WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Early -morning Riverview search; Monday Junction response

Here’s what we’ve found out regarding two incidents readers have asked about:

EARLY MORNING RIVERVIEW SEARCH: Here’s what led to a police search in Riverview around 3 am today: A car turned up in the playfield lot that was linked to a crash-and-grab burglary that the South Precinct police had been investigating a short time earlier. Here’s the narrative for that:

At 2:07 a.m., officers received reports of a vehicle backing into a store in the 5900 block of Corson Avenue South. Police arrived and found severe damage to the front door of the store and tire tracks leading up to the building from the parking lot. A building search was conducted, and no suspects were found inside. The employee of the store arrived and stated thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise was stolen from the establishment.

The police investigation revealed that a silver-colored sedan backed into the store and damaged the front entry. Two suspects entered the store wearing dark clothing and masks. The suspects exited the store with stolen items and fled the scene in the vehicle. There may have been a third suspect driver.

There was no narrative for the Riverview search itself but archived audio shows a K9 search – which is why neighbors heard “short bursts of sirens” – followed the discovery of the car, a silver Hyundai sedan stolen from Burien, and that police reported seeing a gun magazine in it. The burglary suspects however, were not found, at last report.

JUNCTION RESPONSE ON MONDAY: Several readers asked about a big police response at 41st/Alaska early Monday afternoon. This turned out to have been the arrest of the suspect in an assault a short time earlier at Admiral Safeway; the 22-year-old man remains in jail today. According to the police narrative, it started just before noon with reports of a man “throwing merchandise at staff and punch(ing) a customer” inside the store, then leaving southbound on California. Police circulated photos of the man – described as a “chronic shoplifter” who had allegedly stolen a six-pack of beer from the store three hours earlier and was back for a repeat of that. When a store employee called 911, police say, the suspect threw “a 6-pack of full glass bottles” at the employee “from about 10 feet away,” then threw a “four-pound bag of oranges” at someone else. The employee escaped being hit by the bottles but the other person was hit by the oranges; three other customers were assaulted before the suspect left, according to the narrative, including a 76-year-old disabled woman who thought she was hit by a pumpkin. A short time later, police found the suspect in The Junction (the report says 42nd/Alaska though readers reported it was the Bank of America parking lot at 41st/Alaska), at which time officers say he threw “a glass jar of salsa” at an one of them, and missed, though it broke and splashed both the officer and their patrol car. The narrative continues:

(The suspect) was escorted to the ground where he continued not listening to officers’ commands to put his hands behind his back and continuously tried biting officers. (He) was eventually handcuffed and transported to KCJ without incident.

The jail roster shows the suspect is facing misdemeanor theft and assault charges for starters, with bail set at $2,000.

6 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Early -morning Riverview search; Monday Junction response"

  • Alki resident September 2, 2025 (2:52 pm)

    Bail set at $2000 and he’ll continue brings chronic shoplifter. Nothing to see here folks. 

  • Jort September 2, 2025 (4:55 pm)

    “(The suspect) was escorted to the ground … ” That is some really, really weird language. This is not how normal people talk. 

  • KD September 2, 2025 (5:17 pm)

    There has been a number of dumped-stolen-crashed-ignition messed with-still running Kia’s and 1 Hyundai left a few blocks south of Riverview over here at 11th. SW and 12th SW and Kenyon, all within one week. I did catch the first one with a group of hooded young guys jump out of the stolen Kia (left it running) and all jump into another car and took off. They also left running a crunched stolen Hyundai a block away. Another neighbor told me another Kia was left running at Riverview last week. I’m sure it’s all the same person/persons and they must live in the area. 🫤

  • Steve September 2, 2025 (10:26 pm)

    Another grocery employee got punched at Junction Safeway tonight as well. 

  • Shadowtripper September 3, 2025 (8:01 am)

    Obviously this person has some emotional issues.  Perhaps even a drug/alcohol dependency issue.  Why aren’t the intervention personnel the City formed arriving with the police department to calm the suspect and nurture him with care and understanding.  We shouldn’t tolerate locking up emotionally unstable or drug dependent people and then releasing them back into the world they can’t function in.  Perhaps mandatory drug/alcohol incarceration treatment would give this individual the tools he needs to recover.  Let’s not continue to send him out onto our streets to rob and punish anyone that confronts or suggests he calm down.

    • Lauren September 3, 2025 (9:33 am)

      And where is the infrastructure you speak of to rehab this individual?

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