WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Crash-and-grab at Westwood Village

3:45 AM: Police responding to an alarm at the Westwood Village Game Stop store around 2:45 am reported finding “a vehicle in the building.” Whoever was in the vehicle was gone before officers arrived. No further details so far, but we’ll follow up.

8:47 AM: Here’s what SPD tells us: “Officers arrived and found a KIA sedan had been reversed into the entry doors of a business in the Westwood Village. Once inside the store, the burglars stole various game consoles before fleeing in a second vehicle. All three suspects were described to be Black males wearing masks, hooded sweatshirts, black pants, and black shoes. The keyholders of the business responded after the building was cleared by police. The vehicle used to break into the business was abandoned and an unreported stolen. It was impounded for evidence processing.” (“Unreported stolen” means the owner didn’t know it was gone until contacted by police.)

9:22 AM: We just went over. They’re closed while still doing inventory and cleanup.

34 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Crash-and-grab at Westwood Village"

  • Mike December 21, 2023 (4:18 am)

    I remember in 2019 when this type of crime was a very rare event anywhere in the USA.

    • MyThruppence December 21, 2023 (10:03 am)

      I was just wondering to myself if these sorts of things could have happened all along, or if folks are simply more brazen now, or more desperate, or the risk/benefit calculation for criminals has changed due to the ongoing over-stretched law enforcement capacity issue? Maybe it’s a combination. I mean, police understaffing and a fentanyl crisis is a terrible combo. I suppose time will tell.

      • K in WS December 21, 2023 (2:12 pm)

        What’s changed is that everyone now knows how easy it is to steal Kia (and Hyundai) cars. A screwdriver, USB cable, and 60 seconds it’s gone.By saving a couple bucks and not using an immobilizer, these car companies created the perfect getaway car.There should be a recall since this has become a public safety issue.

        • Adam December 21, 2023 (4:22 pm)

          Well I know about how to steal those cars, and YOU know how to steal those cars. But how many have you actually stolen? So maybe it’s more than just knowledge of how to steal them. Maybe there is another element…raise your kids right, everybody!

        • MW December 21, 2023 (8:17 pm)

          ALL cars used to be easy to steal – just by using a screwdriver in the ignition.  Even so, car thefts were much rarer than today.  So what’s really changed?  The legal system — it is lax on these criminals and they know it.   

          • K December 21, 2023 (8:34 pm)

            At the time when any car could be stolen with a screwdriver, you could support yourself with an entry-level job.  It’s also easier to sell stolen goods now that the internet exists.  Years of policies pushing for more incarceration and less social intervention has pushed more people into a system that’s hard to get out of.  Lots of things have changed over the years.  

          • datamuse December 22, 2023 (9:05 am)

            When were car thefts rarer? From the data I’ve seen they’ve dropped substantially since 1990–it’s not even close. Crashing them into buildings seems to be a recent thing, though.

    • WarOnCars December 22, 2023 (6:06 am)

      it’s almost as if it’s been industry standard for decades that cars would have an immobilizer, and that it wasn’t until recently that 2 large, budget manufactures skirted that standard, didn’t inform consumers they did, and went 6+ years selling millions of those deviant cars without anyone noticing until now.

  • Mellow Kitty December 21, 2023 (9:20 am)

    We need real consequences for this behavior. Catch them and charge them as adults with a 2 strike felony. 

    • Anne December 21, 2023 (10:53 am)

      Agree-but if you want that you’d better vote in State & Local lawmakers that are like minded.(good luck with that by the way)  Right now these consequences you mentioned will not happen -probably never will to be honest.  Catching them is a huge issue as stolen cars are being used to commit these crimes. 

  • flimflam December 21, 2023 (9:31 am)

    Man, this seems to be an almost daily thing now – a Kia crashed into a (usually) small business. So messed up.

  • Rob December 21, 2023 (11:09 am)

    Economy bollards Inc here I have all sizes an colors. Get your free quote  today. With the way thi gs are going we’re selling out fast. So if you don’t want your store front smashed in call us now.

  • Admyrl Byrd December 21, 2023 (12:26 pm)

    It’s never Ford or Chevy.Kia buyback program now!

  • Alki resident December 21, 2023 (12:29 pm)

    I hope every business big or small understands how important it is to get bollards installed asap. This’ll cause a car to high center and not continue to crash through a building or door. I’m so sick of this crap. 

  • Joe December 21, 2023 (12:35 pm)

    We need to start holding Kia and Hyundai owners accountable. They’re too easy to steal and there are plenty of theft prevention solutions out there. It’s like keeping a loaded gun on the street. 

    • insurance? December 21, 2023 (1:37 pm)

      I’ve been wondering how the insurance companies are handling this. Are people with Kia/Hyundai cars seeing huge increases in premiums when renewing their policies? If I was an insurer I would drop those policies at the earliest chance, or jack the rates way, way up.

      • KET December 21, 2023 (6:43 pm)

        Yes!  I have a perfect driving record and my monthly payment to insure my 2013 Hyundai Elantra increased from $80+ to $120!  I use a Club religiously and always park between 2 vehicles so it’s not easily accessible. 2013s are not eligible for the security enhancement. It’s depressing! Hit a pole accidentally today and thought “who cares?”…someone is going to steal my car and trash it anyway. Hold the owners responsible?!  Give me a break. Talk about VICTIM BLAMING!  I’m stuck with a worthless car and worry every night about it being stolen. In a state of hypervigilance, constantly looking out my window.

    • Westwood December 21, 2023 (2:04 pm)

      Victim blaming…nice. 

    • Seattlite December 21, 2023 (2:05 pm)

      Joe…The criminals stealing the Kia and Hyundai cars need to be held accountable.  The manufacturers of the Kia and Hyundai cars need to be held accountable.   Both cars and “loaded guns” are extremely dangerous when in the hands of criminals.

