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UPDATE: Carjacking, gunfire, crash investigation on West Marginal at Highland Park Way

May 12, 2022 3:11 pm
|      52 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

3:11 PM: This is all unfolding right now – early info from scanner: Police were tracking a car on West Marginal Way when its driver got into a crash by Highland Park Way and carjacked another driver, with shots fired in the process. No injuries reported so far but the driver (and possibly an accomplice) may have bolted from the second vehicle nearby – it’s described as a black 2012 Ford Raptor. Updates as we get them.

(SDOT camera image)

3:17 PM: Northbound West Marginal is blocked at Highland Park Way because of all this.

3:25 PM: Our crew is arriving in the area and first report is that, needless to say, there’s a huge traffic backup.

3:34 PM: If you’re in the area and seeing a helicopter, that’s the shared TV-news chopper, not law enforcement. Meantime, the suspects who fled are still at large. We only caught part of the descriptions – white male and female; he was wearing glasses.

3:46 PM: Here’s what the suspects were in before the crash and carjacking:

(WSB photo)

3:55 PM: The carjacked vehicle has been found on Puget Ridge, empty. Police told dispatch that witnesses saw 4 suspects get out of it.

4:02 PM: Meantime, the northbound lanes of West Marginal are still closed for cleanup – this is what happened after the Expedition driver hit another vehicle pre-carjacking:

4:23 PM: SDOT and SPD report NB West Marginal has just reopened.

7:59 PM: SPD Blotter has the police account of what happened, including why the original vehicle containing the suspects – the trailer-towing SUV – came to their attention in the first place. They also confirm that the carjacked Ford Raptor was indeed recovered. No arrests reported so far.

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52 Replies to "UPDATE: Carjacking, gunfire, crash investigation on West Marginal at Highland Park Way"

  • Nadine May 12, 2022 (3:24 pm)

    I was a few cars behind this and have pictures of the 2 guys that ran from the scene and took off in the black truck that was fueling up at the gas station. Will reach out to police. Sorry to those involved – hope this may help.

    • WSB May 12, 2022 (3:39 pm)

      Yeah, I would think they’d be very interested, call 911 and tell them if you haven’t already.

    • Local May 13, 2022 (4:01 pm)

      Can you send me those pictures, I may be able to identify them 206-228-8465

  • Jim P. May 12, 2022 (3:31 pm)

    Keep those doors locked and windows up, folks. Seems like rather a lot of carjackings here of late. Lot of “poor life choices” being made I guess.

    • taylor May 12, 2022 (4:03 pm)

      It sounds like the car was stolen whilst fueling up… nice to know I now have to worry about getting robbed by a stranger at the same time I’m getting robbed by the gas company.

      • Sam May 19, 2022 (9:13 am)

        The guy who is running from the police still is now home and still wanted. The police have been notified but have done nothing. 

  • Rambo May 12, 2022 (3:31 pm)

    I just drove opposite direction and was almost hit by a white truck with a trailer that swerved into the turn lane while doing around 60. Trailer swung into oncoming traffic and almost clipped me and another oncoming car. Curious that this says black truck, wonder if it is related. 

    • WSB May 12, 2022 (3:37 pm)

      The black truck is what was carjacked. Haven’t confirmed yet but the original vehicle was described as an Expedition – pretty sure they said white – and a trailer was reportedly involved.

    • Walklikesnake May 12, 2022 (3:49 pm)

      Those are the same guys that almost hit you. They hit another vehicle near the coffee stand and lost a wheel. It looked like 4 people got out and at least one ran off on foot, two others (maybe three) got into the carjacked vehicle and went up Highland.

  • Audifans May 12, 2022 (3:48 pm)

    Well, I do not remember this kinda repetitive action back when I first moved here. I guess crazy has gone ballistic lately. 

    • Concerned May 12, 2022 (7:43 pm)

      feels like crime only keeps on increasing 

  • Charlie May 12, 2022 (3:49 pm)

    Drove by this 30 minutes ago. Super bad crash right in front of the gas station. Absolutely nothing going through northbound. This will take hours to clear if it’s an active crime scene.

    • WSB May 12, 2022 (4:23 pm)

      Actually they’re just now reopening the NB lanes

  • Sheila G May 12, 2022 (3:58 pm)

    Hmm. My husband was just out walking and said he heard what sounded like 4 gunshots at California & Andover. Time was 3:48pm. I wonder if it is related to this event on West Marginal.

  • deetee May 12, 2022 (4:00 pm)

    Heard 3 gunshots near California and Charleston?

    • WSB May 12, 2022 (4:21 pm)

      Unrelated so far as we know. Still trying to sort that one out now that this is winding down.

