 pm)

I moved from West Seattle to North Seattle months ago. Worlds apart on the crime front from one neighborhood to another. While I miss the restaurant/walking scene in the Junction, I can surely say that I sleep far better at night in a far safer neighborhood. I spent 20 years in the West Seattle neighborhood and can say the transition from feeling safe to being a victim of crime (twice robbed) was the primary factor for my move. I wouldn’t recommend West Seattle to anyone wanting a livable and safe neighborhood any longer. The crime stats are now through the roof compared with a multitude of safer neighborhoods around Seattle. Best of luck to all of my old friends still locking up everything tight and no longer sleeping well at night. Summer is coming and with it, yet higher crime rates.

Alan June 4, 2017 (11:10 am)

I am in the process of moving out of West Seattle but still love it here. We have our own reasons for moving and we are in fact leaving Seattle for a rural setting because we are retired and so we can. I hope that I never come back to WSB to try and make it sound like I’ve moved to a better place. I sleep just fine here.

CM June 2, 2017 (7:28 pm)

I moved from Phinney Ridge to West Seattle 5 years ago.

I saw much worse there than I’ve seen here – so far.

M June 4, 2017 (9:40 am)

I had 2 registered sex offenders living across the street from me when I lived in Phinney Ridge. Our individual experiences do not complete the whole story.

Theresa - Highland Park June 5, 2017 (9:32 am)

We moved here from north Seattle, Greenwood and 130th. There were more used syringes and condoms in our neighborhood than you could shake a stick at. I would see them nearly every day when I walked the dog. Less gun fire up there though, although living outside West Seattle means you don’t have the WSB keeping you well informed.

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