WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 2 recent robberies; ‘package dump’

Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports – first, two robberies that happened days ago, but we’re publishing this so they’ll be on the record:

EARLY SUNDAY: This one first came to light when a victim’s parent wrote about it in the comment thread following our report on Sunday morning’s ATM holdup in Morgan Junction, saying, “My daughter and her friends were waiting for an Uber on top of Gatewood Hill area on California Ave [earlier Sunday] at 2:00 AM and two cars pulled over and robbed them at gunpoint.” In subsequent correspondence, we learned the robbery hadn’t been reported to police at the time, but a report was filed Monday. A camera in the area caught one car – a Kia Soul – and one person getting into it:

If you have any information, this incident # is 23-263491.

EARLY FRIDAY: This one came to light in an SPD summary published today. Just after quarter till four on Friday morning, a woman called 911 to say her purse had been snatched at/near the 35th/Avalon 7-11. Two people were involved and got away in a gray SUV with no plates, headed toward the bridge. We listened to archived audio for additional details. According to officers and dispatch, the victim said the robbers tried to sell her drugs, and when she said no, they knocked her down and took her purse. The recorded audio, however, did not yield any description of the robbers, nor any further description of the vehicle. If you have any information, this incident # is 23-259842.

‘PACKAGE DUMP’: That’s how the sender described this:

Neighbors found an array of stolen packages dumped in the vacant lot at 26th Ave SW and SW Juneau. They piled the boxes and items up in a neat pile. If people are missing items, they might be here. I’m not brave enough to go through all the packages.

10 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 2 recent robberies; 'package dump'"

  • ws rat September 13, 2023 (12:32 am)

    so sad our beautiful neighborhood has turned into this! 

  • Wseattleite September 13, 2023 (12:55 am)

    Third standard this City has to not pull over cars for such thing as missing plates and such is detrimental on honest citizens. Time to stop that nonsense and start enforcing the laws. 

    • Mary September 15, 2023 (7:02 am)

      The law is you don’t have to have plates on your car. Please look up your complaint next time. Not saying they were right in anyway but sweeping judgmental statements are not helpful. For next time, when you sell a car privately, the seller keeps the plates and the buyer has 10 days to replace. They drive off without plates. 

  • Alki Jack September 13, 2023 (7:59 am)

    Amazon, UPS and the Police Department need to put their heads together and come up with a way to stop all these package thief’s. The reason those packages were dumped is because they didn’t contain anything the thieves wanted. We had two packages stolen off our porch. One had two ladies golf shirts and the other a pair of sheets for a double bed. Police found the boxes, ripped open and dumped. There has to be away to stop these thefts. I’ve heard several stories of thieves following Amazon vehicles making deliveries and stealing the packages just after they are delivered. How about having someone hidden that could catch them in the act. In other words, set them up. 

    • But September 13, 2023 (10:58 am)

      It’s honestly not surprising when so many people ask Amazon/UPS to leave purchases on their front porch.  We’re encouraging the theft by making it so easy.  Buyers have plenty of options available: buying items from physical stores, utilizing Amazon lockers, placing a hidden or secure package drop at the house.

  • Lola September 13, 2023 (8:01 am)

    Do the Find it Fix it App. for the PKGS. 

  • OneTimeCharley September 13, 2023 (10:35 am)

    When will police start using “bait” persons to catch these dangerous individuals? If more eyes in the neighborhoods is what they need then perhaps a volunteer citizen group performing overnight patrols, in private vehicles and only to observe and report, is in order. The idea of a reward in these specific cases, temporarily wildly increasing the payouts to crimestoppers, and eye-popping recruitment offers for SPD are all ideas worth implementing right away. Those more fortunate among us could set up a non-profit to pool resources and then offer bonuses to newly signed experienced officers who stay will the SPD for a minimum of one year. This could be a short term program offering a $50,000 one-time hiring bonus. This will bring them in I am certain. As for robbing folks on the sidewalk, it’s only a matter of time before something “goes wrong” and someone (or more) end up dead. Catch them. Prosecute them. Imprison them if found guilty. Do it soon.

  • RC206 September 13, 2023 (12:32 pm)

    I think I saw that car dumped on Thistle just east of Delridge this morning. 

  • NeighborhoodHouseNorthPointFrontDesk September 13, 2023 (1:43 pm)

    https://www.uspis.gov/tips-prevention/mail-theftAt the bottom is a link you can click to file a report. You can file a report as someone who has found stolen mail and as someone who has had mail stolen. Mail theft is a federal offense, but if the crime isn’t reported, it cannot be investigated and prosecuted.

  • The Earl September 14, 2023 (7:00 pm)

    Oh yeah find it fix it app is going to solve it all. Play with fire and you might get burned do you think there’s a lesson to be learned. No consequences for anything. 

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