West Seattle, Washington
10 Tuesday
Thanks to a kindhearted WSB reader, little Corliss has a sign again.
Backstory: Last Thursday’s West Seattle Crime Watch roundup included his dad’s report that someone made off with the street sign they’d bought from the city in his honor – and while the stolen sign is still out there somewhere, the family has a new sign, and reason to take heart. The photo and update are from Corliss’s dad Justin:
Thank you for posting our issue. A nice West Seattle-ite read the blog and came up with a new Corliss sign. His father passed away in January; while cleaning out the garage, he found a Corliss sign. It feels good to live in a community as kind as West Seattle!
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:
(WSB photo, April 2013)
VERDICT IN CHARLESTOWN/AVALON SHOOTING: More than two years after two men were shot in an exchange of gunfire during a robbery attempt at Charlestown and Avalon, the would-be robber has been found guilty of two charges, first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, according to King County Superior Court documents. Juan Garcia-Mendez was 19 years old when he shot, and was shot by, then-27-year-old Rick Powell, who he targeted while Powell was taking a break during a driving-for-hire shift. Garcia-Mendez had gotten out of prison in Yakima just four days earlier, and that fact represented “special circumstances” in the verdict. Powell was a musician as well as a driver, and friends and fans organized multiple benefits during and after the two-plus weeks he spent in the hospital. Garcia-Mendez is scheduled for sentencing on September 11th; he’s been in jail since the day after the shooting in April 2013. (Thanks to the tipster who let us know about the verdict; the case had so many delays over the two-plus years, it had fallen off our watch list.)
BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: Photo and report received via text (206-293-5302 any time) today:
As we were walking back in to our apartment building this morning, we noticed that the doorknob had been damaged and that there were fresh scratches on the metal guard. It looks like someone tried to pry their way into our building overnight. People in the area should make sure they’re keeping their doors/cars locked up! We are at Andover and California.
Yes, they reported it to police.
MISSING A BICYCLE? Photo and report e-mailed tonight by David:
Is this your bike? Abandoned on sidewalk in front of my property near the intersection of Frontenac and 47th…still there. Dropped off this morning by a sketchy looking individual.
12:27 PM: Police are investigating a bank robbery that happened a short time ago at the Umpqua Bank branch just north of Admiral Safeway. Scanner traffic indicates the robber gave tellers a note; no weapon was seen. We only have a partial description so far – dark shirt, jeans, multi-colored bag, last seen walking south on California SW, might have then gone on to a 4-door champagne-colored compact car. If you have any information, call 911.
1:07 PM: No word of an arrest yet; no additional descriptive information, either, but we’re trying. Checking our archives, this is the first West Seattle bank robbery in more than a year; last one was north of The Junction in May 2014.
From the WSB inbox: Jim hopes you will keep an eye out for his dark green 1995 Saab 900S, stolen in front of his house in the 4000 block of 47th SW Thursday morning around 1 am. Plate includes the letters YLC. If you see it, call 911.
Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
BAIL INCREASED FOR VANDALISM SUSPECT: We reported early Wednesday on 31-year-old Yonas Berhane, arrested near California/Raymond after allegedly vandalizing at least 10 vehicles and harassing/threatening people. At a hearing this morning in a King County Jail courtroom, Berhane’s bail was increased to $10,000, and additional charges were filed, according to the docket – he now faces two charges of harassment and eight charges of vandalism. He is due back in court on August 17th.
TODDLER’S STREET SIGN STOLEN: You wouldn’t expect to see a street sign for Corliss Avenue in West Seattle – it’s way up by Northgate. If you do, it might be the one Justin is looking for:
Last night, someone walked off with our decorative street sign (purchased from the city of Seattle). Our son shares the name.
It happened in the southeast Gatewood area. If you find/see it … let us, and police, know!
1:37 AM: Several people have asked about a police response in the California/Raymond vicinity. Here’s what we know so far: Police are investigating vandalism that damaged multiple cars. They were dispatched after what one texter described to us (similar to what was mentioned in the dispatching) as “yelling and smashing sounds.” They found multiple vehicles with damage including broken side mirrors, and were questioning one suspect at last report. We will follow up later this morning.
