WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Another early-morning carjacking

1:57 PM: For the second time this week, a driver has been carjacked along the West Seattle waterfront. This morning it happened just before 1 am in the 1100 block of Alki SW. Three people, described as Black males in black and white masks, stole a black BMW M5 (with plates that start with CFU) at gunpoint. A stolen Audi that was traveling with them was found a short time later abandoned after a collision on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge, just past 99. Not long afterward, police found the victim’s phone tossed aside near Admiral and City View. This comes three days after a woman was carjacked on Harbor Avenue

8:46 PM: In comments below, Jr says they’re the parent of this morning’s victim, and explains what happened.

Pelicans October 20, 2023 (2:13 am)

I am really curious how SPD found the victim’s phone so quickly. Did the victim have the “Find My Phone” app or something similar? When I was robbed on the 3rd of October, SPD said they can’t “ping” phones except in certain cases. Robbery and assault were not included in those cases.

WSB October 20, 2023 (2:34 am)

Some sort of tracking, yes.
- JR October 20, 2023 (1:10 pm)
  
  I am the owner por the car that was stolen. We found the found after using Findmyphone. They had toss it on Admiral Way at an empty lot.
  - WSB October 20, 2023 (1:32 pm)
    
    Thanks for sharing the details of what happened. I heard that part – they had some difficulty finding it but eventually located it on the street.
Nadmiral October 20, 2023 (11:19 am)

The owner of the car can simply have another person at home go on Apple find my phone app…. and locate her phone and car that way. Often families have multiple phones that are the same brand. . also, everyone should put an apple itag in their car so they can track the car in real time. Very inexpensive to get itags on Amazon ($25) (no monthly fee or costs beyond that $25 ) that Apple itag Battery (replaceable common button battery) lasts one year …..and it can be tracked on Apple products under Find My phone app…… You can buy multiple styles of holders for the itag which is about the size of a quarter. You can also have one attached to your keys…hidden in your car…. or anything that you decide, including even your dog’s colkar! so the police do not have to activate the search you can have someone at home do that …or if you have another apple device it can do it too (if your phone is stolen, you could use an iPad …Mac….or another phone at home that is an Apple product. ….Sounds like the same perpetrators. We all need to be alert and not be a sitting duck for someone to grab/rob you ….or your car late at night/early in the morning. They must’ve been high out of their minds to crash that quickly. I will also mention that the set up of an itag with an iPhone is very simple. Instructions are in the box and it’s just simply a matter of going into the Find My app on your Apple device, and letting them sync phone automatically. Very easy….. very inexpensive….. and it can get you your car, your phone, your purse, your dog or even your child back to you quickly. It will locate in real time where the itag is. You can have multiple itags ….and get them at a lower price if you buy 4. Holders for itags come in many styles in order to put the itag anywhere you want..
- Nick October 20, 2023 (11:58 am)
  
  “AirTag”, not “itag”. I have them in all of my cars…
  - Jr October 20, 2023 (1:12 pm)
    
    I wish I had an Air Tag in the car as Police would have got to them. Buying some now.
  - Nadmiral October 21, 2023 (9:34 am)
    
    Thank you for the correction! Yes buy AIR tags ! ( sorry)
  - WiseWoman October 21, 2023 (11:36 am)
    
    Air tags are only good if the sound speaker is removed and hidden well not to be found.thieves find and toss fast. If its a joyride then it helps if its stolen for parts thru find and toss fast. Get killswitches with hidden switch or pull fuel pump relay fuse so car wont start

Pelicans October 20, 2023 (2:21 am)

I have had to reconstruct and obtain documentation of the places the robbers used my debit/credit cards. It has been very difficult dealing w/Wells Fargo. They sent a letter calling the case resolved, when there where fraudulent charges these punks made on my card. My lesson learned; don’t rely on the bank. Do your own research.

Joan October 20, 2023 (1:55 pm)

Sorry for that, I hate Wells Fargo and love Capital One, who is great with suspected or actual fraud.

Pelicans October 20, 2023 (2:36 am)

My heartfelt sympathy goes out to the victim.

Amrit Burn October 20, 2023 (4:08 am)

These car jackings on harbor.. are the victims driving down the street? or parked at the boat launch and surrounded by the people who hang there?there are no stop signs or lights on harbor so I am wondering how this is happening.I live very close and this is scary!!

Jr October 20, 2023 (1:14 pm)

My son was the one Carjacked. He was parked overlooking the city view, and on his phone. Police say bad people look for people who are distracted/vulnerable. So, pay attention to your surrounding, always. Luckily he is safe.
- CryForAlki October 21, 2023 (7:51 pm)
  
  Oh my! I am so sorry to hear this. I hope that he is able to heal from this. What a horrible thing to go through. I am thankful that his is unharmed. So sad!!!

