WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Theft leads to spill response; found laptop in bag, possibly stolen/dumped

GAS THEFT BRINGS SPILL RESPONSE: Sometimes if a parked car is broken into or damaged, and someone other than its owner calls police, the owner will later find an SPD card. Today, Jeff found his car with a card from a different city department:

My gas tank on my truck was drilled and they stole the gas. Someone called City of Seattle in the middle of the night to investigate a leak and they found it to be my truck. I was parked just North of Genesee on 44th Ave SW. They put a temp patch on it and a drip pan and left a note.

Hope everyone is on the lookout.

FOUND BAG WITH LAPTOP: Maybe stolen and dumped, maybe somehow “just lost,” but whatever the case, Brenda hopes to find the owner:

I found a bag with a MacBook and car keys, note pad, etc but there’s no name or number anywhere.

She found it in the street near California/Othello. If yours, email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we’ll connect you with Brenda.

Odd son October 29, 2023 (8:19 pm)

I’m glad people respond. When I called non emergency (staffed by 911 call takers) about a similar incident a few years ago, I was told they don’t respond. Frustrating experience. Maybe the call taker was new or this is a new program. I just remember being sort of arguing with her and being dumbfounded that the city couldn’t do anything.

I didn’t occur to me at the time but maybe I should have looked through the glovebox to find contact information for the owner and called them myself.

Dan October 29, 2023 (8:29 pm)

Fortunate to not have had truck towed! City had mine towed at one point for leaking hazardous fluid onto roadway when in reality it was a gallon water jug that was leaking water from under the hood. Sorry for your theft and damage

columbo October 29, 2023 (9:54 pm)

Things are getting weirder by the day. What next?

Petrol October 29, 2023 (11:55 pm)

Drilling gas tanks has become very common, unfortunately.

16th resident October 29, 2023 (10:17 pm)

Our truck’s fuel tank was drilled this past week too. Such a bummer.

Popcornvampire October 30, 2023 (4:23 am)

An older man I talked to said his van tanks were drilled in the same manner on harbor ave recently. The suspects drilled the tank filled up a couple gas cans and bounced out leaving the rest of the gas draining everywhere under the vehicle.. the truth was this guy was an honest tradesman doing plumbing and worked his butt off everyday. He lost a few days of work and had his vehicle victimized several times already and it cost him alot to repair his truck constantly.

waikikigirl October 30, 2023 (7:31 am)

The catalytic converter theft seems to have slowed or even stopped, (good thing) is it due to the scrapyards no longer buying them or???

WSB October 30, 2023 (11:07 am)

We mentioned that in a recent community-meeting report. Some rings have been busted. Regional/national, not just local. (Google “catalytic converter ring busted,” in quotes, and a variety of stories come up.) We hear sporadic reports but nothing like the rate at which it was once happening (we were among the victims in early 2022).

Willy October 30, 2023 (9:06 pm)

The gas tank on my Silverado 1500 was drilled as this past weekend. It was parked at the intersection of SW Genesee & 32nd Ave SW. I reported the crime and filed an insurance claim. The dealership quoted the fix around $2,000.

Sorry, comment time is over.