FOLLOWUP: Here’s what’s in the police reports from Saturday’s Alki Beach bedlam

Here’s what we have found out today after requesting police reports from Saturday night’s Alki Beach bedlam.

As reported in our as-it-happened coverage, the crowd that showed up for a social-media-organized megaparty got to be so big, Seattle Police and Parks closed the beach and cleared the street. Police reports show an estimate in the thousands by nightfall.

(Saturday photo by David Hutchinson)

The next day, SPD said three people had been arrested. So far, the reports we’ve read show that only one was booked into jail, a 20-year-old Puyallup woman who was released Monday, after spending two nights in jail for investigation of assault and obstructing officers. The police report says the arrest happened while police were clearing the area around 9:30 pm. They say she “shoved an officer in the face with both hands” while they were trying to push the crowd back. The report says the officer suffered “pain but no other readily apparent injury.” The woman faces potential misdemeanor charges. 2 other people were detained for involvement in what police called a “large fistfight,” taken to the precinct and questioned, then released and told not to return to the beach.

The man from whom a gun was seized, as noted in the SPD Blotter report on Sunday, was not arrested. He wasn’t a visitor for the beach party, either – the police-report narrative says he’s an Alki resident. The parking lot in which he was seen “pacing” with a gun is next to his apartment. When police arrived, the report says, they asked him “to secure his weapon and walk out to the street to speak with officers. (He) complied with that request, though he simply placed his pistol in his pocket before walking out to meet us.” He told the officers he had armed himself in self-defense after a confrontation with someone parking in the lot without authorization. They noted he seemed and smelled intoxicated and asked him “if he was aware of the danger he caused by handling a firearm while intoxicated.” He claimed he had a concealed-pistol license but police couldn’t find an evidence of that; they seized the gun as evidence.

No arrest was made in the street robbery reported that night, but here’s what the police report says happened: Just before 8 pm, they were flagged down by the victim, who said she and her friends had been “jumped” by four people who pushed down her and her friends and kicked them, then stole her phone. A tracker briefly showed the phone was nearby but then was deactivated before it could be found. Seattle Fire medics were called to tend to head lacerations the victim had suffered.

Otherwise, the report narratives overlap to some degree, but the major problem mentioned, repeatedly, was large fistfights. There were no reports of shots fired. One DUI arrest was reported in the Alki area, but police say it’s not clear whether the person was in the area for the beach party or not.

One other note from the reports: Some of the officers were from the Community Response Group, a roving team that SPD assigns to situations when they feel reinforcements are needed, particularly protests.

78 Replies to "FOLLOWUP: Here's what's in the police reports from Saturday's Alki Beach bedlam"

  • heartless June 1, 2021 (6:47 pm)

    Well, that was fun to read after the other comment thread wherein everyone was clutching their pearls and decrying the state of humanity.

    Can we just reflect on how hilarious it is that the one gun violation stemmed from a drunk Alki resident trying to defend parking spaces?  Does it get more West Seattle than this? And just add in everyone bemoaning the violent ne’er-do-wells who came to pillage Alki only to have, in the cold light of day, a report like this written–just a cherry on top.

    Hilarious. Thanks to all involved.

    • Bradley June 1, 2021 (7:37 pm)

      Or, maybe SPD did a great job to keep everyone safe. 

      • Kevin June 2, 2021 (6:53 am)

        Exactly what Bradley said… Apparently half the people on this thread don’t understand what “prevention” means.

    • Javeed June 1, 2021 (7:43 pm)

      Agreed

    • Auntie June 1, 2021 (7:43 pm)

      I was kinda wondering where in the Second Amendment it states that you have the right to bear arms to protect your beloved parking lot. Maybe somewhere in the fine print…Anyway, thanks to SPD for doing a great job of keeping this whole mess under control – locals and visitors alike.

