34 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Man attacked in North Delridge"

• Beto December 12, 2021 (11:13 am)

  I’m very sorry to read about what happened to Tracy’s husband.  I’m very cautious about people around me, not in a paranoid way, but when they look strange or not mentally well.  I would not use those ear pods when walking because they wouldn’t let me hear if someone is very close to me.  These times we have to be very careful, and look after each other when possible.

• Meryl December 12, 2021 (11:37 am)

  Holy smokes! I am so sorry this happened to him! I hope they find the man soon and he gets help. Our mental health system is so broken !! Sending good wishes your way, Meryl 

  • concerned neighbor December 12, 2021 (12:28 pm)

    Why do you assume that whoever attacked him was suffering from mental illness?

    That’s pretty offensive to anyone who suffers from the stigma of having a mental illness and continues the harmful narrative that folks suffering from mental illness are more prone to violence.

    https://jech.bmj.com/content/70/3/223

    “Those with mental illness make up a small proportion of violent offenders”

    • sf December 12, 2021 (2:00 pm)

      I hope that societal standards such as:Attacking someone with a hatchet =  something wrong in their nogginstay intact.Also included in something wrong in their noggin:Kicking puppies.  

    • R December 12, 2021 (6:17 pm)

      Concerned Neighbor, why would you attack someone like that unless you were mentally ill. That is definitely not a normal thing to do. 

    • SteveT (the vic) December 12, 2021 (6:35 pm)

      I am not sure, but I guess that Meryl did not suspect the person had mental illness because the crime was violent, but because there was no apparent reason.  No attempted robbery, no known reason for animosity, no grudge, no revenge.  Most violent crimes have a motive.  The lack of reason might have been why Meryl though it was someone with mental issues.I believe that the aggressor was human.  That does NOT mean that I think all or most humans are violent criminals.  I do not mean to offend you, if you are human, by saying the aggressor was human.  If you are a dog, I do not mean ill to your owner.  If you are a cat, you don’t care, and therefore are not offended.

      • anonyme December 13, 2021 (6:42 am)

        SteveT, you’ll find that neither logic nor reason has a place here.  Or humor, for that matter (your cat comment made me smile).

    • Speechless December 12, 2021 (10:26 pm)

      Concerned neighbor, what else would it be unless in your works attacking someone with a hatchet is normal, what are you thinking? 

    • Terry December 13, 2021 (7:25 am)

      Of course! You would have to be of sound mind to hit someone in the head with an axe…

    • Kevin on Delridge December 14, 2021 (2:37 pm)

      Mental health is not the same thing as mental illness.

    • alki_2008 December 14, 2021 (8:08 pm)

      From the report you cited:   “Around 10% of the patients with schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders behave violently, compared with less than 2% of the general public“. And keep in mind the violent behavior is higher in those outside case management and lower in those receiving treatment.
      .
      I hope you realize that a big reason why most violent incidents are committed by people without mental illness is that there simply are more people without mental illness.   If 10,000 people do not have mental illness and 2% of them are violent, then that’s 200 incidents. If there are 1,000 people with mental illness and 10% of them are violent, then that’s 20 incidents.  So more incidents are from those without mental illness, but that’s more because of their relative proportion in the population.

  • Alki resident December 12, 2021 (1:03 pm)

    He needs to be in jail for attempted murder. Hope he’s caught soon before he attacks again. 

  • StopCuttingDownTrees December 12, 2021 (2:14 pm)

    The VAST majority of the mentally ill are NOT violent criminals like the man who attacked the victim last night. Most have regular jobs, raise families, etc, and lead seemingly “normal” lives. It’s offensive to assume this attacker is mentally ill and not just an violent opportunist, a substance abuser, etc.

    • aa December 12, 2021 (3:57 pm)

      Many consider substance abusers to have a mental illness. Depression, eating disorders, alcoholism, drug addition, etc. are all considered mental illnesses in the DSM.  I don’t think it is unreasonable to think that a person who hits a stranger on the head with a hatchet is mentally ill.  Of course, not all mentally ill people are violent.  I have to believe that people who are violent towards others are not mentally stable.   I have never heard of a violent opportunist, are you saying it is a mentally stable person who just happens upon an opportunity to be violent and chooses to do so?  Even then I would think that there is a lapse in mental stability at that moment.  

