50 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Playground assault"

• Itf October 2, 2021 (2:25 pm)

  So sorry that happened. He sounds nuts. Shouldn’t be too hard to spot him if he lives nearby and has those two dogs. Good job remembering the description.

  • Pessoa October 2, 2021 (5:54 pm)

    There is a fine line between vigilance and vigilantism. Let the police do their job. No need to activate the pitchfork crowd. 

    • Mike October 4, 2021 (4:47 pm)

      Passive aggression can lead to actual aggression 

• AlkiBean October 2, 2021 (2:41 pm)

  That’s just awful…I hope a police report was filed as you were definitely assaulted.  More and more I’m thinking of moving out of the city.  I thought West Seattle was the last, best place.  :-(

  • WSB October 2, 2021 (2:56 pm)

    The police report # is in the story.

• WS98 October 2, 2021 (2:45 pm)

  Anthony, thanks for sharing this. I’m sorry that happened to you and your child. That guy was WAY out of line, super disturbing that his response was to assault you – in front of your child no less. What a bully and a jerk. 

  • onion October 2, 2021 (3:43 pm)

    Playgrounds are not dog parks. Period.  Approximate age of this jerk? Definitely sounds unbalanced. Will keep my eyes open for someone and dogs fitting these descriptions.

    • WSB October 2, 2021 (4:23 pm)

      Another person who messaged us around the same time as Anthony said 30s.

• flimflam October 2, 2021 (3:24 pm)

  What a lovely citizen Mr Off-leash Dogs sounds like.

• anonyme October 2, 2021 (4:08 pm)

  I’ve never encountered someone with off-leash dogs who was not belligerent.  It is deliberate defiance, daring someone to comment so that they can pick a fight.   In this city of rampant Entitlement and no Enforcement, I’m sorry to say I’m not surprised this happened.  I’m sorry it did, though.  Dude should get jail time just for doing this in front of kids.

  • TM7302 October 3, 2021 (12:39 pm)

    A vote for Nicole Thomas-Kennedy is a sure pass on any misdemeanor conviction.  Remember, you get what you vote for…

• eric October 2, 2021 (4:23 pm)

  There must be 20 signs in the park requiring a leash.  and dogs NOT allowed on track. What’s with these entitled jerks?I’m jogging on the track and a young ladies’ dog would jump on me everytime I came around.  She thought it was so cute. I thought a few other things.  I told her to control her dog. Of course, she was offended.I’m sorry this happened Anthony, I’ll keep an eye out.

• Mike October 2, 2021 (4:37 pm)

  Be careful of these types of guys.  I had an incident with an older gentleman with a nice dog at Schmitz Park Elementary playground a while back.  He used a padlock on the gate and refused to unlock it so a mother could get her son out of the playground and told ME to go unlock it, which would probably in his mind leave my daughters alone.  He got right up in my face, threatened me, said I was being a <enter multiple words of kindness here>.  I pulled my phone out and told him to leave immediately before I call the police.  He got extremely mad and finally left, walked to his car, stared at me and I stared at him until he drove off.  There’s a chance he was just a cranky old man, my gut said he was trying to lure kids with his super nice dog at a playground.  The mother of the boy was thankful and left with her son without further issues.  The guy I was up against would have cratered if I hit him, I’d probably have had to deal with some jail time if it had gotten to that point.  The guy at Lafayette sounds much younger and much more capable of harm to everyone around him.  I recommend at least having pepper gel with you.  It’s hard in the moment to think about it, but pull your phone out and start recording and then call 911 on speaker phone so you can use your hands and keep them alert with what’s happening over audio.  Never an easy situation, mindset is everything, just do your best and try to be prepared for more of these incidents.  Protect yourself and your kids.  The best fight is one you walk away from before it starts.

• Pessoa October 2, 2021 (4:59 pm)

  We have one account of what transpired – and that’s the only thing we know for sure. 

  • Carole October 2, 2021 (5:53 pm)

    The account from the reporting party says there was another person present who sheltered the child. How many eyewitness accounts do you need?  

  • phoenix October 2, 2021 (6:29 pm)

    What’s your point Pessoa?

  • SlimJim October 2, 2021 (6:31 pm)

    Nice Pessoa. Try to insinuate, for no apparent reason, that the person reporting this may be lying. Why would you do that?

    • Concerned Neighbor October 2, 2021 (6:57 pm)

      Maybe Pessoa was the perp.  Deflection.

      • woof October 2, 2021 (7:17 pm)

        Or maybe @Pessoa is making a point about fair trial?

        • Terry October 3, 2021 (7:10 am)

          Agreed

        • Pessoa October 3, 2021 (10:36 am)

          Thank you. 

