WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Two street robberies with teenage victims

Police are investigating whether two Wednesday afternoon robberies are connected. The victims in both cases were teenagers. We requested and obtained the reports for both; here are summaries of what police were told happened:

13-YEAR-OLD ROBBED NEAR SCHOOL: The first one happened near Madison Middle School around 3:40 pm. A 13-year-old boy was walking westbound on SW Hanford near 45th SW when a newer black Ford Explorer pulled up nearby. The driver and passenger got out and “approached him, demanding his belongings,” then one reached into his pocket and stole his iPhone. They got back in the car and left southbound on 45th. The victim described the robbers as: Black men, possibly in their 20s, one with a close-shaved head, gray Nike hoodie, black sweatpants, the other with a medium-length Afro, bright-red Nike jacket, black pants. This police report says a “similar” description was given for two suspects in the next robbery an hour later:

16-YEAR-OLD ROBBED AT WESTWOOD VILLAGE: Around 4:40 pm, a 16-year-old boy was robbed while walking near the east side of the Westwood Village Rite-Aid, the 9000 block of 25th SW. He said a “black-colored older SUV” pulled up near him and the front passenger called him over. He saw four people inside, described as: Black, male, 17 to 19 years old, three in black hoodies, one in a black jacket over a red hoodie. The front passenger, who had “a flat-top haircut,” stuck out his hand as i to shake the victim’s hand but then the victim noticed he was holding what appeared to be a handgun in his other hand in his lap. The victim started backing away; the front passenger got out and chased him, tackling him in a nearby “grassy area,” taking his Nike Airmax Plus shoes and iPhone. The victim then “ran home wearing only socks,” the report says.

34 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Two street robberies with teenage victims"

  • Chris October 10, 2019 (12:33 pm)

    Yesterday afternoon two police officers knocked on our door when our daughter was home from school alone. They askd her if she saw a black SUV speeding Southbound on 45th or if we have Surveillance footage of the street, which we don’t.

  • Quora October 10, 2019 (1:13 pm)

    Any chance it was a black Honda Pilot and not a Ford Explorer? I saw one in the area with four men inside that match the description. 

    • WSB October 10, 2019 (1:23 pm)

      What is published above is every shred of descriptive info the reports contained.

    • neighbor October 10, 2019 (3:45 pm)

      Those vehicles are pretty similar. Please contact the police to tell them what you saw. 

      • Not Racist At All October 10, 2019 (10:45 pm)

        NO! Don’t! Nothing is more predatory than people calling  the cops on every SUV with  young black people inside. This is white supremacy in plain sight. Unbelievable that anyone who can read and work a computer would think this is advisable.Jeezus! Do not  call the police on random vehicles because of  the nationality of the people inside. That’s how innocent people go to jail. Shame on you  “neighbor”.

        • Ben October 11, 2019 (12:26 am)

          Thankyou

        • TM7302 October 11, 2019 (1:24 am)

          Oh, lighten up Francis…

        • RightOnDonkeyKong October 11, 2019 (7:09 am)

          White supremacy? Uh no. If the suspects match the description and the vehicle is very similar it’s called common sense; and I would implore anyone with information to step forward. While I understand your concern, it seems like a knee jerk over reaction, and a world view shaped by the notion that every act involving a person of color is racist. If it were 4 white teenagers ina black SUV, I’d say the same thing. Again, it’s common sense and the community looking out for one another. We are all in this together and lobbing the “white supremacy” bomb doesn’t help anyone.  

          • Just Saying October 11, 2019 (10:42 am)

            I think that it is less about whether you would report it if it were 4 white kids, and more about how problematic it might be to call the cops on any African American teenager that is driving around with their friends. Although it is important for us as a community to look out for one another, I think it is also important to understand what it means to call the cops on African American kids that “fit the description”, (but are also driving a completely different vehicle than the one listed in the police report); specifically because that description includes a kid with an alleged handgun. In no way do I think that these actions are okay or acceptable, I just think it is important that we acknowledge that calling the cops on 4 white kids could potentially have a different consequence than calling the cops on 4 black kids. I believe that was the point that “Not Racist At All” was trying to get at. 