9:14 AM: We went down after it got light this morning to see if any of this damage was visible; above, two photos. We also are obtaining the report narrative from SPD and will add details when we have that.
9:54 AM: We now have that report, which notes at least 10 damaged vehicles, along California SW and in an apartment-building parking lot. The suspect is 31-year-old Yonas Berhane, who was arrested and cited – which means charged, in the Municipal Court system, which is why we are identifying him – with property destruction and harassment. As one commenter reports, the initial call to police said the vandalism was accompanied by yelling and screaming with threats to “murder people.” Police found Berhane walking northbound on California north of Raymond and say he appeared intoxicated. Someone told officers they had asked Berhane if he was OK and that he responded by threatening to shoot them and used both hands to “mimic … shooting guns, all the while shouting ‘blap blap blap’ (as in gunfire).” The King County Jail register shows he is still in custody, with initial bail at $2,000.
2:36 PM: Berhane is currently scheduled for a court appearance at the jail tomorrow morning. His record dating back to age 17 includes mostly misdemeanors, including theft and assault, but also a 2009 case that combined felony charges in multiple cases in South King County, including the theft of a car from a hotel parking lot near Sea-Tac; the car’s owners, according to the charging documents, had been staying at the hotel because their house burned down. He struck a plea bargain and was sentenced to two months.
Two quick West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
MAIL THEFT: Thanks to Leanne for reporting mail theft along 40th SW in Arbor Heights. “Neighbors found a couple envelopes and a birthday card in the ditch.”
RECOGNIZE THIS BICYCLE? Abandoned bicycles often turn out to have been stolen, so if you know someone missing a bike:
Katy sent the photo after spotting the bicycle in shrubbery along SW Thistle west of California SW in Gatewood, where it’s been for at least a day. (The only bicycle theft on the Seattle Police crime-reports map for the past week happened Saturday night in the 9200 block of 17th SW, but others could be in the online-reports queue and not showing up on the map yet.)
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports tonight. First one is a reader report from Chris, who hopes that you will be on the lookout for these items stolen by car prowler(s):
At about 8:20 this (Sunday) morning, a purse was stolen from a car on 108th and 35th Ave SW. It had a wallet and a phone (white LG with cover). The purse was a gold cloth purse with a design and a shoulder strap. The wallet was a gold leather. If you see these in the bushes or somewhere, we would love to get them back.
The car prowl has been reported to police. According to the SPD crime-report map, seven car prowls were reported in West Seattle between Tuesday and Saturday (the most recent period mapped):
BURGLAR WHO LEFT A CARD BEHIND: This one is from a police report with narrative now accessible online, from a burglary in the 2600 block of 46th SW last Sunday.
Just published on SPD Blotter:
Detectives are asking for your help finding a man who attacked a girl late Wednesday night.
A 15-year-old female was walking along 14 Ave. SW approaching SW Cambridge St. at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday when a Hispanic male in his mid 40s grabbed her from behind, tried to cover her mouth, and began pulling her toward a parked SUV.
The girl screamed, alerting two witnesses who stopped to help. The suspect fled to his waiting blue SUV, possibly a newer Jeep, with a plate beginning in “A,” and sped off, leaving the girl behind.
Detectives are now requesting your assistance in finding the suspect. Witnesses said the suspect is heavyset, five foot eleven, and was wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt. If you have any information in this case, please call (206)625-5011 and speak with officers.
Just found out about this via a late-night note from the victim, who is an 18-year-old employee at a Westwood Village business. She says this happened outside the WWV Starbucks:
While I was on a 10-minute break, having a cigarette, a man who was also smoking slowly approached me and sat down on the bench I was sitting on. He made small talk, i.e. how are you, “it’s smoke:30 huh?”. I responded politely and then looked away from him and paid attention to my phone. I was sitting there for about 5 minutes when he leaned down, put out his cigarette, turned to me and said, “Have a nice day.” I turned to respond to him and immediately saw that he was holding his completely exposed penis in his hand. He then got up and walked away immediately while adjusting himself. I went inside and the incident was reported to both Westwood security and the SPD.
