WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: QFC window-smashing followup; two car break-ins

| Crime | West Seattle news

(Sunday photo by Jason Hubbard)

QFC WINDOW-SMASHING RAMPAGE FOLLOWUP: We reported Sunday night on an arrest following a window-smashing rampage at the West Seattle Junction QFC. The 33-year-old suspect remains in jail. We’ve obtained the police-report narrative, which says officers arrived after “several 911 calls” and arrived to find a naked man outside the store, detaining him, as he matched the suspect description. The officer who filed the report wrote:

I observed that several windows to the store had been broken out or had objects thrown through them. These windows were double-pane, and many were over 10 feet off the ground. I saw several rocks on the ground in front of the store that appeared to have been used to break the windows. The glass in the sliding doors to the store had been completely broken out as well. Other officers went inside and contacted the store manager and (a witness who) stated the following:

(The suspect) regularly comes into the store and is not a problem. Tonight, he entered the store with several bags and (redacted) asked him to leave them at the front with staff. This enraged (the suspect) and he began throwing items from the shelves and breaking items. He threw several plastic bottles at (redacted), one of which hit him in the head. (Redacted) then called 911 along with several other people. (The suspect) continued to throw items around and break several more windows and a refrigerator. He then took off his clothes and ran out the store before being contacted by officers. The damage to each window was likely several hundred dollars. Both men and me positively identified … the suspect. (The person hit by a bottle) had a bruise developing on his forehead and a small cut on his left wrist and bruising as well. He was evaluated at the scene by SFD Ladder 11. SFD also boarded up the damaged windows and doors.

A quick check of the suspect’s record includes a case last year in which he was arrested for throwing rocks at a downtown bar; he was sentenced to three months in jail. In 2014, he was charged with stealing five cars in one night from an Eastside dealership. He’s being held in lieu of $5,000 bail.

Also, two reader reports today:

ALKI CAR BREAK-IN: From Kimberly:

Last night between 12 a.m. and 7 a.m. my car was broken into on 55th Ave SW off Alki Beach. 2 shark vacuums, miscellaneous cleaning supplies, and a lockbox safe were stolen from my Nissan Versa. Safe held cash, car title, and a box of ammunition.

GATEWOOD CAR BREAK-IN: Via text:

39th and Orchard. Someone broke into our Subaru Outback at 3 am. They were trying to steal it. Fuse panel was open. They were able to get into it without triggering the alarm. They clearly knew what they were doing. My wife woke up as it was happening. Probably the only reason it’s still in the driveway.

TJ September 8, 2020 (3:11 pm)

That’s going to be a expensive bill he has for his temper, and he should be getting more than 3 months in the slammer as well being that’s what he got for his last meltdown.

Policearenottheanswer September 8, 2020 (3:37 pm)

If he has mental health issues – and the bare basics of what we know suggest that is a real possibility, then:1) he deserves sympathy and treatment, not being thrown in the slammer – especially because the amount of time he spends in jail isn’t something he’s processing in the midst of one of these episodes.2) this is what we get for defunding mental health services. It would not only have been more humane, but cheaper for everyone to help him before he caused damage to others.

Christopher Juhl September 8, 2020 (4:33 pm)

I would prefer to hear ideas of what IS the answer instead of what IS NOT the answer. Try again.
- Kevin September 9, 2020 (10:37 am)
  
  I mean they literally said in their post what the answer is. Not defund mental health services and instead enable people to get treatment instead of locking them up and pretending that solves the problem. And no, that doesn’t mean don’t punish someone when they’ve broken the law. But taking steps more proactively to help people before this happens IS a solution.
  - John September 9, 2020 (12:21 pm)
    
    Given that the original comment in this thread has actual solutions, it seems like a reasonable assumption that Christopher read “police are not the answer” and then stopped reading. Christopher’s focus on the phrase “the answer” would support that assumption. Anyway, thanks for highlighting the comment’s substance because better solutions to problems both broad and specific require more care for our neighbors.
wscommuter September 8, 2020 (5:53 pm)

The preceding two comments aptly illustrate the extremes that frustrate me. TJ’s “throw the book at them” reactiveness to a person who very likely has untreated mental health issues is simplistic and only leads to warehousing/recycling offenders … and PATNA’s naive “give them hugs and keep the cops away” delusions fail to acknowledge that sometimes people with mental health problems commit crimes that require accountability and punishment, along with treatment. Unless this individual is legally incompetent – and legal incompetence is a very difficult threshold to meet – he has to be prosecuted for serious crimes that injured at least one person and could easily have hurt others – perhaps badly. But long-term, that consequence-imposing process is doomed to fail unless it includes substantive mental health treatment. This isn’t a black and white problem easily labeled by either extreme. Mental illness is not a “get-out-of-jail-free card”, but simply warehousing the mentally ill will not prevent future violence.
- Charlie September 8, 2020 (10:55 pm)
  
