WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Bat-wielding resident chases fence-climbing intruder

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

A 32-year-old man is in jail today after a resident caught him trying to climb into his patio near California/Charlestown late last night. We requested and obtained the report, which says police got the call around 11:23 pm. Police arrived to find the victim following the suspect, with a baseball bat, southbound on California. Officers detained both until they sorted out what had happened. The victim explained that his dog alerted him to noise on the back patio; he said he walked out to find the suspect halfway over the fence. First he grabbed “a pellet gun resembling a rifle” and pointed it at the suspect, who he said dared him to shoot and then threatened to burn the house down. The suspect kept yelling and took off. When stopped, he claimed to police that he had had “a rough day,” had been in the alley collecting trash, and was just trying to get back to California SW to head toward Morgan Junction. Once the suspect was under arrest, the report says, investigating officers noted that the victim’s patio does not connect to California SW. The suspect was booked into the King County Jail on suspicion of criminal trespassing. Records show this is his third arrest in less than two months; the other two were for allegedly harassing/threatening people outside their homes in Morgan Junction, and the second report says he is a known troublemaker in that area.

Um, No! August 16, 2019 (2:21 pm)

24 hours and he’ll be free again. It would be so cruel to actually prosecute this guy or require him to get help. We all need to have some compassion for these repeat offenders. It’s not their fault!

WSB August 16, 2019 (2:40 pm)

He is being prosecuted on both previous cases, awaiting trial in Municipal Court.
- Kravitz August 16, 2019 (2:59 pm)
  
  Any way you can give us the offender’s name and/or mugshot so we can be alert if we see him again? I’m aware of a couple “known troublemakers” in the area, but I’d love more details to help stay alert as he’ll likely be out again soon, doing the same crap or possibly escalating his behavior.
- Hmmm August 16, 2019 (3:39 pm)
  
  I am sure he is, while he runs around doing the same old stuff! Maybe just don’t let him run around doing the same stuff? Keep him in jail or get him into treatment or both.
  - AMD August 16, 2019 (5:47 pm)
    
    There is a presumption of innocence in our justice system. Like it or not, you can’t just keep people locked up indefinitely when they haven’t been found guilty of crimes. The issue is in the speed of the court system, not that we won’t deny due process to people we don’t like.
    - Matt P August 17, 2019 (10:28 am)
      
      The issue is absolutely not the speed of the court system. The issue is Pete Holmes choosing not to prosecute the majority of crimes and simply letting them back out on the street. You don’t get 50x repeat offenders from a slow court system.
Yma August 16, 2019 (4:59 pm)

@um no I hope you’re being facetious.
- Also John August 16, 2019 (6:25 pm)
  
  I would say @um is. I found it clever and well written.
  - Um, No! August 19, 2019 (6:12 am)
    
    This guy gets it! :)

Chuck August 16, 2019 (2:41 pm)

WSB will we get a name or photo of the suspect later? Thank you. And great job to the home owner and police!

WSB August 16, 2019 (3:41 pm)

He does not appear to have a conviction record in this state so no mug shot BUT …
(a) He’s awaiting arraignment tomorrow morning so that’s about as charged as you can get in Muni Court. His name is Erik S. Richardson. One of the previous case files had a passing mention of Arizona and subsequent searching brought this up:
https://mugshots.com/US-Counties/Arizona/Maricopa-County-AZ/Erik-S-Richardson.20242497.html
Same name and DOB. However, I have no way to verify it is the same guy, though am looking around. The photo is 7 years old but that same year (2012) he had a Seattle citation (his only other local case before the three in Seattle this year).
- Nieghbot August 16, 2019 (4:32 pm)
  
  That’s the guy except he was wearing glasses last night. Running down the alley screaming he was going to burn the guys house down and shouting the N word. Here’s what he looks like now: https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=109787666912025&id=100036423764009&set=a.109787693578689&source=11
- M August 17, 2019 (8:43 am)
  
  That’s definitely him. I often see him walking up and down California ave in the Morgan Junction. I’ve heard him on several occasions yelling racist remarks. We had to get the bus shelter near Cafe Ladro removed because he’d hang around getting drunk and yelling.