      • StopCuttingDownTrees December 12, 2021 (6:52 pm)

        Violent criminals are generally male, young (under 40), narcissistic, and high on the psychopathy scale. Having little compassion for others is not a mental illness. Some people are just mean, nasty, entitled, and greedy. Our laws were made for them.

      • WS Res December 12, 2021 (7:42 pm)

        “Mental illness” (or those encompassed by the DSM) is a vast category that encompasses people with disordered eating, low-grade depression (dysthymia), body-focused repetitive disorders (skin picking, hair pulling), low sexual desire, and intrusive thoughts/repetitive behaviors (like checking dozens of times to make sure the door is locked.)  The vast majority of these folks are no more (or less) violent than any other human being.  However, folks with psychosis (delusions and hallucinations) are, as it turns out, at greater risk of committing violent crime.  Their relatively small number in the population, and the many other motivations for violent crime, mean they’re also only a percentage of those who commit violent incidents.  (And they are at higher risk for being victims of violence themselves, as often they are unstably housed or unhoused.)  But there is a connection between untreated psychosis, and acts of violence.  (Often because the person is delusional and terrified or convinced they are defending themselves/eliminating some kind of threat or enemy.)  It helps no one to have this same broad brush argument every time.  (We need. More. High-quality. Residential. Treatment.  And a national health-care system with case managers assigned to everyone at first signs of psychosis.)

        • Dig deeper December 13, 2021 (9:45 am)

          Think we could dig deeper into these issues, and identifying what causes the degree of mental illness you’re describing – who and what has contributed to people developing psychosis, and if this is the case, such a degree of aggression that they would become violent criminals? If we can better identify cause and effect, maybe as a society we can work to prevent or more quickly deal with factors that are leading to these outcomes. My guess is some of these people who are now delusional had some real life situations and trauma that led to their severe breakdowns, have been victims of crimes themselves. Maybe they even reached out for help in the past but weren’t able to connect with the right support or were harmed in the process. We need to acknowledge, that unfortunately, there are some under trained and even predatory people, who work in systems to help people. Yes we absolutely need more and better treatment options and systems, but also, can we do more to help prevent the harms happening to these people? It’s easy to attribute labels and see people who are violent as ‘bad,’ much harder to see them as ‘people’ with ‘violent behavior’ and consider what has caused this. There may be a subset that just have an organic mental disfunction that causes this behavior, but I would bet many, have had some major contributing factors. Where have our systems failed? Also, and to others expressed concerns around this, think it’s important to note on behalf of those suffering from psychosis or delusions, that not all are violent or will become violent, and are in great need of some care and understanding for what they are going through, and have experienced. That there is a subset of people, of varying issues and illnesses who become violent, should be of interest in figuring out what is happening there, and can we prevent this?

        • Dig deeper December 14, 2021 (8:52 am)

          *Personally, can think of other folks and issues to be more concerned about.  The majority of ‘violence’ in the world does not come from those ‘ws res’ has described.

        • Dig deeper December 14, 2021 (8:34 am)

          … Have been reading more about some of these mental health issues. I would encourage people to read about psychosis, not just listen to comments like ‘wsres’ who may may be contributing to spreading fear and misinformation, about a vulnerable group of people.

          Psychosis is actually a lot more prevalent than most would probably think, and can be brief or a longer term issue. It’s also more treatable than people might assume, even with just rest, and reduced stress.  Hard drug use on top of a serious mental illness, can cause worse behavior issues, and that’s where there is likely some overlap with violent crime and psychosis or delusion. Also, psychosis and delusions can be caused by factors of stress, sleep deprivation, trauma, and drugs…. Which is why we sometimes heae of incidents involving homeless folks, they are probably most vulnerable for these factors.

