WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Admiral 7-11 robbed again

2:02 AM: For the second time in nine days, the Admiral 7-11 has been robbed. This happened about an hour ago – just after 1 am. According to dispatch audio, four robbers took the store’s cash register and threw something at the clerk. They were described only as three men, one woman, all Black, in their 20s, wearing black masks and black jackets. They reportedly got away walking westbound, likely to a parked car. The cash register subsequently turned up barely a block away, in the 2300 block of 45th SW. If you have any information or vicinity video, the police incident # to refere to is 23-353422.

ADDED SATURDAY AFTERNOON: A till – still holding $1s – was found a bit further north on 45th this morning, a texter tells us:

The texter says the neighbor who found it was reporting it to police.

ARPigeonPoint December 9, 2023 (3:32 am)

How mich could they possibly have gotten from the register? Yeesh.

Amy T December 9, 2023 (5:26 am)

Crime out here is getting ridiculous something needs to change I mean really I drive my husband to work a little before 5 am I shouldn’t feel like I have to keep a knife in my pocket to feel safer to drive home alone sick of this bs

David December 9, 2023 (7:37 am)

Time to stop taking cash – Uptown Espresso did it quite a while ago

Tracey December 9, 2023 (12:03 pm)

This let’s stop taking cash idea has got to stop. Do you realize that people can’t even leave the parking lot of medical facilities without downloading an app to their smartphone? Can’t wash their clothes at the laundromat without an other? Attend a food festival without a third? Download an app for this, scan a QR code for that. Like pigs to a trough.
- Erik December 9, 2023 (1:02 pm)
  
  Have you never heard of debit and credit cards? You don’t need to download an app to pay with a card at a gas station. I literally haven’t carried cash for more than a decade and have never once had an issue paying anyone ever. I would support these businesses in going “no cash”. Makes sense. Makes it safer for the employees. Time to start living in the 21st century.
  - Tracey December 9, 2023 (1:26 pm)
    
    I guess you didn’t attend the Bite of Seattle this year, talk to the manager of the laundromat on 35th or park at Capitol Hill Kaiser lately. Be my guest. Leave your smartphone at home and give it a try. Your wallet won’t help you.
    - Erik December 9, 2023 (1:40 pm)
      
      Some small time merchants don’t like to take cards. If that’s the case then it’s on them. They can lose out on the sales. In any case it doesn’t seem productive to complain that a convenience store that’s taken cards for a couple decades now would go cashless. People seem to want to complain a lot about business removing a risk to the health and safety of their employees, just because they don’t want to take the effort to pay with a card. This article isn’t about a small pop up shop or food truck in a small time market. It’s not about a coin-op laundomat either. It’s about a business that has been repeatedly hit over the last year with the same robbery issues that doesn’t have to take cash, and can operate just fine taking cards only. Taking cards is not that expensive anymore. Most food trucks have modernized with a simple app or some other system. I speak from experience as a business owner that takes credit cards myself. If they don’t want to take them and don’t want to put in the minimal effort to modernize, then maybe they don’t have what it takes to do business in modern society.
    - Pauline December 10, 2023 (5:40 am)
      
      Also skimmers and shimmers…to access your card. Crime will always happen somehow.
  - Alki resident December 9, 2023 (4:28 pm)
    
    I carry cash everywhere I go. I also only tip in cash since wait staff have to pay taxes on their tips. I pay cash to get gas for much cheaper than debit. Our world runs great on cash and I will continue to use it. We’d be in big trouble if we had a cashless society.
    - IRS in WS December 9, 2023 (5:42 pm)
      
      You do understand that tips, cash or credit/debit must be reported to t he employer, who must report that as part of the income for purposes of payroll taxes?https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tip-income-is-taxable-and-must-be-reported
    - WiseWoman December 9, 2023 (9:25 pm)
      
      You do realize that half of all politicians pay their nannies in half cash and half reported income. Like everywhere! People are still burning service types with not paying or bouncing checks believe it or not. I am not giving up cash bc when the government wants to cut off anything or rolling blackouts your cards are worthless. It works for many but technically you pay way more for goods bc of it.
    - Carguy December 9, 2023 (5:56 pm)
      
      You still have to report cash tips as income to be taxed. Otherwise I’m pretty sure that’s tax evasion.
    - Alki resident December 9, 2023 (6:35 pm)
      
      Do you think delivery drivers and other service people report all of their cash tips? Nope they sure don’t. But they likely turn around and pay taxes on the gas and food they buy after work. We’re taxed to death in this country and turn around and give it to other countries. So kudos to those who keep the little amount of cash tips they receive. People are hardly even tipping anymore as it is.
    - K December 9, 2023 (8:59 pm)
      
      Cash and debit are the same price at gas stations. It’s only credit cards that are higher. Misinformation will be the death of us.
    - Alki resident December 10, 2023 (9:58 am)
      