    • Pessoa October 3, 2021 (10:22 am)

      No, I don’t make judgments based one one police report.  That okay with you?

  • Anthony October 2, 2021 (7:01 pm)

    Ok Pessoa, then let us all encourage the guy who put his hands on me in front of my kid to contact the police and tell his side of the story. I promise you that the other people who observed the incident will back up my account of what happened 100%. Bottom line, an adult who got called out for being an inconsiderate jerk couldn’t handle it, had an outsized reaction, and committed a crime. 

• Ben October 2, 2021 (5:09 pm)

  This guy is clearly in crisis and needs some help. However, some comments in this thread are disturbing too. Much like any other -ism, pinning an identity to a handful people who happen to be societal miscreants, then extrapolating from this that all such people must also be miscreants, is the basis of our society’s ugliest problems. Dog owners are not the problem. It just so happens that this guy had a dog while being is crisis at the same time. 

  • Auntie October 2, 2021 (5:52 pm)

    Or perhaps just an entitled jerk. Who can say? I, too, have found that many people who have their dog off-leash are angry at being called out for it. 

  • Scubafrog October 2, 2021 (6:22 pm)

    You don’t know that.  The perp assaulted another man, and tried to start a fight at a playground.  This could be the perpetrator’s standard modus operandi.  It’s astounding that without evidence, you’d label the perp a victim?  Good God, man.  Sometimes, there are just horrible, awful people in the world, and “in-crisis” doesn’t explain away their bad deeds.  People come in all varieties.  Some people lack empathy/compassion, and thrive on anger or violence as their mean state of being.  The man who was punched is the victim, end of.

  • LeashYourDogLikeEveryoneElse October 2, 2021 (6:37 pm)

    Not every jerk is in “crisis”. 

  • flimflam October 2, 2021 (7:05 pm)

    Right, the violent jerk was simply “in crisis”. Wow. I’m almost not sure if you are joking honestly…

  • Paleeaze! October 2, 2021 (7:09 pm)

    How about this guy happens to have a dog while also being a jerk. Can we please let off on the “in crisis” excuse. Some people are just jerks, period. 

    • woof October 2, 2021 (7:27 pm)

      Someone who would react to a neighbors dog related confrontation with violence, and in front of kids, seems like someone having some issues to me.

      • Really? October 3, 2021 (12:34 am)

        Issues as in a mental health crisis? Anything is possible but is it so far fetched to just think this just how some people behave? I confronted a woman with a little dog in Alaska junction once, for not picking up her dog’s poop. She was chatting on the phone at the time. It did not take long for her to yell expletives at me and say I was lucky she didn’t punch me in the face. I recall she also screamed that I was what was wrong with this country.

        • woof October 3, 2021 (12:04 pm)

          Issues as in possibly mental unwellness, crisis, overload of stress, anger management issues, you know, issues!Being a jerk is when you’re driving and you don’t use your blinker, or don’t let someone who is merging. Having issues, is when that becomes road rage behavior, of varying degrees. That is more than being a jerk, there are some issues there. If we want less violence and crime, maybe we need to first acknowledge there are issues needing to be addressed and encourage people to get help, rather than just calling people jerks or bad?

        • Rhonda October 3, 2021 (12:48 pm)

          Actually, deliberately not using one’s blinker or letting someone merge could also be “issues” if you want to excuse all anti-social behavior as mental illness. That means we should eliminate all traffic citations, assault and battery charges, or enforcing other laws because people who scoff at them simply need mental health treatment, right? At what point should people be held accountable in your world?

  • JVP October 3, 2021 (10:40 am)

    OK, so maybe he was “in crisis”. He still needs to act within the bounds of civil society and not pose a risk to others.

  • Jim P. October 3, 2021 (1:26 pm)

    “This guy is clearly in crisis and needs some help”

    With respect, some people are simply violent jerks and need restraining, not hugs and cookies.

    Society needs to be protected first, especially children, then we can sort out any personal issues, permanent crises or “bad life choices” someone has made.

    “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one” I believe is the proper mantra.

    • woof October 3, 2021 (4:21 pm)

      People suggesting the person might have issues or be needing help, doesn’t excuse the behavior, or mean to imply there shouldn’t be any consequences! And having awareness for the needs of the one, may be also looking out for the many. Do you want this person’s behavior to get worse and possibly impact others? Or maybe we should encourage he get some help instead? Punishment is simply punishment. Doesn’t necessarily address the issues.

• Seattle Joe October 2, 2021 (5:38 pm)

  People please remind yourself before confronting a disrespectful pet owner, that they likely value the pets health and well being more than yours (and quite possibly their own). The older I get the more I think all pets are for emotional support, and we should treat their owners accordingly. 

