That video shows two shoplifters walking out the door at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) on Saturday with jackets they didn’t pay for. They’re also suspected of vandalism nearby. From WSR co-proprietor Tim McConnell:
They came into the store and said they were just looking around.
I assumed they were looking for a gift or something, so we went back to helping other people and checking back in with them like we do for every customer. Then they started focusing on our waterproof coats, which are the most expensive apparel items we carry. They checked the men’s and then the women’s, which seemed a little odd, but whatever. But then they started acting a little weird, looking around and seeing where the staff was. I’ve seen shoplifters before, so I am aware of the signs, but I gave them the benefit of the doubt and kept helping the people I was with. Then we started getting busy again, so my attention got diverted for a moment. A few minutes later they left, and one of my staff said that one of the kids grabbed a jacket and walked out. I ran down the street after them, and I came up on a kid that hadn’t been in the store, but as soon as I passed him, he yelled “Run!”. I was about 20 feet behind the thieves, and they started running. I caught up to the smaller kid right in front of PCC and yelled at him to drop it. He turned and squared up, but realized I was much bigger than him, so he dropped it and ran. At that time, I was under the impression he was the only one who took anything, so I collected my item and went back to the store. After reviewing the security video, I realized both kids had grabbed jackets, so we are still out at least $200. The money is a concern, but the brazenness is the most alarming. I can almost understand an addict doing this, but a teenage kid acting with complete disregard is troubling. We hope that by sharing this the kids’ families will see this and deal with them appropriately. We need to make this community a better one, but these kids seem like they are headed down the wrong path.
Here’s a catalog image of the still-missing jacket (women’s large). Meantime, Westside Barber Shop proprietor Stormy, a few blocks south of WSR, sent this security image taken shortly before the WSR theft:
Those same kids were vandalizing my neighbor’s air unit. I had a verbal exchange with them that ended with the kid in the green hat threatening me with physical violence.
We’ll add a police report # when we get it.
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