Had enough October 20, 2023 (5:24 am)

If they are not calm enough to escape without crashing they are not calm enough and skilled enough to handle a gun. They are going to end up shooting somebody. They need to be taken off the streets because they are extremely dangerous. That’s twice in that area in a matter of days. There should be a decoy car with a cop or highly skilled former Seals tactical weapons instructor (and I know of at least one because I took lessons from him). Go ahead, unskilled dangerous punk, pull a weapon on them. These are not casual carjackers and you should just get out and hand over your keys. Yes, do that if they are unarmed or they are armed and you are not extremely well trained. But sooner or later even somebody who is meekly handing over their car is going to spook the gunman and he’s going to shoot. Judge, jury and executioner? No, the decoy victim is in a life threatening situation and has the right to defend themselves. They have as much of a right to be sitting there enjoying the view as anybody else. This isnt entrapment. Think without starting to take these dangerous criminals off the street innocent victims will get off safely in every case? Do you follow the news and see the innocent unresisting storekeepers and pedestrians nonetheless being shot? And the gun violence is escalating because people aren’t caught. Addressing root causes is great. Strongly support it. But we cannot root cause our way out of those who are currently not hesitating to use weapons.

What October 20, 2023 (12:06 pm)

Uh, what? The plan is to have a SEAL draw from the drop, against multiple people, from inside of a car? You’re going to have a very hard time convincing anyone to do that. That’s a terrible plan from just a tactical perspective, even setting aside the legal minefield.
Jr October 20, 2023 (1:18 pm)

My son told me that, Had he had a gun, he would have been shoot in a second. There is no time to react. He was sitting, distracted. They used an AR-type of weapon to hit the window and get him out. Had he made any false move, he would have been shot. But he is alive because he just got off the car and walked away without any words. Lucky this time.
- What October 20, 2023 (1:42 pm)
  
  Precisely, you’re at a huge disadvantage. If you have a gun, and someone already has a gun drawn on you, then you leave your gun in your pants and get away. You lose drawing from the drop 99 out of 100 times, even if you have USPSA GM level draw speed. Three vs one? You also lose. You’re in a car and having to do an awkward draw with zero ability to move off the X? Again, losing situation. Rifle vs pistol? Not good odds. There’s no way you can sign someone up to willingly do that. The better someone is at gunfighting, the less likely they are going to want to enter that situation with the intention of drawing a gun, precisely because they know it’s suicide.
- 1994 October 20, 2023 (10:48 pm)
  
  Thank you JR for sharing and reminding everyone to pay attention to their surroundings. Those phones are great but very distracting and the criminals know that, especially in the dark they can see the illuminated screen.

CarDriver October 20, 2023 (6:51 am)

WSB. Anything yet from SPD if these carjackers are the same ones involved with the Don Armeni carjacking? Also wondering if they could be involved with the bump and steal attempts on Harbor Ave?

WSB October 20, 2023 (12:30 pm)

Have not heard back from SPD yet on my followup questions. Will update the story if and when I do.

KT October 20, 2023 (9:58 am)

Would love to know the circumstances of the carjacking.

WSB October 20, 2023 (10:14 am)

I’m following up with police but they did not release the exact circumstances previously so no guarantee they will this time.
Jr October 20, 2023 (1:21 pm)

Read above, my son was listening to music and texting friends while looking at the view. He has done it for years but this time was different. Things that made things dangerous, He was the only car, alone, at 12:30 on the street, looking at the view. .

LOL October 20, 2023 (12:48 pm)

Even better than reading WSB news is reading some of the WSB comments.

Decoy cars?
Former Seals weapons instructor?

To do what, sit around all night long & wait/hope something happens? Makes for a fun Hollywood movie but let’s get real, that ain’t gonna happen. lol

Decoy cars, really???

Chuck Jacobs October 20, 2023 (1:24 pm)

Would you feel better if he called it a “Bait Car”?
Jr October 20, 2023 (4:33 pm)

Heard from SPD, they found the car, abandoned. It seems that the car was used as a getaway car for another crime. Just like an Audi was abandoned after they stole this BMW.

Rocky Bullwinkle October 20, 2023 (3:07 pm)

Number of Carjackings and attempts starting to grow. And Gun display always involved. Too bad its against the law for police to pull over cars with more than 2 teenagers in them on suspicion. Seattle needs more police and more legal leeway to conduct searches. Sad we need to continuously be on the lookout for potential danger in cars around us.

CarDriver October 20, 2023 (3:52 pm)

I’d like to see gun owners held liable and suable if their guns aren’t properly stored and then stolen to be used in other crimes.

Mike October 20, 2023 (8:07 pm)

It takes ten minutes to saw open a $3,000 gun safe. I want all guns properly stored securely, but blaming storage for crimes committed rather than locking criminals away, I don’t get that logic at all. The number one reason for properly storing firearms is to prevent little kids from getting them and accidentally shooting themselves or another person. It’s like the dumb dumbs that don’t properly use car seats and are surprised when their kid goes flying through a window in accident.Sorry this person was carjacked, I hope the suspects are found and locked up soon. We need to get back to realistic penalties that lock these people away from the rest of society.

Sorry, comment time is over.