WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Skylark burglary; mail-theft, gunfire arrests

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

SKYLARK BURGLARY: The music venue/restaurant/bar at the north end of Delridge was broken into again on Sunday, proprietor Matt Larson tells WSB:

We were hit…again. Suspect pulled into the parking lot at 6:37 AM Sunday morning. He checked out the front then went to the back, where he used a crowbar to open the back door.

He entered and removed both cash tills and their enclosures, then exited and left within a few minutes. There was $700 worth of equipment and cash stolen as well as damage to the cables and the door, which might have to be replaced (we just had to replace the front door a few months back when they broke in and got into our ATM – good times).

The truck is rather unique and has been seen around West Seattle so hopefully somebody is familiar with it, or at least can be aware of it. If anybody sees some dumped tills – let us know!

The temporary police-report # is T00008584.

Meantime, SPD posted two 2-week-old case summaries on SPD Blotter late today – neither was previously on our radar so here they are, for the record:

MAIL-THEFT ARREST: SPD says this began with 911 calls just before 1 am on August 7 reporting a ski-masked man breaking into mailboxes in the 7900 block of 35th SW – eventually, they say, with seven victims. They found a 28-year-old man nearby, saying he “was in possession of multiple pieces of evidence, including stolen mail, suspected stolen bank cards, a metal pry bar, and he was concealing a loaded firearm. The man had an expired Concealed Pistol License and was prohibited from carrying the firearm in that manner. The Beretta APX 9mm semi-automatic handgun was seized as evidence.” He was booked into jail. We won’t be able to check on his status until tomorrow, as we don’t know his name and this was released too late in the day for us to check with prosecutors.

BURGLARY-ATTEMPT ARREST: This too happened early the morning of August 7, according to the SPD Blotter post. Around 2 am, police were checked out reports of possible gunfire in the 9400 block of Delridge Way SW. They found the shooting scene was a block south, in unincorporated King County. They found a shell casing and a blood trail. Then they got a report of an attempted burglary at a house in the 8800 block of 16th SW and arrested a 32-year-old man nearby. He was carrying a 9mm handgun that police say was linked to the shooting scene in unincorporated King County (and also linked to a homicide victim in Federal Way). He too was booked into jail, and we hope to find out his status, and that of the case against him, tomorrow.

OneTimeCharley August 19, 2024 (9:44 pm)

Round up all the criminals. Tired of ’em.

Seattlite August 19, 2024 (10:42 pm)

OneTimeCharley…Seattle’s policies need to change in order to bring about law and order. Hopefully, Seattle’s voters are “tired of’em” too and will vote accordingly for candidates who want to clean up Seattle’s crime problems.
- K August 20, 2024 (9:01 am)
  
  What policies? These actions are already illegal. Officers are already allowed to arrest them. Sentencing guidelines for most crimes are set by the state, not anyone only Seattle is voting for. And if you’ll recall, Seattle voters HAVE been voting for the people promising to end crime in Seattle, and (predictably) it turns out that crime is a more complicated issue than you want to believe it is, and throwing money at police doesn’t actually fix anything.
  - Dog Whisperer August 20, 2024 (10:31 am)
    
    The complicated part is that when our shorthanded police actually make an arrest the criminals subsequently walk without jail time. That’s not the police fault. It’s failed leadership leaving we taxpayers vulnerable.
  - Seattlite August 20, 2024 (12:09 pm)
    
    K…Do you think that judges have anything to do with releasing offenders that should not be released? Who votes for these judges? What do you think of offenders being arrested for felonies only to be released the next day? Policies have a great deal to do with keeping citizens safe. What are the policies on decreasing Seattle’s police officer staff? Do you think that a decreased police officer staff has had an impact on Seattle’s increased crime?
    - K August 20, 2024 (1:31 pm)
      
      Once again, neither you or Dog Whisperer has cited a SEATTLE policy that is causing these crimes to be committed (referring back to the originating post, saying Seattle’s policies need to change). And aside from signing the order, no, I don’t hold judges responsible when offenders are released, because their hands are tied by state law. The judge has a choice of enforcing a law as written, or just ignoring the law entirely and doing what they “feel” is right. No one (at least I hope no one), wants judges ruling based on their feelings, so we’re left with judges following the law. Please learn more about state law with regard to burden of proof before continuing to place all blame on judges. It is far more often the case that the State (prosecutors and police) did not do their jobs in preparing the evidence the judge is ruling on. And again, still not talking about Seattle’s policies, which is what the original comment cited.