      K I meant to say cash is much cheaper than credit. I’m quite aware debit and cash are the same. Pretty sure you knew what I meant.
  - Pauline December 10, 2023 (5:29 am)
    
    It’s a privilege to have access to debit/credit cards…there is such thing as technology illiteracy. Also using cash, you don’t have to deal with card fees, or account being compromised by fraud, or issue with a bank database system. There was an issue as of recent about US bank deposits delays…Too much reliance, we are all doom lol.
Seattlite December 9, 2023 (3:57 pm)

“Time to stop taking cash.” That’s exactly what the government wants you to do, because they can track you and your card purchases without any problem. I will stick to cash until forced not to use it.
- Alki resident December 9, 2023 (4:40 pm)
  
  100% correct, we must keep cash flowing throughout.
- MW December 9, 2023 (7:16 pm)
  
  I, too, pay with cash whenever I can. The smaller the business, the more they like taking cash payments because those card fees they have to pay hit their bottom line much harder than they do big business. Besides the issue of data gathering & privacy loss, a cashless society immensely benefits the largest corporations. I do not understand support for that.
1994 December 9, 2023 (11:19 pm)

Maybe the creepers are after other things in addition to hoping for a little cash.
Del December 10, 2023 (11:19 am)

I haven’t carrier cash in years. I support stores going fully cashless to protect themselves.

WestSeattleNative December 9, 2023 (11:09 am)

Stop taking cash? That’s the solution to stop the escalating crime? Possibly stop with the catch and release might be a more effective deterrent.

ArborHeights December 9, 2023 (1:02 pm)

That won’t solve it. If we just restricted magazines to two rounds, this would all go away.
flimflam December 9, 2023 (1:10 pm)

Of course that should be the goal but in the meantime, if I were a business owner I’d strongly consider going cashless. Why do you think the pot shops are such frequent targets?
- Erik December 9, 2023 (1:50 pm)
  
  Right? I don’t understand why people complain about something so petty as having to use a card. (which is arguably more convenient for them than having to carry several cash bills around, which aren’t insured, and if you lose them you’re SOL). It’s one step that might be helpful in reducing the risk to the health and safety of a businesses employees. No one thinks it’s a “solution” to the entire problem.
Rick December 10, 2023 (6:03 am)

Bingo Bingo Bingo

admiralian December 9, 2023 (1:38 pm)

is the clerk ok?

WSB December 9, 2023 (3:26 pm)

No report of injuries.

Lucy December 9, 2023 (2:07 pm)

It is against federal law to refuse cash as payment.

WSB December 9, 2023 (3:24 pm)

False.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/faqs/currency_12772.htm
Cashless in WS December 9, 2023 (5:46 pm)

Lucy – it’s not against the law for private businesses to refuse to take cash at the federal level. I don’t believe WA State laws prohibit and I don’t believe King County prohibits and I don’t believe city of Seattle prohibits. If you can provide links that state otherwise, I think many would be interested.
- Rhonda December 10, 2023 (12:46 am)
  
  The King County Council passed a law forbidding businesses from banning cash transactions.
  - WSB December 10, 2023 (3:35 am)
    
    Which affects only unincorporated areas of the county, not those in King County’s cities.
    https://kingcounty.gov/en/legacy/council/news/2023/june/6-27-jkw-businesses-take-cash-ordinance-release

12th green guy December 9, 2023 (4:14 pm)

Things are backwards. Why are good law abiding citizens have to change their behavior for criminals. No cash accepted, locked up cases at Home Depot, Walgreens, concrete blocks in front of entrances. It’s time the thugs and punks conform to us. Stop locking up items at Home Depot and instead lock up the punks who are stealing things that lead stores to lock things up.

Canton December 10, 2023 (5:29 am)

Exactly… Too bad common sense isn’t common.

Gina December 9, 2023 (4:23 pm)

Sometimes I think this is done for the thrill of busting a place up and any cash is secondary.

MW December 9, 2023 (7:46 pm)

Yes I am positive this wouldn’t stop just because “we don’t accept cash” signs go up. Crime as it is now will just escalate to more and more dangerous scenarios and the citizens will keep pointing to each other as if you should have taken this or that (fill in blank with alleged precaution). When instead, ALL fingers should be pointing to city hall and courts -the absolute failure to prosecute and stem this tidal wave of crime and KEEP the PEACE which is their #1 job.
- Seattlite December 10, 2023 (6:51 am)
  
  Indeed, MW. All of Seattle’s voters’ eyes should be looking up at the top of the chain for answers to stop Seattle’s increased crimes. The fact that immediate control is not being applied to stop the increased crimes is unacceptable.
- Alki resident December 10, 2023 (9:55 am)
  
  Criminals don’t read signs, they just do what feels best for them at the moment.