      • Neighbor June 2, 2021 (12:04 pm)

        “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free
        State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be
        infringed.”That’s it.  That’s the entire Second Amendment.  It says nothing about how guns can or should be used, it limits the Federal Government’s power, nothing more, nothing less.The police report says that the man was carrying a gun to protect himself after a confrontation.  Not to protect the parking lot.Gun violence is a real problem, if we are going to make progress we need to get the details right.

      • WS98 June 2, 2021 (8:32 pm)

        Some interesting 2nd amendment reading/education for Wednesday night…https://www.npr.org/2021/06/02/1002107670/historian-uncovers-the-racist-roots-of-the-2nd-amendment

        • Echo June 2, 2021 (9:17 pm)

          WS98 – I clicked on the link. I think we can talk about an amendment that has – literally – 27 words (without linking to 1,000 word articles).


          Engage, or don’t – but NEIGHBOR is not wrong.

    • The Admiral June 1, 2021 (8:07 pm)

      The comments from the night of and morning after were so full of racially coded language I was wondering if I was on Staten Island instead of West Seattle Island.  The concealed weapon arrest turning out to be a drunk Alki resident?  Almost too perfect.  

      • Echo June 2, 2021 (9:22 pm)

        ALLEGED concealed weapon permit holder – the article clearly states: He claimed he had a concealed-pistol license but police couldn’t find an evidence of that; they seized the gun as evidence.

    • Alki resident June 1, 2021 (8:57 pm)

      I fully agree with you heartless. So much to do about nothing because it wasn’t a “ planned WS event”, like the pirates coming. God forbid people gathered after being socially distanced for 15 months. The horror

    • Charlie June 2, 2021 (3:54 pm)

      Back in the midwest we would have had chairs protecting our dear parking spaces. 

  • Marcus Tiro June 1, 2021 (7:27 pm)

    So, 3 arrests, 2 from a fistfight.  No weapons violations from partygoers. One robbery. And how many thousands of dollars spent on this show of force? or rather this farce?When people complain that cops can’t respond to 9-1-1 calls fast enough, they might ask whether it’s because the police are engaging in these kinds of performances rather than, you know, actually keeping people safe.

    • ltfd June 1, 2021 (8:20 pm)

      Marcus, they were keeping people safe.

    • Auntie June 1, 2021 (8:26 pm)

      I prefer to think (and I believe many will agree) that the SPD did a great job of minimizing the idiocy. With that many people, this could have easily turned into a full-blown riot scene, fueled by alcohol and drugs. I believe that they did a good job of keeping people safe. Would you rather they had not shown up and just let everyone run amok? You can see how bad it is on a regular weekend with the racers and noise, imagine if they had just let these thousand people do as they pleased with no visible police presence. In a crowd this big, there would surely be those that wanted to just make some trouble. Look at what happened to many of the peaceful protests on Capitol Hill when the troublemakers showed up.

      • Runner June 1, 2021 (9:05 pm)

        Agreed!!  Thank you SPD, great job! I’m so glad we didn’t have to see what this could have turned into. 

      • Mr Henry June 1, 2021 (9:08 pm)

        I agree with you Auntie 100%.  Without SDP it could have been much worse.  Seattle needs more SDP funding not less. It is time for an overall change of Seattle City management.

        • Blbl June 1, 2021 (10:43 pm)

          Keep out those kids with their rock and roll music and their marijuana cigarettes!!

      • Blbl June 1, 2021 (10:42 pm)

        Yeah, Auntie, you should probably only be allowed on Alki if you can show proof of residency. We can’t have thousands of “those” people doing as they please. Imagine all the amok-running!

