WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Westwood Village car prowl; shotgun suspect followup

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

WESTWOOD VILLAGE CAR PROWL: Reader report received this evening:

I was the victim of a car prowl outside 24 Hour Fitness last night (11/16) between 7:30pm-8:50pm. It was disappointing because it was my first real visit to the gym after starting a membership earlier in the week.

When I left the gym, I found the driver-side window of my car smashed in, and some Seattle Public Library CD’s and personal CD’s in the passenger seat that were taken. Nothing of real value, but now I’m stuck with cost of replacing the broken window, which is money I don’t have.

When I went back inside the gym to report the incident to employees behind the front desk, one of them asked, “Did you park on the Marshall’s side?”. I said yes, and he said there had been at least 4 recent car break-ins in that same area of the parking lot.

We checked Tweets by Beat – which, it should be noted, does have gaps – and found four car-prowl calls logged to WWV addresses since Oct. 1st.

CAR PROWL/THEFT PREVENTION: This month’s educational bulletin from Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner focuses on those two crimes – read it here (PDF) or below:

SHOTGUN SUSPECT FOLLOWUP: One update in a case we’ve been following – that of 48-year-old Michael J. Mullen, who originally made news in a June incident involving a “heavily altered” shotgun. Four weeks ago, we reported that he was back in jail, charged with misdemeanor domestic-violence harassment after an incident involving a roommate. Checking online court records, we see that case has since been dismissed but he was kept in custody on a “remand” in the gun case. Now he’s been found incompetent to stand trial and ordered to spend up to 45 days at Western State Hospital for attempted competency restoration.

9 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Westwood Village car prowl; shotgun suspect followup"

  • 1994 November 17, 2019 (9:52 pm)

    Mr Mullen sounds like a candidate for the red flag gun law.Sorry to hear your car window was smashed for some CDs. Leave nothing inside your car to tempt the creepers. 

  • WTF November 18, 2019 (7:00 am)

    When are the owners of WWV going tomorrow install cameras. It’s time!

  • justme November 18, 2019 (7:26 am)

    Did the police department decide against the tower they were considering for added patrols in the Village? I remembered something about that on the blog here a while back, but not sure if it was just an idea they had, or something coming in the future.

  • Paul November 18, 2019 (8:36 am)

    Your car insurance May cover broken window. Usually $100 or so deductible. 

    • Joan November 18, 2019 (4:36 pm)

      Not necessarily! My passenger window was broken during a car prowl and it was around $500 as I recall. That was my deductible.

  • 4thGen_WS_Native November 18, 2019 (10:40 am)

    One of the many reasons I quit that gym. My locked locker got broken into there while I was working out. Luckily I caught the little POS in the act so they didn’t get anything. Besides the fact that practically NO-ONE cleans the machines after they use it….maybe 1 out 4 do, disgusting. WWV is becoming more and more of a $h!thol3. 

  • BE VIGILANT November 24, 2019 (7:53 pm)

    The big thing is–especially during this holiday shopping season–whether you frequent Westwood Village or anywhere else in the city, don’t assume it’s safe to leave things in your vehicle. Not even in a locked trunk. Take your things with you. Someone is always watching, waiting for opportunity. Be on the lookout for people who are hanging outside shopping centers at night (in cold weather, no less), but don’t show any of the indicators that they are there to dine and shop too. That’s a red flag. They may be working in a group to see where you park, and what store you go into, so they can strike. Vehicles parked outside gyms are vulnerable, because they know you’re going to be there for awhile. Park further away if it makes your car more visible and safer from vandalism and theft. If you park somewhere and something doesn’t feel right, trust your instinct. Don’t hesitate to report suspicious activity to the police by calling 911. At best, the added police presence will motivate would-be car prowlers to move along, and stop the crime from happening in the first place.

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