KRL August 16, 2019 (3:32 pm)

We had both of our cars broken into in our driveway last night down the hill; a few blocks below the spot where Charlestown turns into Orleans. Wondering if this is related?

Lola August 16, 2019 (3:58 pm)

Charleston and the Morgan Junction are quite a distance. It sounds like this guy just cruises up & down California Ave. looking for trouble. Sounds like he is fond of going into peoples yards and such.

Plf August 16, 2019 (4:19 pm)

I heard this last night as they went down the ally, the perp kept yelling for him to leave him alone, “I know where you live” im tired of all this and have no sympathy any more, don’t feel safe in my home of25 years

DB Coop August 16, 2019 (5:48 pm)

Great! Sounds like another career criminal got dumped in our city or slithered his way here. Aren’t we full up on these types yet?

Elizabeth August 16, 2019 (5:55 pm)

I am wondering if the person who says that “ he shouldn’t be prosecuted “ is serious? I mean really? He is breaking the law. .

D August 16, 2019 (6:38 pm)

I’ve chased a car burglar down the street before with a bat after he smashed a window. It’s probably good I didn’t catch him…

uncle loco August 16, 2019 (7:38 pm)

As tempting as it is to clobber a punk thief with a baseball bat, it would probably land you in jail.

Olafur August 17, 2019 (10:06 am)

Yes, it would definitely land you in jail. As a hard-working, productive, contributing member of society, you would be made an example of and severely punished for retaliating against a punk thief who damages and steals the property for which you’ve worked so hard. And that punk thief, that parasite on society who contributes nothing and only takes the hard-won fruits of everyone else’s labors? He or she will be immediately set free to continue victimizing all of us.

Mj August 16, 2019 (10:28 pm)

uncle locoYou are correct in the scenario above, but if the perp invades your home you have right to defend yourself.

Steve Close August 24, 2019 (6:32 pm)

Good evening WS neighbors…I just found this blog, I am the “man with the bat”. This is the second time, same place. A year ago, someone came over my railing and robbed me blind while i slept. Stole hundreds of dollars of items, jewelry, computers, my grandfathers jewelry box i was going to pass down to my son….the hardest part is…..a very young officer came out in the morning, gave me a case number and that is the last i heard from any police. It was a bit heart breaking…3 days before this latest incident, i was assaulted in Safeway by some nutcase. I called police, about 40 minutes later they arrived as i was pushing my basket out the doors with Max my mini-schnauzer, i think most everybody knows Max. Anyway, he was on a leash and i dropped the leash as the officers approached me. I said; “hey you guys are late, i am the one who called and the one you are looking to talk to”. They both looked pissed off and puffed up, one officer said i should get my dog, i said, oh, he’ll be fine (he was just standing next to us), then the officers puffed up even more, i thought they were going to grab me, but the speaking officer started to scold me on the leash law and i seriously thought they were starting to start a confrontation with me. I am a pretty big and strong guy, but i could have cried, i was tired and looking for someone to give a crap, but not these cops, they could care less. They were just showing how tough they were. I grabbed Max’s leash and just walked away.Yes, we are all sick and tired of the affects of the drug epidemic…there is no easy answer, nobody who starts doing drugs thinks they will end up robbing for it. I am not making excuses for it or them, just a fact. But I am absolutely beside myself on how the WS police treat citizens, how such a lack of care.Tell me what would have happened if i was the mayor who was assaulted, I was the mayor who had the home invasion…do you think Jenny would be scolded for the leash law, do think she would have never heard from the police again, do you really think only one young officer would have come out to hand her a case number…….To their credit, the officers who took the perpetrator and myself down, with guns, this incident, they were correct in their actions, i had to apologize to them after for my behavior, all i could think was I am going to jail, they will not listen to me, so i was very verbal. But they did good.I was railroaded before by the WS police, a few years ago, it nearly destroyed me….i do not think i will it share it now though.Good evening,Steve

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