        • JT June 3, 2021 (12:33 pm)

          The last two times I walked Alki there was an invasion of super loud music, dogs on the beach with no leash and many rude pushy people.  Three people were dancing around naked.  (Not that I haven’t been to nude beaches but really,  Alki isn’t one of them).  What’s happening to Alki!?  We used to have a regular police beat on bicycles to ward off criminal elements and keep the peace.  When I first came around the corner in 1986 driving along Alki, I was awestruck by the view of the Olympics across the sound and told my husband we HAD to move to West Seattle!   People were small town kind and most essentially CONSIDERATE of others who wanted to share in the enjoyment of the beauty and the social life.  I have been all over the world for work and every time I come back, I say this is the most beautiful spot on earth!  Inconsideration is such a cliche word to use but I cannot think of one better.    If what you are doing impacts others in your community in a negative way, then DON’T do it!!  That crowd was not being considerate to say the least.

      • Alki resident June 2, 2021 (7:34 am)

        Who was on alcohol and drugs? Looked to me like people that were looking to get out and have fun to me. 

        • Bob June 2, 2021 (10:31 am)

          From what I can tell in the article, only the resident ‘guarding’ a parking lot with an (illegally concealed) gun was drunk/on drugs.The people out having fun on the beach were just having fun on the beach.

    • Anne June 1, 2021 (8:30 pm)

      LE just can’t win- either don’t do enough – or do too much. Given that a similar TikTok generated event happened in Huntington Beach,CA several days earlier resulting in many arrests- Seattle SPD were being prepared. What a disservice calling their jobs “performances” & perhaps their very presence actually did keep people safe. 

    • Ugh June 1, 2021 (8:38 pm)

      This is some of the crap that makes me write my councilmember and say “yeah, slash the budget.  What a waste”.  In this narrative I learned that if bad things ARE happening (person getting jumped), no one will be arrested, people fighting will be arrested but not charged, and that the only way to get arrested AND charged is if you attack an actual police officer.  Residents are in more danger from the weirdo gun-toting neighbor than anyone from the party.  Have you ever seen a “preventative” police response like this in a poor neighborhood?  This is absolutely performative, for the benefit of the loudest complainers in the city.

      • Blbl June 1, 2021 (10:36 pm)

        Exactly, Ugh. Defund SPD.

      • 3M June 4, 2021 (10:54 pm)

        Hello- were you on Alki as this was unfolding? Or were you in your house or apartment  in a different part of West Seattle while this was occurring ?  You might feel differently about  it if you had experienced the mass of people and the mob vibe. 

    • Dude June 1, 2021 (9:44 pm)

      Marcus, you yourself just described how the police actually kept people safe.

    • WTF June 2, 2021 (1:00 pm)

      Wow!? Do you honestly believe what you said? 

  • Billiam June 1, 2021 (8:22 pm)

    I like how you went from force to farce, very clever. 

  • Jort June 1, 2021 (8:27 pm)

    Did the police report mention how many thousands of taxpayer dollars in overtime were spent to break up a couple fistfights and take a gun away from a paranoid drunk dude? I’d be curious to hear that figure. 

    • Duffy June 1, 2021 (8:57 pm)

      After reading this blog for 6 years, we agree on something (pops champagne).

      • Neighbor June 2, 2021 (12:09 pm)

        Seven years and counting for me.  The SPD presence could have contributed to things going as well as they did.  Jort’s argument is disingenuous as always.  Why would a police report make mention of overtime spending?  That information should be made available from the city or police department, not from individual officer reports.

    • StopCuttingDownTrees June 1, 2021 (9:21 pm)

      You obviously weren’t there. The activity I witnessed that evening was 10-times worse than anything I’ve seen at Alki in over 30 years. SPD did a textbook job and every Seattle taxpayer should be proud.

    • bill June 1, 2021 (9:41 pm)

      I have no problem with taking a gun away from a paranoid drunk, no matter how many officers are required, versus the drunk starting shooting followed by a SWAT response trying to make its way through a panicked crowd.

      • Blbl June 2, 2021 (9:17 am)

        So you’re advocating for police action based on what someone MIGHT do? Wow. 

        • Neighbor June 2, 2021 (12:11 pm)

          No, this is a reaction to what a person DID do.  They got drunk and went outside with a gun.

          • Blbl June 2, 2021 (2:46 pm)

            It may not be smart, Neighbor, but show me how that’s illegal in Washington state. I’ll wait.

