WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Alki Mail and Dispatch burglary

That photo is from early this morning, after police responded to a burglary at Alki Mail and Dispatch (4701 SW Admiral Way). Proprietor Bree sent the report, photo, and videos, and a request for customers who might have been affected:

I’m very sad to report that we were the victims of a break-in at 5:12 am this morning. There had been 2 previous failed attempts to make entry in the last few months (the 2nd time only being about 2 weeks ago) but apparently 3rd time was the charm.

From our early assessment … they grabbed 6 packages that were logged in for our personal mailbox holders, and from what we can tell, about 15-20 outbound prepaid parcels that had been dropped off by customers to go out, mostly UPS and a few FedEx. This is where our trouble lays, as we unfortunately don’t have a way of knowing who’s prepaid drop offs were taken. I feel so horrible that these awful people stole not only from me but from my customers! They also grabbed a bunch of my Alki T-shirts and hoodies, a few other knickknacks and, strangely, all of the Snapples from my beverage cooler!

I believe it may have been 3-4 people … They were men that all appear to be dressed in construction gear. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see any of their faces, although one did appear to have long dark hair. From what Officer Carey (the responding policeman) said, it appears they used a pry tool of some sort to gain entry. Thankfully there’s no damage.

My biggest concern is trying to locate customers who dropped off their prepaid outgoing parcels. If anyone dropped off a package after 4 pm on 4/12/24, please contact us either at our email staff@alkimail.com or call us at 206-932-2556 or to stop in and speak with us.

Bree says one box has already been found, empty. (added) Police report # is 24-099757.

9 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Alki Mail and Dispatch burglary"

  • kumalavula April 13, 2024 (12:17 pm)

    shi**y wat to start the weekend, both for the owner and for those whose packages were swiped.it’s infuriating that no one seems immune and that these kinds of crimes just keep happening despite all the preventative measures businesses and individual homeowners take.

  • HS April 13, 2024 (12:24 pm)

    I’m almost positive that the person with long hair is a woman.

  • Wsgal April 13, 2024 (12:48 pm)

    I’m so sorry to hear this, Alki Mail and Dispatch is such a great community shop full of kind people. I hope they catch these guys… 

  • Wendell April 13, 2024 (2:04 pm)

    This break-in is beyond disgusting. AM&D has been a long-time mainstay and gathering point for the WS community. My heart goes out to Bree and her crew, and I wish nothing but a lifetime of pain and suffering for the criminals responsible for this morning’s break-in — this crime has touched a lot of us. Based on the body type and movements of these a-holes, I’m guessing teens or twenty-somethings, which usually means they’re not the best and brightest, and will be caught. Also, the first video looks like it has a car’s turn signal in the top corner.

  • Jeff April 13, 2024 (4:32 pm)

    That is just terrible, sorry to hear!

  • Neighbor April 13, 2024 (5:15 pm)

    Couldn’t have happened to a nicer business.  Always a joy going in there.  Hope they bounce back quickly.  Nobody holds this against you.

  • Dog Whisperer April 13, 2024 (5:56 pm)

    Those folks who run small businesses aren’t the only victims in a crime like this. Service businesses often have clients who are also affected as in this case. The likelihood that all victims of this single break-in will be made whole through insurance or other means is zero. Lastly, some clients will choose some other means for package handling in order to avoid another similar loss. Something has to change.  I hope we chose the right leaders to help us.

  • Brett April 13, 2024 (6:40 pm)

    Those coats aren’t cheap and they certainly aren’t typical burglar clothes given their “reflective properties”. It will be interesting to see if they are ever caught, what steel toed job they have

    • AMD April 13, 2024 (8:29 pm)

      You can get coats like that at the thrift store, and NOT wearing “typical burglar clothes” is kind of the point.  One another note, the one with the long hair definitely looks like a woman.  Is there another camera angle that made the proprietor certain all the burglars were men?

Sorry, comment time is over.