      • McGruff December 21, 2023 (4:01 pm)

        Why are we holding the makers of Kia and Hyundai accountable? The cars have locks on the doors and the ignition. Granted they’re not as effective as more modern anti-theft deterrent, but they’re something. They did this partly to be able to offer nice cars that lower-income drivers could afford.Punishing them is kind of like punishing the homeowner because they didn’t have a home security system. We need to start coming down HARD on the crooks we catch and make examples of them. Make no mistake; these are not crimes of need. These criminals aren’t latter-day Jean Valjeans, stealing loaves of bread to feed their families. Our liberal City, County, and State Governments have made victims out of the crooks, and used this to promote decarceration. The Police are depleted, demonized, and demoralized. Crooks know their chances of getting caught are slim, and if caught, their chances of getting hard time are slimmer.We need to change the calculation by imposing tough penalties on thieves. Prison doesn’t have to be that expensive; just cut out the frills and make them once again places you desperately don’t want to be. 

        • KET December 21, 2023 (6:47 pm)

          The State of WA sued Hyundai and they issued a recall – a security enhancement. But only for 2014s and newer. My Hyundai is a 2013 so I’m out of luck!

          • MyThruppence December 21, 2023 (7:14 pm)

            I have an even older KIA (not on ‘the list’), am not sure if it’s any easier to steal than any other same year car, but I asked my mechanic to install a kill switch anyway. Even if my car doesn’t fall in the affected year range, my KIA is still at risk because every teenager with the internet is now emboldened to seek them out. That familiar sense of hypervigilance, and constantly looking out the window, disappeared instantly once I knew that the worst anyone can do now is break out a window and risk getting caught in the act just, to sit there fumbling around wondering why it doesn’t work like on tic toc. Haha. Good luck finding it too. It’s in an obscure place that they would spend many precious minutes looking while their free ride to jail arrives. Go get a kill switch installed KET. You deserve the piece of mind!

        • WarOnCars December 22, 2023 (6:14 am)

          How are the SPD depleted? what resources have they lost at any point in time? What “frills” do you think prisons have? Where do you think the majority of costs are going for incarcerating people? How much do you think Kia/Hyundai knocked off MSRP by not including an immobilizer (hint: they cost $50 or even less at scale)?

    • WW Resident December 21, 2023 (2:08 pm)

      And what about these punks? I doubt that they were law abiding citizens until they found out they could steal a Kia or Hyundai 

    • Alki resident December 21, 2023 (2:14 pm)

      Why the owners? They’re victims of this too you know. This isn’t the owners fault. 

    • CarDriver December 21, 2023 (4:35 pm)

      Joe/Insurance? Who’s side are you on? CLEARLY not the victims. If you actually read about car thefts you’ll see that EVERY manufacturers model of car/truck/van gets stolen/vandalized. Waiting for you to raise your hand and say if your car gets stolen it’s TOTALLY your fault and you want to be held accountable and have YOUR insurance raised very high.

  • Rhonda December 21, 2023 (1:19 pm)

    Law enforcement needs to be able to pursue stolen vehicles in our state again. It is still forbidden under new state law(s) even with the updates from this year’s session in Olympia. SPD could not pursue these thieves even if they arrived on-scene in the middle of this crime this morning. In the 3 years since these anti-pursuit laws have been in place there have been more injuries and deaths from stolen vehicle-related crime than there have been from police pursuits of stolen vehicles from 2018 – 2020.

    • WarOnCars December 22, 2023 (6:42 am)

      Source on the last claim of more deaths from stolen vehicle crime from 2021-now vs. 2018-2020? b/c this source provides data that the reduction in deaths and injury has been significant: https://rpubs.com/moxbox/wa_pursuits

    • Lagartija Nick December 22, 2023 (2:40 pm)

      Um, just last week three kids were arrested in a stolen vehicle following a high speed police pursuit. So no, they are NOT forbidden from doing so in all instances. Please stop spreading disinformation.

  • Stephen December 21, 2023 (3:49 pm)

    I’m alarmed by all of the crime at Westwood Village.  It makes me want to stop shopping there, but that would only harm these businesses even more, which I don’t want to do.Blaming Hyundai or the owners of stolen vehicles for anything is wrong–if I kicked you in the shin, would you blame Nike?

  • Winkandnod December 21, 2023 (5:26 pm)

    According to numerous sources, including the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force READ HERE and the US Insurance Agents Report of 2023 READ HERE, there are other vehicles that are actually stolen more frequently than Kia and Hyundai in Washington State – including Ford Trucks and Toyota Camrys. So – like – let’s not make up policy based on just reading blog reports from our local neighborhood… Talking about penalizing owners or makers of top 10 stolen cars will never happen and will not solve the problem. {You might be unpleasantly surprised if you own one.} This argument is just another example of looking at everything except the CRIMINAL. Thieves would find a different way to rob stores even if we pulled every Kia and Hyundai off the road tomorrow. Someone on the blog has posted multiple times the idea giving them a choice of prison time or military service. I wish someone was exploring that.

  • 1994 December 21, 2023 (6:28 pm)

    Boys, get a job when you get out of detention. Learn how to earn your way in life. Yes it can be a struggle, but why hurt others? Have some self respect and respect for others. 

  • Living video game lifestyle December 22, 2023 (2:18 am)

    Fearless. Directionless. Kids raised by technology. Lock them up & fine their guardians. 

  • marlboro December 22, 2023 (6:41 pm)

    It totally goes back to the makers of Kia/Hyundais.  If they didn’t produce these easily accessible vehicles, there wouldn’t be all this fall out that society has been having to deal with.  Nip it in the butt and demand a recall! 

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