WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Police arrest 2 after finding stolen pickup in ex-Walgreens lot

1:08 PM: We requested and obtained the police report today for an incident we heard over emergency radio last night – police arrested two people after finding them in a stolen car detected by Automated License Plate Recognition. According to the report, the plate reader flagged a 2003 gray Dodge Dakota in the former Walgreens parking lot (9464 16th SW) as a potential stolen vehicle. Inside they found two men, ages 25 and 46, one in the front passenger seat, one in the back seat, and took them into custody; the report says, “The rear driver side window of the vehicle was smashed in and the ignition to the vehicle was punched. There was also a pile of trash in the driver seat that was preventing exit or entry from the driver side door.” Both men claimed to be unaware that the pickup was stolen, but they also said they didn’t know its owner’s name. After determining that there was no way they could have gotten into the vehicle without seeing the evidence it was stolen, police arrested them for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle. Both are still in jail; for the younger man, it’s his fourth booking this year, cumulatively totaling about five weeks in the King County Jail, with other cases involving theft, assault, and property destruction; for the older man, it’s his fifth booking of 2025, totaling 12 days so far, in criminal-trespass cases.

9:58 PM: Checked the jail register. The older suspect has been released; the younger one (who was in the front seat, which might have made a difference in the probable-cause finding) is still in.

DRW December 30, 2025 (2:02 pm)

I see a pattern Here. I think some proper jail time is in order. Next.

rmk December 30, 2025 (2:24 pm)

This kind of failure by the justice department is really infuriating. 4th and 5th arrest of the year???? If they locked up people who constantly commit crimes the rates would probably drop 50%.

… December 30, 2025 (2:51 pm)

We don’t have to live like this, it’s a choice. Judges can be impeached!

Neighbor December 30, 2025 (5:26 pm)

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Are judges the problem?
Derp December 30, 2025 (6:49 pm)

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Judges are set with guidelines for sentencing by the State Legislature. Who do you impeach now.

Derek December 30, 2025 (4:57 pm)

The “lock them all up forever” crowd will never be satisfied with any sentencing that isn’t death row so it’s pointless arguing them or showing them charts of poverty and “crime” overlaid. They won’t listen.

Rhonda December 30, 2025 (5:37 pm)

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We aren’t saying lock them up forever, Derek, just long enough where they can’t re-offend several times per year.
- Dave December 30, 2025 (6:18 pm)
  
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  I agree, a total of 12 days for five bookings of theft, assault, and property destruction, is way inadequate. The repeat offenses proves the previous punishments were inadequate.
  - K December 30, 2025 (8:07 pm)
    
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    That’s 12 days for bookings, not convictions. In the eyes of the law, he is still innocent of all of those things until convicted. Are you saying 12 days for crimes someone hasn’t even been convicted of is not enough? Be careful of the precedents you’re setting on the guilty, for the same rules will apply to those who are truly innocent.
CarDriver December 30, 2025 (6:13 pm)

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Calling people that commit crimes victims doesn’t work. Why is this word so bad: ACCOUNTABILITY.
- k December 30, 2025 (6:28 pm)
  
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  The police are the only ones who hate the word “accountability”. No one is calling criminals victims here. Derek’s point is that even when you lock people up (which does happen), there are always cries after that it wasn’t long enough, no matter how appropriate the sentence was for the crime committed. The more you charge someone with, the longer you lock them up, the MORE likely they are to reoffend. So if you’re going with Rhonda’s theory of “lock them up until they can’t ever commit a crime again”, those are life sentences. For property crimes. That’s what Derek is getting at. And you both have proved his point with your responses.
  - Rhonda December 30, 2025 (8:52 pm)
    
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    K, until you have to put handcuffs on a 20-times repeat offender who just beat his wife unconscious, you won’t even begin to understand accountability.
    - K December 31, 2025 (8:30 am)
      
      Thank you, Rhonda, for illustrating my point in yet another thread. I knew I could count on you.
  - CarDriver December 31, 2025 (5:13 am)
    
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    K. Please document your “proof” that the police hate accountability. And while you’re at it tell us why criminals don’t need to be held accountable.
Exasperated December 30, 2025 (6:18 pm)

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Does your use of quotes around “crime” imply that you don’t think theft, assault, property destruction, and criminal-trespass are crimes?

Dave December 30, 2025 (6:22 pm)

It appears obvious to me that the previous punishments were inadequate to change behavior.

Kyle December 30, 2025 (9:23 pm)

This lot has so many parked cars for the white center bars now.

1994 December 30, 2025 (9:47 pm)

That parking lot at former Walgreens has had a lot of vehicles parked there recently. Almost seems like more vehicles park there now than when the store was open for business. And how many more chances are these guys gonna get? They know the system is a revolving door and they will probably not get much of a consequence for their bad behaviors….so just carry on with the bad behaviors while the rest of us suffer the consequences of their bad behaviors.

Bobafat December 31, 2025 (2:44 am)

How many convictions does it take to bust a serial criminal?apparently 100 convictions might do the trick, is that why the public has to deal with the burden of property crimes and theft fueled by drugs. It’s getting out of hand Seattle is a major city why are we dealing with crimes so politely. Maybe because there’s not enough good money jobs and housing to go around considering we have a wealthy born president running the country on greed and hate pushing values down.