  • Carole October 2, 2021 (8:47 pm)

    You’d think if he valued his pet’s health and well being he’d protect it by having it on a leash.

• Flo B October 2, 2021 (5:57 pm)

  Ben. If dog owners kept their dogs leashed and NOT running loose on playgrounds/beaches(Alki is full of off leash dogs)they wouldn’t be the problem. As it is, they ARE the problem. If you don’t like the leash laws don’t break them, petition city council to change them.

• Matt S October 2, 2021 (6:14 pm)

  I forwarded this to animal control . Maybe patrols can be stepped up at schools in the off hours. Thanks for letting us know Anthony. Off leash and aggressive owners has been a problem for many years unfortunately.

• Carson October 2, 2021 (6:36 pm)

  Hmm, I also had an incident at the track at Hiawatha around 6:30 this morning. Tan coat, green vest, older guy. I was running laps as he walked and every time I passed him he became more verbally abusive and aggressive.  He walked in the middle lane of the track and veered into whichever lane I tried to pass him. If I had my phone I would have called 911, that or escalate things. Eventually he walked off. I run many mornings at the same time and recognize most of the regulars, first time I ever saw him. He did not have any dogs however.

• phoenix October 2, 2021 (6:40 pm)

  There are two or three signs BEFORE you enter Lafayette playground clearly stating that dogs, potbelly pigs, etc … are not welcome inside the playground area. It’s an elementary school and the few grassy areas that ARE available are for the students, not for animals. Imagine a student stepping in some animal feces and dragging it into the classroom. Following directions CAN’T be that bloody difficult. Move your body and walk the extra block to Hiawatha. 

  • Resident October 2, 2021 (11:26 pm)

    Dogs are not allowed there either. Dogs aren’t allowed in any public parks without a leash. Those that choose to own dogs know that and still choose to let them off leash. It’s a bunch of crap.

  • GoodSpaceGal October 3, 2021 (1:09 am)

    Obviously, criminals who assault other park users in broad daylight in front of children don’t care about such rules.

• Concerned Neighbor October 2, 2021 (7:02 pm)

    Interesting factoid.  This isn’t the first, nor will it be the last, incident of “dogs on the playground”.  This has been going on for years (decades) at Lafayette.  There are actually several incidents a year of negative interactions between parents of kids on the playground, and dog parents on the playground.    I am so sorry that this happened, and escalated as it did.  Not good on any front.  It makes me so sad to think that when my kids were young they could walk over to the playground for a bit, and I didn’t think twice about it.  (It taught them how to cross streets safely, make friends, etc…)  Now that is a thing of the past and we as parents must patrol our kids and their every move to keep them safe.  Awful.

• O October 3, 2021 (8:37 am)

  Well, white male, about 6’3″, 220 pounds, two golden doodles… Pretty much nowhere to hide in this little part of town. Hope you’re reading this (I’m guessing you don’t read), you’re a mark now. See you in the neighborhood, buddy. 

• Jessica October 3, 2021 (1:00 pm)

  I am getting really tired of these dog owners feeling that their animals deserve the same rights as humans. It’s a school playground, signs are posted to keep dogs on leashes. If you are incapable of following guidelines of private property do not venture outside and do not own an animal that needs to relieve itself outdoors. When do the adults take responsibility for their choice of animal ownership? 

• LY October 3, 2021 (10:10 pm)

  I love dogs, but I am so fed up of entitled dog owners who repeatedly let their dogs run loose. Few years ago some people gathered in Schmitz Park elementary parking lot let their dog roam free. I was there to pick up my son from after school care and this dog charged us and barked and growled at us. I yelled at the dog “No!!!” and the owners nonchalantly called their dog back, not even an apology, nothing. As I drove away, I rolled my window down and told them they need to leash their dogs. They looked at me blankly and muttered a sorry. Come on people. Just leash your dog. Or go to an off leash park. Plenty in the Seattle area.

• shotinthefoot October 4, 2021 (8:25 am)

  So many armchair therapists in this town, chalking EVERYTHING up to a “mental health crisis”… get over it. There are just some people out there who are entitled a-holes, or on meth, or all of the above. Not everyone is running around in the midst of a breakdown – some people are just jerks, or jerks on drugs. 

• Sasquatch October 4, 2021 (12:46 pm)

  I had a man want to fight me at Madison middle school for asking him to leash his dog. It was a single pitbull mix. But description sounds similar. He had facial hair that he kept trimmed and a big nose that looked like it might’ve been broken before. He called me very insulting names trying to incite a fight but I just walked away. His dogs name was Tucker at that time. This was  years ago

Sorry, comment time is over.