The man was probably in his 30s, a white male with short brown hair of average height and build – probably around 5’9″ or so. He had been wearing a yellow button-up shirt and shorts; his eyes were covered by dark sunglasses. I had never seen him before and am obviously in the area often. I assume he had planned this out due to his clothing and sunglasses.
I just want to get the word out because there are many young people who spend time in Westwood Village and I don’t doubt that this man would do this again.
She didn’t say what time this happened so we’re following up to ask, and will add that information when we have it. SPD’s Tweets by Beat (which you can browse on our Crime Watch page) show a lewd-conduct report in the area, time-stamped 10:45 pm, but that might only indicate the time the report was processed.
7:27 AM UPDATE: It happened around 7:30 pm Friday.
A West Seattle Crime Watch reader report from “North Admiral Resident“:
I came from vacation to find my home had been broken into. They stole all my jewelry and my ex-husband’s old wallet, otherwise nothing else seemed to be disturbed.
Just a note, ladies – make sure you increase the amount for your jewelry or itemize and take out separate policies with your homeowners insurance.
Vintage pieces from my grandmother, filigree white gold and diamond rings, a yellow gold and amethyst necklace and a scarab bracelet, were among the things stolen. While not the most expensive pieces, they are the ones that tear at my heart.
This happened sometime between July 20-28th. If anyone has any clues, please comment.
The Seattle Police online crime-report map shows nine burglaries reported in West Seattle in the past week – including three each in the greater Admiral and Fauntleroy areas:
Jeff lives in north Gatewood and has found car-prowl loot discarded near his house before. He’s been able to reunite items with their owners before … but this time he’s not having luck and asking if you know whose things these are:
I found some things hidden behind a bush off of the alley behind my house that I believe are unwanted items from a car prowl. The items include some clothing, a drawing book, and a CD case that must have 20 or 30 CDs in it.
The book and the clothing probably aren’t worth much but the CDs would have some value. Judging from the drawing book I am guessing that it is all from a young person. There is a name in the drawing book … I could not find a person by that name in West Seattle but then a young person might not show up. There are also some dates from March and then the 4th of July so the items are probably from a recent event. I would like to return the items to the owner if they want them.
We advised him to notify police, but in the meantime, if the owner comes forward, he’d still be able to return the items.
Six recent reader reports in this round of West Seattle Crime Watch. First, if you heard any of Friday night’s loud “booms,” here’s the result of one:
MAILBOX BLOWN UP: When we got a text asking about an explosion heard in Seaview Friday night, we had just heard the same thing at HQ east of Lincoln Park. Sounded like the typical summertime illegal “firework” explosive. Saturday morning, our tipster went out and found the remains of a mailbox along 45th SW and sent the photo.
Ahead, two more vandalism reports, a package thief and shoplifter caught on camera, and a case of suspected casing:
Following up on the arrest that caught attention on the last day of West Seattle Summer Fest: 20-year-old Justin R. Vincent, Jr., is charged with first-degree theft for allegedly stealing a money pouch containing $4,500 from a festival vendor. As reported here in our festival coverage that day, after the pouch was grabbed from a food vendor at California/Alaska, a man running southbound on the sidewalk on the east side of California was pursued and tackled by citizens while festival-patroling police were summoned. They arrested Vincent, a Sunrise Heights resident, and got all the money back. He has no criminal record and, as reported in our first followup, was released on his own recognizance after a day in jail. A few days later, records now show, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed the felony charge as recommended in an SPD detective’s report. No weapon was involved , and no one was hurt, though the detective’s report says Vincent complained of soreness and was treated by SFD medics at the Southwest Precinct before being taken to jail downtown. (WSB photo of 7/12/15 arrest)
From Cheryl:
We live in Arbor Heights and someone stole our 1991 Honda Civic around 2:00
a.m. (Friday) morning. It has been reported to the police. Have you seen this? License: ASU1041
If you have any info, call 911.
Two overnight incidents:
12:01 AM: Police are searching in The Junction right now after a reported street robbery in the 4800 block of California SW. According to emergency-radio traffic, the victim reported being held up at gunpoint by two men who took his phone and fled. Only partial descriptions have been mentioned over the air – one black, one Hispanic, both in their early 20s, one with a red bandana over his face. We’ll add anything more we find out.
