WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Vandalism, mail theft on video; trend toplines

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three items in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

VANDALISM ON VIDEO: The video and photo are from Samuel, who says this has happened to him four times in three months.

He is at 36th/Thistle.

MAIL THEFT ON VIDEO: Pardon the profanity in the video titles, but Carolyn, who uploaded it, is furious about what happened early Monday:

I wanted to share video of mail being stolen in Highland Park. These same people broke into my neighbor’s car. Another neighbor had their gas tank drilled and gas stolen. Another neighbor said mailboxes on 7th Ave SW were hit too. One video is of them at the mail box, the other is them driving up to 8th Ave, turning to the dead end, where they broke into the car.

My neighbor confirmed that where they stayed parked on the second video was their car. I know not much can be done, but want to get this out there as much as possible.

TRENDS: The Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting tonight included a crime-trend update from Southwest Precinct operations commander Lt. Steve Strand. He said crimes against persons – robbery, assault, etc. – were down last year; auto theft was up, with cars taken in our area turning up all over the county. Also, a meeting downtown today focused on the abandoned-building problem and streamlining permits to get them boarded up more quickly. Got questions for police? First West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting of the year is one week from tonight – 7 pm Tuesday, January 21st, Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), all welcome.

Matt January 15, 2020 (7:51 am)

That window smashing: 4 times in three months? Your being targeted.

Ted Ellis January 15, 2020 (8:30 am)

Sorry to be blunt but these videos are pretty bad quality if you want helpMy suggestion is to place them closer to where the problem is if you would like help identifying the perps

WSB January 15, 2020 (8:37 am)

The sender actually mentioned she intends to move the cameras.

HS January 15, 2020 (8:58 am)

Samuel, I’m sure you’ve thought of this already but it seems like your windshield being smashed 4 times in three months may mean it’s someone you know.

john January 15, 2020 (10:08 am)

If Samuel’s car is vandalized four times in three months as shown in the video, it seems logical that Samuel is being targeted and specifically harassed. If he parked his car next to the boat trailer he might be able to dissuade future vandalism, or at least allow video identification of the miscreant(s).

HP Resident January 15, 2020 (10:11 am)

My mom had her gas tank drilled and gas stolen the other night in Highland park too. Not a cheap fix.

Matt P January 15, 2020 (10:33 am)

4 times in 3 months? Looks like a personal vendetta.

Dunno January 15, 2020 (11:11 am)

4 times tells me this is not by chance. Hopefully detectives are involved. Fisrt thing I would do is park the car off the street if possible. Driveway, alley, yard, whatever it takes. This is very mean and seems to be done in spite. Good luck, I would be ####ed off!! BTW, sound like a powerful combustion engine.

Matt January 15, 2020 (1:41 pm)

Samuel, another thought, see if you can stash a camera in your car overnight to see if you can figure out who is doing it.

YouDontGnomeMe January 15, 2020 (3:01 pm)

Lots of detectives in here, it seems. Normally I might agree that this is a personal thing since it has happened multiple times to the same person. However, a couple weeks ago my neighbor came to ask if I had noticed any vandalism nearby because their car had been vandalized multiple times in a short period. This happened on 35th about 3 blocks from where these incidents are now being reported. And yes, they moved a camera closer to the street to try to capture some footage. I noticed it for only a few days before it disappeared, and I assume it was stolen.

Dunno January 16, 2020 (9:37 am)

You,I believe this was posted here for idea’s or witnesses. This was pretty loud, hard to believe no one took a quick look. If your neighbor’s damage was the same or done with what appears to be a bat, done the same days, then maybe there is a pattern here. Had an attempted car break in this morning at around 6am this morning here on Gatewood hill.(1/16/2020)

Sorry, comment time is over.