        • cwit October 11, 2019 (9:57 am)

          Well, let’s not assume what neighbor meant by ‘match the description.’ If their definition of matching the description was that it was multiple African Americans in an SUV, then they may want to think twice about calling the cops.  If their definition of matching the description was that they saw the following in a black SUV -“Black, male, 17 to 19 years old, three in black hoodies, one in a black
          jacket over a red hoodie. The front passenger, who had “a flat-top
          haircut”…”- then I don’t see an issue with notifying the cops.
          Addition: Essentially, what RightOnDonkeyKong just posted.

        • neighbor October 11, 2019 (10:33 am)

          I don’t know that I’ve ever been accused of white supremacy (which is no laughing matter, and also illustrates that you definitely don’t know me), but thank you for pointing out that my response may have been unclear. I did not mean to intend that anyone should call the police anytime they saw people of color in an SUV. My comment was simply that a Honda Pilot and a Ford Explorer look pretty similar, and I (perhaps inaccurately) interpreted the prior poster’s response as an indication that what or who they saw was consistent with the police report’s description (number of people, descriptive features, clothing, etc.) Apologies to any who took offense at my words.

          • Kate October 18, 2019 (8:57 am)

            Hi, if the ford and honda are similar enough they could be mistaken with each other and if there are other black suvs similar to the potential honda/ford im thinking this particular angle to find the perpetrators is not so good statistically speaking since im not sure about the ford but i know honda suvs are VERY common!  So we cant be confident upon seeing a similar vehicle  driven by someone of the same race that it is them!  I know the police would likely not be interested in this lead if the suspects were white and im curious if they feel differently about black suspects..,,

        • DB Coop October 11, 2019 (9:18 pm)

          Are you serious? That’s also how dangerous armed criminals get caught too, hopefully before someone gets shot or killed.

        • Brandon October 12, 2019 (8:25 am)

          WTF? You kidding me? If you see what matches a description in the same damn area as a robbery happened, yer saying “don’t call” because it may be a mistake? Of the thousands of cars, what, maybe 2 will match that description in the same spot? Get a damn grip….err on the side of the 75% probability that it is the vehicle being looked for.  Getting tired of clowns who are scared of cops or “making the wrong call”…Thats why this crap keeps happening.  Keep your fear of offending someone crap to yourself..Good lord…

        • B.W. October 13, 2019 (8:53 pm)

          Telling us you are not racist,  definitely means you are racist. 

          • Darryll October 14, 2019 (2:09 pm)

            That’s patently stupid. 

  • HS October 10, 2019 (1:26 pm)

    Live in the areas? Please take a moment to review your outdoor camera footage. Daylight,  armed robberies, especially targeting children… I think as a neighborhood we can find some footage of the described vehicle. 

  • T October 10, 2019 (2:38 pm)

    This happened a few years ago to kids in Westwood and at Madison almost on the same days. Robbed of electronics and intimidated or touched inappropriately. WSB covered it. I’m just so sad about it. 

  • Plf October 10, 2019 (2:53 pm)

    This is horrible I wish school areas were better patrolled at the beginning and end of the school day the crime just keeps getting worse 

  • Keith October 10, 2019 (3:52 pm)

    I found a discarded, run over smart phone at 35th and Thistle. Not sure if it is related to either crime. I bagged it and will drop it off at the police station tonight. If it may be yours, reply here. I will keep an eye on messages. 

    • WSB October 10, 2019 (4:15 pm)

      Thanks! We also have a lost/found (non-pets) section in the forum where folks sometimes post phones, keys, etc.

