WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Another purse-snatch robbery; mail-truck break-in

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two more incidents we need to tell you about:

PURSE-SNATCH ROBBERY: This one is reported to have happened within the past hour near the California SW Rite-Aid. The robber was described as a man in his early 20s, unknown race, black puffy jacket, black pants. He got away in what sounds to have been the stolen brown Kia Soul we mentioned here earlier this afternoon – the color and plate matched. The car was last seen speeding down SW Holden.

MAIL-TRUCK BREAK-IN: Right before that, police were dispatched to a report of a USPS truck break-in, a few blocks west of the above incident – in the 4700 block of SW Dawson. No other details so far.

Local October 25, 2023 (5:40 pm)

Are the “snatchings” happening more frequently or are they just being reported more often? It feels like we have seen a lot recently.

WSB October 25, 2023 (6:33 pm)

Happening more frequently.
- Local October 25, 2023 (7:08 pm)
  
  Thank you

Nathan H. October 25, 2023 (6:44 pm)

This is out of control. Something needs to be done.

Janelle October 25, 2023 (6:51 pm)

Ugh. I was walking into the Riteaid as this happened. It’s getting scary out there.

SignzoFThymz October 25, 2023 (7:39 pm)

I’v seen a brown Kia Soul that was on 45th and wildwood place last month when a car was stolen, I couldn’t see who was driving it though.

Seattlite October 25, 2023 (7:47 pm)

What are the city council, mayor and SPD going to do about the increased crime in WS and greater Seattle? Isn’t the first and most important job of the city council and mayor to protect citizens? After all, they do work for the citizens. SPD will be able to do their jobs more efficiently when the police officer shortage is resolved. But, when will that happen?

WSB October 25, 2023 (8:08 pm)

Hiring continues to go very slowly, according to numbers presented in the budget process. The money is there, the openings are there, the city is even going to spend $2 million on a PR campaign to promote SPD hiring.
- Seattlite October 25, 2023 (9:18 pm)
  
  Yes…There is a process to getting recruits, hiring, training, etc. It is just so disturbing that Seattle finds itself in this situation of short-staffed police officers when it never should have happened in the first place. Thanks for posting my comment.
Resident October 25, 2023 (10:05 pm)

Who in their right mind wants to be a police officer at this point? You can get paid all the money in the world but if people hate you all day every day when you’re working your job that would make your job pretty crappy wouldn’t it 90% of the time officers are not getting kudos for the work they do but getting hammered for what they’ve done wrong. You can’t pay most people enough to do that job.
- Asimov October 25, 2023 (11:05 pm)
  
  Doing a lot of heavy lifting in your comment is the omission that “what they’ve done wrong” isn’t something like being rude to someone, or forgetting to clock in to start a shift. If cops are mad because they are being held accountable for screw ups that end up in deaths and/or violating constitutional rights, then bully for them. Great power, great responsibility. Because of things like qualified immunity and the power of police unions, public protest and criticism is LITERALLY the only recourse.
  - Nadmiral October 26, 2023 (8:27 am)
    
    The vast majority of police officers are true HEROS …. boo on you
    - Asimov October 26, 2023 (2:47 pm)
      
      Okay, so the ones that are heroes, shouldn’t have any problem with others who are less than reputable being scolded for bad behavior, right? By that I mean, you see criticism towards particular officers, or the lack of an institution policy for properly dealing with those particular officers.
      
      Try a little harder than one-sided group think of “Oh, you want accountability? You suck. Let’s praise law enforcement unconditionally!” Being able to see more than one issue at a time is good for you–and more productive–I promise.

ADH..HeyLookASquirrel October 25, 2023 (7:53 pm)

Now to put up with the obvious biased commentary talking about crime is not going up, look, here is a cherry picked biased link to prove it, all is well, do not believe your lying eyes. Ridiculous to try to pass that line off. Crime is up! Look how many businesses have boarded up windows from multiple smash and grabs, look at all the purse snatchings, look at the kids getting their phones snatched (and beat up), look at the stolen cars. But alas, don’t worry, Seattle will keep voting in the same and things will continue to go downhill until it magically turns into a utopia. If you don’t like how things are going, then please vote for someone different. We have to end these crazy no chase laws, no arrest laws, lax drug laws and no incarceration laws.