    • Anon May 12, 2022 (4:23 pm)

      Heard shots too
      Counted 5

    • CalChar Resident May 12, 2022 (4:38 pm)

      As of now there are two cop cars at the 76. 

    • alley life May 12, 2022 (4:52 pm)

      Yes, heard this too. Then saw three cars speed down the alley behind my house. A black truck, a white sedan, and a black/white sedan. They were speeding from Andover towards Dakota…they would have went behind Dakota Place Park. Saw a police car in the alley a few minutes ago. 

      • sam-c May 13, 2022 (8:01 am)

        I wonder if these were the cars our family encountered driving dangerously on Thursday afternoon.  There was a black truck speeding northbound on 35th, and passing NB drivers by driving in the curb/ parking lane, followed by a small white car (maybe a Prius?) pulling the same moves.  This was near the Westy, Realfine, etc.

  • Russ May 12, 2022 (4:06 pm)

    Any idea where on Puget Ridge?  Jut wondering if I should be on the look out…

    • WSB May 12, 2022 (4:29 pm)

      Yes but our photographer was subsequently told by police at that scene that that was NOT the truck so I’m trying to seek further clarification, as all the preceding discussion certainly did not sound like there was any doubt.

  • JS May 12, 2022 (4:14 pm)

    A little bit before 3pm I saw a white SUV with trailer driving erratically on about 40th and Dakota. Driver meets the description and did have a passenger that I couldn’t see. Cops were near by so was there a chase involved? Seems like this could be tied together.

    • KJK11 May 12, 2022 (5:12 pm)

      I saw the same vehicle speeding down Avalon near Luna Park Cafe. 2 police were blocks behind, obviously in pursuit 

  • Rumbles May 12, 2022 (4:53 pm)

    You have got to be kidding me!  What kind of a whacked out world do we live in?!

  • aRF May 12, 2022 (5:00 pm)

    The California-Andover gun shots likely started as an altercation at the Union 76 between an old black/white crown vic cop car and a truck that was fueling. 

  • Odd son May 12, 2022 (5:13 pm)

    Yesterday I saw an old crown vic cop car speed around a car stopped at the red light on northbound California at Stevens. There were people in both crosswalks. Hope they get the driver off the street. People who don’t want to follow laws are getting more brazen.

    • Frog May 12, 2022 (5:54 pm)

      I got passed by a SUV doing 40+ in the center turn lane on Admiral yesterday.  People are starting to learn that there are no consequences, so it will only get worse.  No one will be gotten off the street.  Quite the opposite — trendy de-policing policies have nearly eliminated traffic stops by police.  You need to actually crash into someone or something to get their attention now.

  • Scubafrog May 12, 2022 (5:26 pm)

    Maybe Harrell’s decided that doing nothing on crime’s better for his poll numbers?  So far, people are content blaming herbold and co.,  and they’ve  earned the lion’s share.  A mayor who’s awol?  He earns his small share, too.  Having run on the “We will not tolerate crime in Seattle” platform has certainly left me wondering where he’s gone.  Violent crime takes precedence over his ‘homeless sweeps’ – I wish he knew that.  How many bodies will the crime wave deliver, before he introduces his plan to entice more officers this summer?  Seattle needed a decisive plan on his inauguration.  Not a great start.

    • wscommuter May 12, 2022 (5:51 pm)

      Please do explain what, in your expert opinion, Bruce Harrell should be doing right now that he isn’t.  You must have some special insight … please be good enough to enlighten us all.  How exactly should Harrell be stopping violent crime?  We’d all really like to know.  

      • Amy May 12, 2022 (7:45 pm)

        It still baffles me that people expected Harrell to have all the answers. He had been on the council for 13 yrs, leaving in 2020.

      • Scubafrog May 12, 2022 (8:53 pm)

        Harrell could’ve, when inaugurated, immediately appointed Diaz as Chief. He should’ve immediately started  issuing bonuses for new police-hires, and with said hires, started setting up new beats for high-crime areas.   More bicycles, more presence, more arrests.  I know the “defunding” extremists hate it, but they’re a minority circa 2022, and aggressive anti-crime’s  what the city wants.   Harrell and Davison won with mandates on crime.  They’ll just as soon be repudiated if they don’t take quick action (note Davison’s quick action on crime).   As other’s have been quick to add, Harrell really is more of the same (who expected otherwise).  Here, that means 1-term, unfulfilled promises, and an woefully-unhappy electorate.