          • Echo June 2, 2021 (9:29 pm)

            BLBL – the law states that if you “conceal carry” – you have to maintain that license on your person AT ALL TIMES – and you are in violation of the law if you fail to do that – that was apparently the case: He claimed he had a concealed-pistol license but police couldn’t find an evidence of that; they seized the gun as evidence.Further more: RCW 9.41.050:(1)(a) Except in the person’s place of abode or fixed place of business, a person shall not carry a pistol concealed on his or her person without a license to carry a concealed pistol.(b) Every licensee shall have his or her concealed pistol license in his or her immediate possession at all times that he or she is required by this section to have a concealed pistol license and shall display the same upon demand to any police officer or to any other person when and if required by law to do so. Any violation of this subsection (1)(b) shall be a class 1 civil infraction under chapter 7.80 RCW and shall be punished accordingly pursuant to chapter 7.80 RCW and the infraction rules for courts of limited jurisdiction.

          • Blbl June 4, 2021 (9:49 am)

            Echo, your cut and paste is irrelevant. The cops had no reason to stop him from going about his very stupid business because it is not illegal in Washington to have a gun while drunk.  Still waiting. 

    • acorn June 1, 2021 (9:50 pm)

      Keep voting the way you do, and you will have more taxpayer $ wasted on Eejits like these so-called kids!

    • Peter June 1, 2021 (9:54 pm)

      There are thing to legitimately criticize the police for, I’m certainly not a fan, but they can’t just ignore fistfights in our streets, and especially can’t ignore armed paranoid drunks. 

      • Jort June 2, 2021 (10:12 am)

        But they do. All the time. 

        • WTF June 2, 2021 (1:06 pm)

          Oh come on, Jort. You know they don’t just ignore fistfights in the streets. You gotta be consistent; either you want SPD to do their job or you want them to stand down and watch. Pick one.

    • wscommuter June 2, 2021 (9:19 am)

      Ahh, the genius of 20/20 hindsight.  Because the police “only” broke up a couple  of fights, their presence was superfluous and a waste of taxpayer dollars.  Because, of course, had the police not had a substantial presence and instead left the crowd to its own devices, there would have been no problems and the crowd would have quietly dispersed at 10:00 as law-abiding folk.   Yes; I’m sure that is what would have happened … hence we should defund the police …  just brilliant (smh at the stupidity here …) 

    • Frog June 2, 2021 (10:00 am)

      By the same strange logic, I was thinking … I have lived in my house for ten years, and never once has it rained in my living room.  So why did I waste all that money on a roof?  The police had a major presence, and broke it up and sent everyone home before any trouble started, so you conclude that the police presence wasn’t necessary to begin with.  Wait, what’s the logic there?  You are quite sure if there had been no police presence, and the party had been allowed to follow its course, uninhibited, until 5am, there would have been no problems?

  • Joe Z June 1, 2021 (8:40 pm)

    Such a waste of time and money to deploy all these limited SPD resources to a nature sanctuary. 

  • CarDriver June 1, 2021 (8:43 pm)

    Jort. Money well spent.

  • Public Transport June 1, 2021 (9:53 pm)

    Where did all these extra thousands park their cars?

    • WSB June 2, 2021 (12:02 am)

      The streets were fairly well parked uphill to Admiral and beyond when we made a pass through around 7 pm. When we went back around 9:15 pm, just in time to get caught up in the street-clearing, we found a space on 64th south of Admiral.

  • Jon Wright June 1, 2021 (10:54 pm)

    Was the drunk guy waving a gun around who was let off with a scolding white or a person of color? Any guesses?

    • WSB June 1, 2021 (11:58 pm)

      The narrative describes him only as “having a dog and wearing a red hat.”

      • Jort June 2, 2021 (9:17 am)

        A red hat, you say? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Interesting detail!

      • peanuts June 2, 2021 (12:55 pm)

        A red hat, and a gun… hmmm… Did the hat say, ‘make Alki great again’ ?