    • Juan October 12, 2019 (10:44 am)

      Is it an iPhone 8 Plus with a black otter box case? If so, it could be mine, I’m the 16 year old that got robbed near Westwood 

      • Nancy W October 15, 2019 (11:33 am)

        Juan – I hope you are OK after this crime.  Of all the conversation and concerns above, my biggest hope is that you and the other victim are able to find a sense of safety and you are able to recover.  Know there are many more good people in the world wishing you a sense of security after this scary thing.  

        • Kate October 18, 2019 (9:00 am)

          Yes me too to both the victims / victims moms!  I’m so sorry this happened to you or your kiddos!   I hope you never have to experience anything like it again!

  • John October 10, 2019 (4:12 pm)

    Not again. I just bought a camera. Ill check

  • Friend O'Dinghus October 10, 2019 (5:05 pm)

    I will be watching every black, 4-door, SUV with special interest now, maybe take the extra few minutes to trail at a distance for a few blocks and see if they are targeting children, just until I hear there has been an arrest. Victimizing children is just pathetic, and irreparably damages their sense of well being. I cannot wait until these guys are exposed to all as the true cowards that they are.

  • Mj October 10, 2019 (5:57 pm)

    Totally not acceptable.  I hope the perps are caught and thrown in jail for a long long time!

    • Gene October 10, 2019 (6:33 pm)

      Like that will happen-not in Seattle.

  • East Coast Cynic October 11, 2019 (5:46 am)

    Wow, stealing a kid’s sneakers – that’s like a 1980’s time capsule of street crime back east.  But the sneakers would be Fila’s or Air Jordan’s and you would add wallet stealing and chain snatching to the mix:/.

  • Ws L October 11, 2019 (7:07 am)

    Yikes, I definitely think I saw these kids yesterday when I went to lunch yesterday. I work in Westwood and saw 4 scoping out another walking with his eyes glued to his phone.

  • Kelly October 11, 2019 (9:55 am)

    My 13-year old son was the kid who was mugged/robbed of his
    phone while walking home from school on Wednesday. He was on 45th not
    far from Madison. Two men that my son described as older teens/young 20’s stopped
    their vehicle, got out and ran over to him, grabbed his phone out of his front
    shorts pocket, and drove off. Thankfully they did not hurt him. When he got
    home, my son called the police. He gave the descriptions of the young men and
    reported that it was a black Ford Explorer. My son was not even holding his
    phone or using it in any way – these cowards just saw a young kid walking alone
    and took what they could quickly grab from him. And for what purpose?! The
    phone was locked and even had a cracked screen- they won’t be able to do
    anything with it other than throw it out. It’s possible the phone posted in the
    photo above is his, it looks like it, but I’m not sure. Either way, we will
    never get that phone back in one piece. Apparently these scumbags have nothing
    better to do than prey on our kids and make them feel unsafe in their own
    neighborhood! And make people spend more money replacing their phones, wallets,
    etc.

    • WSB October 11, 2019 (10:05 am)

      I’m glad to hear your son wasn’t physically hurt. The reports didn’t mention injuries in either case, and there were no SFD aid calls logged, but we never know for sure unless we hear directly from someone involved. Thank you for the update – TR

    • Ws prayers October 11, 2019 (10:55 am)

      I’m so sorry this happend to your boy I have a 17 yr old son I can relate as a mom for sure! SucKS so bad the entitlement attitude of these kids is unreal! The phone did nothing for them ans it was YOUR SON’S PHONE! No one else’s what gives anyone the right to ever think it is ok to literally TAKE from someone I hate that so so bad! Somehow as parents we have to get that thro our kids heads! It’s not ok ever!!

      • Kate October 18, 2019 (9:08 am)

        Boo robbers!!!!!  :(   Shame on you for hurting people and eroding their sense of safety over silly material possessions!  Im so sorry for the victims!  I think we should appeal to apple and the gods of sneakers to replace the stolen items as an act of justice for victims by powerful wealthy corporations!  If one must steal steal food for your belly from the store and if im working security i will be merciful and give u a warning and advise you to check with me for future food needs! 

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