        • K May 12, 2022 (9:41 pm)

          Bonuses have proven ineffective, so it’s good he hasn’t jumped right on that, as they’re a big old waste of tax money.  Davidson’s quick action is mostly instituting policies Nicole Thomas-Kennedy proposed first.  Let’s face it.  Harrell and Davidson won because of feelings, not track records or policy.  

          • Joe Z May 12, 2022 (10:28 pm)

            Nobody wants to work for SPD because of the toxic culture of the department. 

          • Wseattleite May 12, 2022 (10:31 pm)

            They won because of whom their opposition was. 

          • Scubafrog May 12, 2022 (10:42 pm)

            “Feelings”, or Seattle’s rising body count (which really is a thing)?

        • alki_2008 May 12, 2022 (11:35 pm)

          Funny how people think that having job openings and offering more money means that employees will suddenly materialize. If people don’t want to work for SPD, then no new police will be hired. You can’t force people to work here. Maybe if the city and the City Council wasn’t so antagonistic to police officers, then it wouldn’t be so difficult to get new hires and stop losing officers to other cities.

        • wscommuter May 13, 2022 (9:03 am)

          Your ideas are seriously misinformed.  Harrell had no authority to start giving out bonuses for police hires, and more to the point, even if he could have and we were suddenly able to hire new officers, it will take months to get them trained and ready to serve.  Even lateral hires have a transition period.  Likewise, Harrell doesn’t control where/how police are deployed.  Your suggestion that making Diaz chief immediately would have had any impact on our problems is likewise disconnected from reality.  This is a complex problem – our police shortage – that will take time to fix.  Other commenters are correct – the toxic culture that has arisen about SPD has directly contributed both to officers leaving SPD and others not being willing to come work here.  Hiring bonuses may help – but they alone will not solve the problem.   

  • flimflam May 12, 2022 (5:27 pm)

    Jeez, it definitely seems like violent crime is increasing…I’m sure someone will correct me and tell me the city is very safe, etc.

    • Jim May 12, 2022 (9:32 pm)

      They would probably quote you per capita statistics from states with much smaller populations claiming that Washington State isn’t as bad even though per capita is just a way to artificially inflate/dflate numbers depending on the point you want to make

  • Rick Jensen May 12, 2022 (6:48 pm)

    I’m moving back to Burien in June.  W.Seattle is too dangerous. 

    • Jrh May 14, 2022 (8:44 pm)

      Burien crime rate is up too

  • Alki resident May 12, 2022 (9:27 pm)

    This is exactly why I carry. I’m so sick of the crime here. 

    • Eric May 13, 2022 (7:11 am)

      Yeah, but what are you going to do if robbed/assaulted? Shoot the perpetrator(s)? What about all the innocent bystanders that you are now endangering!? Give up your valuables (they’re not worth it anyway), make noise, run, hide, call the police, fight…but shooting at any point in that chain and I don’t see how you’re making the situation any safer. Now in your own dwelling, I see a right to protect yourself, but even then, neighbors are potential victims from your shots. This is all coming from someone who is thinking these same thoughts too (“maybe I should just carry”).  But I believe there is another option. Just have to figure out what it is.

      • Jrh May 14, 2022 (8:46 pm)

        Thank-you. Me too

    • K to the F May 13, 2022 (10:36 am)

      Sure hope you have solid training to avoid collateral damage like killing a bystander or two while playing policeman.

      • Rhonda May 13, 2022 (3:27 pm)

        As a law enforcement officer, a civilian protecting themselves with a firearm from grave bodily injury or death is not “playing policeman”.

    • Rick May 13, 2022 (12:44 pm)

      Yep.

  • West Seattle Resident May 13, 2022 (8:08 am)

    I saw this all unfold before my eyes, it was insane. I saw the white expedition begin to swerve into oncoming traffic. Once they crashed on the curb near the gas station I saw 3 people flee immediately, and that’s when I knew something wasn’t right. Called 911 immediately. I hope they catch these people. I heard on the police scanner about 30 min later that the man driving the expedition was known to have a criminal history, so it seems like they know who it was…

  • Thisthatoo May 13, 2022 (4:03 pm)

    This world has become a scary place to live. It seems it’s not safe anywhere anymore and if you happen to be the “unlucky one” to get car-jacked. murdered, or robbed,  it’s “so sad” and your family is forever traumatized and yesterday’s news is already old. We live in a world where real  accountability is hardly enforced and wokism has  people afraid to say anything.   God’s  word says that every person is appointed to die once, and then comes the judgement- from GOD .   (Hebrews 9:27)    let that sink in..      I think most of us know this internally but the  younger ones especially, need to hear the word of God and and get some knowledge  and fear put back in them. It’s no joke and it will catch up to you.  Prayers for everyone and a safer world.

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