  Couldn’t agree more.
Anne September 8, 2020 (7:13 pm)

Maybe not-but when you break the law there are legal consequences. Is he legally insane – doesn’t know right from wrong?What exactly would you do policearenottheanswer? Sympathy & treatment -what kind of treatment-does he want treatment? The threshold for involuntary commitment is high- Would you change that -somehow force help on him? How would that work?
flimflam September 8, 2020 (8:31 pm)

I’m pretty sure it’s never legal, socially acceptable or remotely ok to smash Windows, endanger innocent bystanders and directly injure others – mental illness or not.

curious September 8, 2020 (3:40 pm)

Just curious as to why his name has not been released.

WSB September 8, 2020 (7:04 pm)

We don’t publish names until a suspect is charged. Prosecutors have until Thurs. to rush-file in this case.

WSMom September 8, 2020 (4:29 pm)

First, I feel sympathy for the injured employee who is the victim of this individual.Second, I agree that mental health is chronically underfunded. But it’s not clear to me if that’s actually the issue here. Perhaps he has been offered such services but did not avail himself of them. For example, do we know if he was evaluated for drug treatment or mental health treatment in connection with his prior offenses? If so, did he make a good faith effort to engage in the process? I don’t know if he was homeless, but if he was, do we know if he was ever offered services by the Navigation Team ? If so, did he accept or reject the services? If he were offered needed services, and rejected them, is there any way to force him to accept services? I hope I’m wrong about this – but I think the answer is no, there is not.To put it another way, do we actually know that a lack of investment in mental health played a role in this specific person’s conduct on this specific day? I don’t know the answer, but without more facts, I am not going to blame society for this individual’s conduct on this particular occasion.

WSB September 8, 2020 (7:02 pm)

There are competency evaluations in some of his past case dockets. I just got one more doc in this case and it lists his address as in Snohomish.
CAM September 8, 2020 (9:16 pm)

Despite perceptions there are many ways to compel a person to participate in treatment (medication or showing up to treatment appointments) if it is established that their mental health either currently makes them a risk to themselves or others or that they are chronically noncompliant with treatment and become a risk when they are noncompliant. The issue is not that they can’t be compelled, it is that we have come to the point where services are prioritized based on severity and degree of risk. There’s far greater demand for beds in some counties and a person referred for evaluation under the ITA there is less likely to receive services than if they were referred in counties with less demand. The current budget crunch is not going to help this either. Historically, one of the first areas that gets cut by state governments is mental health funding. We need drastically more publicly funded treatment facilities and providers. It doesn’t seem like that is likely to happen anytime soon anymore. It was on the table and budgeted for in recent history but it seems likely to be cut.

momosmom September 8, 2020 (5:26 pm)

All I have to say to all is Oroka

TJ September 8, 2020 (7:26 pm)

Well Patna, assuming he has mental issues is too simplistic. If by chance he was under the influence of drugs, that does not count as mental issues. And, it’s obvious now days there are a lot of people who have fried their brain on hardcore drugs and are now a changed person. I personally know one. Totally normal guy that went down the wrong road, doing any drug he could and substituting dangerous chemicals when he had no drugs on hand. Now completely crazy and his mom says he has severe mental health issues ?

CAM September 9, 2020 (12:30 am)

Substance use is a mental health issue, can lead to chronic serious mental health issues, and can be caused by pre-existing serious mental health issues. TJ’s statement is not accurate.
John W September 9, 2020 (9:33 am)

TJ, that is a tragic anecdote. How would you propose society to treat that guy you know? Should he be incarcerated? Should he be involuntarily committed to psychiatric facility? Should his mom be responsible for him even though he is an adult and she has no legal control? Should he be allowed to live homeless, psychotic and addicted? Do we as people have any responsibility for others that are in such dire straits no matter how unsympathetic their actions?
- Anne September 9, 2020 (12:38 pm)
  
  Well John-how do you propose we as a people help -assuming the person in question actually wants help? More $$ ok- I’m on board with spending more for mental health/substance abuse -but what does that look like- how would $$ be spent-who determines how it’s spent! If -by chance person doesn’t want help -then what??

B.W. September 8, 2020 (10:35 pm)

Why do people immediately say “mental health” as the default to a person’s actions. How do you know he was not on narcotics? Sounds like he understood everything to the point of when asked to leave his bags at the door. And then that’s when he snapped..Have any of you ever met or have a family under the influence of meth? Umm it’s scary. And that is not a “mental health” problem. That’s a narcotics problem. Let’s stop lumping behaviors all under “mental health.”

Sorry, comment time is over.