  • The DOC June 1, 2021 (10:57 pm)

    I believe Eazy E said it best.

  • Pelicans June 2, 2021 (1:41 am)

    Just curious – If SPD’s estimate was ” in the thousands,” did they say exactly how many thousand they thought were there?

    • WSB June 2, 2021 (1:55 am)

      Crowd estimates are an absolute fool’s errand, impossible to get right … Anyway, one incident narrative estimated 2,000 people around 8 pm. Another estimated 5,000 at about quarter past 9.

  • Marcus Original June 2, 2021 (4:00 am)

    I guess few remember last year, with that yellow car doing donuts after midnight.  Fire works all night long and wait for it, people just breaking store front windows just for fun.  Sorry, as the original Marcus, born and raised in WS, you defunders and “all police are bad buddies” just crack me up.  That mantra has seen it’s time.  Say bye bye to your cause because it is going no where this year.  

  • anonyme June 2, 2021 (6:52 am)

    I suppose the police could have allowed the crowd to get even bigger, drunker, and more belligerent before taking any action.  Then there would undoubtedly have been more violent altercations – which the police would have been blamed for, with many asking why they didn’t act sooner.  Instead, they’re being criticized for breaking it up before it could get to that inevitable point.  It’s a lose-lose situation for police; damned if they do, damned if they don’t. 

  • Matt P June 2, 2021 (8:39 am)

    The beachgoers were certainly treated with more respect than demonstrators even though they were causing more of a disturbance.  Maybe a sign of progress with our police force?  I’d guess not and they were treated with more respect for other reasons.  As far as it being a waste of money – I’d say not as more people arriving would have made it even more out of control and even though risk of covid is lower outdoors – it’s not zero risk especially with many people packed that closely together and that age range not being highly vaccinated yet.

  • Mel June 2, 2021 (9:03 am)

    What a joke. And I’m not talking about SPD, I’m talking about these comments. If SPD hadn’t showed up, and things got worse, then people would complain about their lack of preparation. Their presence does deter criminal behavior. Whether you like it or not, people are less likely to commit crime in front of police. Who knows what would’ve happened if they hadn’t been there in numbers. I was a teenager that used to hang down at alki every summer and you can bet my behavior changed when police were around.

  • WS resident June 2, 2021 (9:11 am)

    This is the most complaining bunch!  There could be issues from a big crowd regardless of the color of the participants (good grief, it’s not all about race).   I’ve seen so many complaints about the lack of police presence on Alki and then they finally do a good job with crowd control and people are still displeased.   If the armed person had started shooting  can you imagine the complaints about how the police failed.  But since it turned out ok everyone’s mad there were so many police.  Crowds can go from jovial to dangerous easily.

    • A2J June 2, 2021 (11:19 am)

      Correct “everything” is not about race. We are not discussing “everything”. We’re discussing this. And you know it is otherwise you would not have mentioned it.

      • Tyr1001 June 2, 2021 (5:24 pm)

        I think WS Resident mentioned it because several people have brought it up unprompted and unwarranted already

  • Great vocabulary choice June 2, 2021 (9:44 am)

    “Bedlam” is the apt word for the attitude, size and actions of the crowd.  Nicely put West Seattle Blog! 

    • Frog June 2, 2021 (10:58 am)

      For those who never peer outside their Seattle bubble (not a few, it seems), it’s important to note the larger context for this event.  Please google “Adrian’s kickback” and read about events in Huntington Beach, CA a couple of weeks prior, and watch the entertaining videos on Youtube.  Here is one account:  https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/24/style/adrians-kickback.html Both Seattle police and many of the party goers would have been aware of the earlier event, and would have seen the Alki party through that lens.

  • MS June 2, 2021 (9:55 am)

    KINDNESS ISNT HARD PEOPLE THE END!!!!!