VoteAgainstCrime October 25, 2023 (8:33 pm)

Well said. 100% agree. It’s ok to be a Democrat who votes Republican at the city and county level until crime is both prioritized and solved. The left will not solve King County crime w/ their current policies. Temporarily voting R at the local level will be the most likely short term solution regarding crime.
- Yes and amen October 25, 2023 (9:31 pm)
  
  Amen! I almost always vote red with state and blue with country. Crime is historically battled better in red areas because there is a greater respect for law enforcement and a greater support for law enforcement. Sure, there is dirty law enforcement everywhere but when a community stands up for those protecting their loved ones and property, the law enforcement delivers.
  - Lagartija Nick October 26, 2023 (9:58 am)
    
    Oh look the republicans are trotting out their “we’re the party of law order” trope again. Absolutely freaking hilarious! Violent crime, in particular gun crime, is 40% higher in red states than blue states. Don’t believe me? Check out the latest stats from the FBI. And let’s not forget that the leader of your party is nothing more than a puffed up organized crime boss facing four different indictments with over 90 felony counts ranging from racketeering and fomenting insurrection to stealing national secrets. Claiming to be the party of “law and order” has ZERO factual basis and is a really bad joke.
    - VoteAgainstCrime October 26, 2023 (10:28 am)
      
      I was not comparing blue states and red states. I was speaking specifically to Seattle as a city and King county as a county, on the topic of crime. I am a democrat, not a republican. I vote D 100% at the federal and state level. At the city and county level though, I will now start to vote R since Ive already given Dems many chances to address crime in our area. Do I want to vote R? No, of course not, but it’s up to each West Seattle individual to weigh the tradeoffs and evaluate whether or not they believe crime has hit a tipping point worthy of more conservative decision making in our neighborhood.
- Odd son October 25, 2023 (11:00 pm)
  
  I agree but when was the last time there was a Republican candidate at the local or county level? We only have a choice between democrats and a socialist if you count Sawant but she’s not running again.I know of one person who tried to run but they quickly faced a hostile environment and suspended their campaign for the safety of their family.
- New Deal October 26, 2023 (5:06 am)
  
  I am another Democrat who votes Republican in this crazy city. Thank you.
- Cat Girl October 26, 2023 (8:04 am)
  
  While crime is definitely rising here it is not nearly as high as it is Republican led states. Voting Republican is not going to solve the problems you’re concerned about. I hate that I have to remind y’all that the Republican Party literally tried to overthrow our government a few years ago. Republicans aren’t tough on crime, they are criminals, and the party is led by a the most corrupt man to ever hold the office of president. Voting republican is voting for corruption.
  - VoteAgainstCrime October 26, 2023 (10:35 am)
    
    Everything you said is true regarding republicans at the federal and even the state level. At the city and county level though in Seattle/King, republican candidates are nothing more than moderate democrats in any other area of the country. I am completely fine voting D for federal and state without it making me so tribal that I continue to vote for crime enabling dems at the city and county level. I am purely referring to king county dem candidates, seattle dem candidates, and our city council. They are pushing policies that actually make crime worse. Instead of being tribal about politics, I look at things case by case. In the case of crime in this one particular city, dem is no longer the answer.
  - Byron James October 26, 2023 (1:23 pm)
    
    The “red state” cities with “blue” progressives in charge have the highest crime.
Seattlite October 25, 2023 (9:14 pm)

I love it when I read common sense comments. Thank you.

Action October 25, 2023 (8:47 pm)

No point in waiting nor wishing for politicians to create change. They had their chance. They didn’t address public safety so just fire them and vote for new ones. No point in asking what they are doing. They’ve been answering that question with their actions, loud and clear. Doing nothing.

AC October 25, 2023 (9:08 pm)

How many women have been robbed or had their purses snatched on California in the last 2 weeks? I’m a little surprised this isn’t getting more attention. Before the last month I don’t recall ever hearing about a purse snatching of an individual on California during broad daylight, maybe it is was just that rare?