          “People with psychosis are seen as violent, but actually they’re more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators. The largest study on this issue found that schizophrenia was actually a protective factor, and people with it who weren’t using substances were less likely than others with mental illness to commit acts of violence,” says Sarah Kopelovich, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine and the Katz Family Professor of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis.In reality, people who experience psychosis aren’t the distant strangers we fear: they’re our neighbors, relatives and friends, maybe even ourselves. About three out of every 100 people will develop psychosis at some point in their lives—which makes it a lot more common than most of us would believe.’

          https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/mind/mental-health/psychosis-way-more-common-and-treatable-you-think

          Personally,

  • major_sigh December 12, 2021 (5:41 pm)

    Why do you think this person should be helped or even could be helped? Do you think Manson and the BTK killer could have been helped?

• Junction Lady December 12, 2021 (12:29 pm)

  Alarming to read about this attack!  

• Jns December 12, 2021 (12:41 pm)

  Gee, I wonder what sort of unsavory folks reside near there who may carry hatchet around…

  • rme December 12, 2021 (2:05 pm)

    You may want to clarify instead of speaking enigmatically here because this could be taken to mean a lot of different things. I’d like to know what you mean. 

    • Max Tronic December 12, 2021 (5:02 pm)

      Why not just assume the person means well instead of demanding an explanation and hoping for the worst so you can virtue signal for the internet?

• TM December 12, 2021 (12:42 pm)

  I’m sorry to hear about this, I can’t even imagine. Glad it wasn’t worse, and hope the offender is found and properly dealt with. Horrifying. 

• Del December 12, 2021 (3:07 pm)

  is that the location over near where all the RVs are camped out and all the trash thrown all over the street?

• WW Resident December 12, 2021 (3:08 pm)

  Wow, someone gets attacked by someone with a hatchet, and there are people replying about hurting feelings

• WTF December 12, 2021 (3:21 pm)

  It’s not ok . NO more excuses for this BS.This man can easily been killed. 

• flimflam December 12, 2021 (3:22 pm)

  Well that’s terrifying…best wishes to the victim and his family.

• Craig December 12, 2021 (3:37 pm)

  That’s terrible to hear. I’m sorry that your husband was a victim. That’s a terrible feeling to have haunt you and him I’m sure. I’d say I hope the cops catch the attacker, but I’ve honestly lost faith in the law enforcement system. Last week a DUI hit my car near Alki, but the cops didn’t show up for 2 hours after the 911 call, and when they did show up two hours later said they couldn’t arrest him for DUI even though they believed, and wrote in their report, that he was DUI, but couldn’t do anything now because 1. it’d been too long since the incident happened 2. the jail wouldn’t take him anyways, so they just let him go home. Crazy times around here for safety. 

• Krs December 12, 2021 (6:51 pm)

  Enough with the mental illness/ mental breakdown bs! There are just bad, nasty people out there that have nothing better to do. These people do not need a hug and or compassion they need a jail cell and 30-60

• Steve December 12, 2021 (8:13 pm)

  It doesn’t matter what the status of this persons brain is, he needs to be locked up and throw the key away. I don’t think some pills are gonna cure this persons drive to harm others.

  • Steves A. Dickson December 13, 2021 (2:33 pm)

    Ah yes, expert Steve swooping in to give his expert opinion on the non-effectiveness of certain medical treatments.  Is, “stick man in room, throw away key” the best you can do? 

• ZEE December 14, 2021 (11:22 pm)

  I live at Youngstown and night before last someone tried to break into our apartment and force their way in on the 1st floor. I at first thought it was a freak thing that something was wrong with our door, but when maintenance fixed it, they said there were prybar marks and someone had tried to force their way in. No one knows me or where I live, but I felt it was personal. But then the lady next door came home and we looked at her door, and though not as bad as mine, the same. And this is a locked location. Someone would have really tried hard to blend in and right up on an elevator with someone who had a fob. The manager then told me of the hatchet attack, and now I have to wonder if it’s the same person.

Sorry, comment time is over.