  • Balderdash June 2, 2021 (10:02 am)

    ¨Crowds can go from jovial to dangerous easily.¨
    (thousands of people)
    This seems like such an obvious statement, but I guess that some just cannot grasp the concept.

    • Jort June 2, 2021 (9:32 pm)

      How many thousands and thousands of people (who are drunk) fit into Centurylink Stadium or whatever they’re calling it now? How frequently, and “easily,” do those crowds of drunk people go from “jovial to dangerous?” Or is it different if they’re black kids at Alki? Maybe you can help me understand the difference.

  • Sasquatch June 2, 2021 (10:11 am)

    I enjoy reading these comments. I often disagree with much of what is written but it’s entertaining. What cracks me up are people who comment to complain about the comments. As if this is an actual representation of the community.

  • Audifans June 2, 2021 (11:09 am)

    I prefer some sense of crowd control versus just letting the mood of a large gathering go in whatever direction they want. 

    Drunk and disorderly that leads to large fist fights need adult supervision. Otherwise you get anarchy. 

    Throw in a couple thousand people and you get a mess.

    • Jort June 2, 2021 (1:49 pm)

      Drunk –> Fistfights –> ANARCHY!?!?!?!?  You know, organizations other than sworn police officers are able to help provide what appears to be condescendingly referred to as “adult supervision.” The amount of police showing up to this event is absurd and a hysterical overreaction to kids getting drunk and punching each other on the beach. “Thousands of people” get together and get drunk ALL THE TIME (look at a Seahawks game) and somehow they don’t all devolve into “ANAAARCHYYYYYYY!!!!” This all comes down to one simple thing: black and brown kids in stupid, dumb cars descend in large numbers onto Alki every summer and it scares the living bejeezus out of some people, who want the police to come in and scare the black kids away. Deal with your racism and move on.

  • CarDriver June 2, 2021 (12:40 pm)

    So, Jort. What is the “answer”??

  • Gordon Gekko June 2, 2021 (4:03 pm)

    I grew up in the Alki Beach neighborhood during the 1980’s and 1990’s. It was a great place to live back then. However, I have zero desire to live there ever again. You can have it.

  • WS Resident June 2, 2021 (10:26 pm)

    Jort, and the rest of you trying to paint this as a racial thing – please note that probably 80% of the people that were forced to leave were WHITE! Yet you make it sound like the police were reacting only to POC. And Jort, you are the one that wrote “black and brown kids in stupid, dumb cars scaring the living bejeezus out of people”.  Are you singling out black/brown as the only ones causing problems?  Nobody else is saying that so perhaps it is you that needs awareness training.    Every day there are countless people of all colors and nationalities enjoying the beach together with no friction. Quit trying to stir things up with your ill informed rhetoric.As far as the crowd?  If you were there (like me) you would have felt the simmering tension totally unlike other Alki crowd events. If it would have gone on another couple hours I can almost guarantee things would be totally out of control.  Glad the police were proactive.  When you see smoke pouring from a house do you wait until the house is totally engulfed in flames before calling the fire dept?  There was clearly “smoke” (tension).  You want the police to wait until it’s a full blown riot?  Then the police will need to use more force, and of course you will condemn them for that (and probably criticize them for not responding fast enough).  The majority of Seattle residents vote consistently to FUND the police because we see how things go when there is no law enforcement.  I would have enjoyed watching “counselors” try to control that crowd…

    • Mel June 3, 2021 (5:10 am)

      Watching city council try to contain that would’ve been the highlight of my year.

  • Slippy June 2, 2021 (10:36 pm)

    @car driver. Er, Jort already gave you an answer. “Deal with your racism and move on.”  Keep up. 

  • Balderdash June 3, 2021 (12:17 am)

    Heh, this crowd wasn’t a Seahawks game. But I guess if some insist on painting this as nothing more than a relaxed tailgaiting party and didn’t need any intervention, then they’ll continue to ignore what was setting itself up to be a major problem. Police acted accordingly and without discrimination.

Sorry, comment time is over.