Admyrl Byrd October 25, 2023 (9:52 pm)

If we can’t fund new police officers, maybe it would be cheaper to fund a buy-back program of Hyundais and Kias in the years of their theft vulnerability. The state and country have not been bashful about pulling dangerous cars off the road, and in reality this is no different. They’re the robber and crash and grab vehicle of choice….

WSB October 25, 2023 (10:48 pm)

Just to be clear, there IS funding for new police officers. And for hiring incentives.

Ethan October 25, 2023 (10:34 pm)

I witnessed the whole thing. He walked right up to the bus stop where this couple sat where they were just minding their own business waiting for the bus. I saw him looking down the sidewalk right before turning to the woman he assaulted to make sure he had a clear run way to escape. Next thing you know, he bolted down the side walk with purse in hand. I heard from another witness that he got in a car (in the passenger side of the car I’m speculating), which she attentively got the license plate number to as they sped southward. It was incredibly disheartening to actually see how criminals like this effect people not just physically, but mentally. In the aftermath, the woman was horrified.This isn’t something that victims get over within a small amount of time either. By the way, the purpetrator was black which I told the police dispatcher twice… Also, the thief was wearing a black covid mask, and it wasn’t a poofy jacket, it looked like an average black hoody. To anyone reading this, please be safe out there. Be aware of your surroundings. There are a lot of desperate people out there willing to do evil things just for some pocket change.

K October 26, 2023 (10:15 am)

Ethan! I’m the lady who got the license plate number and gave the woman the wet wipe to clean her face. Are you the guy who called 911? Great job responding so quickly- I’m so glad that even when bad things happen, there are so many neighbors and bystanders who are willing to jump in and help :)
- Ethan October 26, 2023 (8:00 pm)
  
  Yeah that was me. Good job on getting that plate number. From where I was at I didn’t even know the dude got in a car and sped off. All I saw was him running like his life depended on it.

Kt October 26, 2023 (7:27 am)

I still like the idea of lots of ladies carrying old purses filled with dog poop as decoys.

Looking4Heroes October 26, 2023 (8:12 pm)

I’m so frustrated by all of the crime. I’m from Seattle (59 years all together, 20 in West Seattle). I’ve lived a very quite life for most of it. But within the past 5 years my brother has had his teeth knocked out by someone he didn’t know on the street. My same brother got hit over the head with a tire iron, again by someone on the street (both in the Delridge DESC area. My home has been broken into/burglarized twice. I myself was pepper sprayed by a thief when I tried to intervene who was shoplifting. My car has had it’s window broken twice. A couple weeks ago, as I stood in front of my house, 2 white sports cars raced down the residential street. When I motioned with my hand for them to slow down, on turned around and acted like they were going to run me over. Then shouted out the window “do you want to die!” Things are getting scary out here. Please my friends. Let’s be sure that we are voting for people that honestly care about us and our community. Please, please vote for public safety. I’m voting for Rob Saka.

Steph October 28, 2023 (6:00 pm)

I’m carrying my pepper spray with a 20ft spray again. Good deterrent when you turn with that in your hand.Haven’t carried a purse for a long time. Used a fanny pack until it hurt my back.Stun guns are too up close. I’m getting a stun baton.There are self defense classes. I learned at one to carry keys with the blade sticking out between your fingers and you have to accept you will need to jab an attacker right in the eye.I’d like to carry a pistol but it’s getting too hard for good citizens to get them and keep them safe from kids, etc So I end up staying home too much.People talk about voting for judges that give strict sentences but in my district the judges are unopposed so no choice.Oh, don’t forget the whistle! A LOUD one. I wear it on a lanyard and I know it has made some unsavory thugs pass me over when they see it.I’m carrying a strong little flashlight too for shining in the eyes.Always look around and be aware of what is going on around you. Be safe.Oh, another gripe: we hear about the criminals and the arrests but it’s almost impossible to get a photo of the “alleged perpetrators”. Why is it so hard for us to have those? Why are the criminals being protected and we are not? Does anyone know how to get a photo or mugshot of these offenders?

Sorry, comment time is over.