WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Auto-theft attempt; stolen plants

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

AUTO-THEFT ATTEMPT: Erika has a report that also serves as an alert:

I live in a relatively quiet, but not dead street in Delridge neighborhood near Home Depot. Yesterday around 4pm, broad daylight and while we were home, someone (s) attempted to steal our Kia Sorento. In a span of 30 mins( time span caught by security camera in the neighborhood) they managed to smash my back window in, rip the steering column cover off to attempt to hotwire the car and also attempted to steal the catalytic converter.

My neighbors and I are a little shocked ( maybe naively) that this happened in broad daylight, on a street that has fairly consistent traffic ( cars, bicyclists, dog walkers, etc) and they boldly did this without concern of being caught.

I have reported to the police and they have the video footage, but they said there has been an uptick in daylight thefts occurring so wanted to make the community aware.

STOLEN PLANTS: Erin sends an alert for gardeners:

I’m writing to report that some Gatewood neighbors on 37th and Ida had several very healthy tomato plants in pots in their parking strip stolen in the middle of the night earlier this week. This is an especially cruel form of unneighborly crime and I am so disheartened to know anyone would stoop so low as to steal another human being’s future summer bounty. Watch your plants, neighbors!

db July 14, 2022 (12:31 pm)

wow, may i suggest that when describing these locations instead of referencing home depot as orientation-emphasize the proximity to our police station! the lack of response is embarasing and really unforgivable…..and needs to be called out.

Al King July 14, 2022 (1:17 pm)

DB. I take it you believe the police should be sitting at the station and not out patrolling? Lack of response is a DIRECT result of lack of officers. What is YOUR magic answer to end crime??

JK July 14, 2022 (12:43 pm)

Certainly a bold crime – not just in broad daylight, also practically right next to the SW precinct!

momosmom July 14, 2022 (1:15 pm)

GEEZ…do you 2 think the police are just sitting there in their parking lot waiting for something to happen nearby? Like you, they go to their job but then maybe unlike you they must go out to patrol their designated area.

Yep July 14, 2022 (2:04 pm)

Sounds like you got more help from the police than we did when almost the exact same thing happened you our car about a year ago. The police just directed us to fill out a form on the SPD website and call our insurance.

WSCurmudgeon July 14, 2022 (2:22 pm)

As the WS Blog often reports, the SW Precinct is very short-staffed. The sworn personnel are out on assignments, not at the building. There is nothing in this report that reflects negatively on the SPD.

SteveO July 14, 2022 (2:41 pm)

👍 AgreePolice are getting to crimes as well as they can given thei resources. Would someone expect an officer to be sitting on every street?
- Ron Foust July 14, 2022 (9:10 pm)
  
  Recently at the West Seattle Internal Medicine, a 70’s model car had its tires stolen in broad daylight. They used the spare as blocks. Diamond parking ticked that car the next day…
WS Guy July 14, 2022 (3:29 pm)

The OP was not criticizing the police, but was citing the brazenness of the criminal. If the state of lawlessness is such that criminals will spend 30 minutes dismantling a car, on a busy street, in broad daylight, two blocks from a police station then we have reached a new low.

Thomas Wood July 14, 2022 (2:26 pm)

The SPD does not have the resources to handle all the crime that is taking place and criminals flat out know it. They become bolder and bolder every day! We as citizens have to act. The police make the arrest, and some judge releases them on their personal recognizance. Just yesterday a King County judge released a prolific catalytic convertor thief back into the public Bellevue police spent six months building the case. We can’t keep releasing criminals. We can’t depend on the police to protect us. We need to protect ourselves

Marc Mauger July 14, 2022 (6:38 pm)

Plant / fruit thieves…on the same scumbag level as those who steal from food banks imo

Connor July 15, 2022 (12:19 pm)

If you bought into the far-left propaganda about defunding the police, then I hope you are seeing the consequences of your decision and judgment that you placed on our peace officers. I hope my neighbors wake up and smell the roses — we need police to enforce the laws and should not decriminalize petty theft as Lisa Herbold advocates. That will only make things worse as we continue to see criminals getting more bold by the day as they know the risk of them being punished is much less than the risk of coming away with something of value. I’m ready to see our elected officials actually do something to help this city as opposed to sipping from the political kool-aid and trying to push policies that seem hip to be re-elected. We need NEW city council members that are committed to helping support the members of our community that are productive. We’ve made far too many concessions at the risk of our safety for folks that have only shown a dedication to take and destroy our city. When is enough, enough?

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