1:17 AM: Another police search, this time in Highland Park – a neighbor reported seeing burglars inside a house in the 8800 block of 10th SW. Police have just finished searching the house; the reported intruders are gone, and now they have to figure out if anything was taken.
Something to say about crime concerns and Seattle Police‘s work in your neighborhood?
Starting one week from tonight, a Seattle University research assistant who has been working for months with Southwest Precinct police is holding community meetings to hear from you.
Jennifer Burbridge has set a schedule of focus-group-style meetings in which she is extending an open invitation for community members to show up and talk about crime and police issues, particularly (but not exclusively) as they relate to the “micro-community policing plans” announced earlier this year. She explains:
The structure of the focus groups is that I will pose a series of questions about crime concerns, the micro-community policing plans in each area, how the community feels the police are addressing their concerns, and how the community feels the police can improve in their efforts. So I am looking for both specific concerns as well as generalities about how the community is feeling about the micro-community policing plans.
Burbridge says the community members who participate will not be identified by name. Here’s the schedule – ALL meetings will be in the community room at the Southwest Precinct:
-Wednesday, July 22nd: ALKI COMMUNITY, 6-7 pm
-Thursday, July 23rd: ADMIRAL COMMUNITY, 6:30-7:30 pm
-Tuesday, July 28th: WS BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS NETWORK, 6:30-7:30 pm
-Thursday, July 30th: WESTWOOD/ROXHILL/ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITIES, 6:30-7:30 pm
-Wednesday, August 5th: PIGEON POINT COMMUNITY, 6:30-7:30 pm
-Thursday, August 6th: HIGH POINT/ALASKA JUNCTION COMMUNITIES, 6-7 pm
-Tuesday, August 11th: MORGAN JUNCTION, 7-8 pm
-Wednesday, August 12th: DELRIDGE COMMUNITY, 6-7 pm
The precinct is at Delridge/Webster; the community meeting room is right off the parking lot, which in turn is off Webster.
P.S. If you aren’t familiar with the micro-community policing plans – six are linked here. But again, that familiarity is not a prerequisite – if you have something to say about crime/policing, your participation is a plus. Burbridge already has been immersed in this work for months – we’ve seen her at many community meetings – and this is the next step.
(WSB photo from Sunday: Suspect seated at right, face hidden behind officers)
In our as-it-happened coverage of West Seattle Summer Fest‘s third day, we reported on something unscheduled – a robbery, and quick capture of a suspect. Today, we have a followup: The 20-year-old Sunrise Heights man who was arrested for investigation of robbery had a bail hearing this afternoon; the judge allowed him to go free on “personal recognizance,” according to King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe, with another appearance set for Wednesday. In probable-cause documents, police say he is the robber who “forcefully grabbed” a bag containing $4,500 from the hands of a vendor on the west side of the food court and took off running. The vendor yelled for help; people ran after the suspect and tackled him a short distance south of the food zone. Police working the festival took him into custody shortly thereafter. We’ve checked King County records, and the suspect does not appear to have a felony criminal history.
If you noticed the police presence in North Delridge this afternoon – here’s what happened, according to WSB’s Christopher Boffoli, who went to the scene, and according to police we talked with at West Seattle Summer Fest:
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli)
What was first reported as a strong-arm robbery, but was later determined to have been a theft, happened just after 1:30 pm on a Route 120 bus en route to Westwood Village. Metro Transit Police weren’t available in the area so Seattle Police responded; the bus was stopped on southbound Delridge at Andover. Three suspects were reported to have gotten off the bus; a woman reported her bag and wallet were taken. Christopher says, “They had a good description. A patrol officer had coincidentally seen people matching the description on Adams at 26th Ave SW so units converged on that location and detained the suspects. One was determined not to have committed a crime and two others, a man and a woman, were taken into custody. The victim was transported by SPD to the station for identification.”
A K-9 team helped search. The victim’s bag was recovered but her wallet is still missing – if you happen to find one in the area, let police know.
From Michael:
Another classic bike stolen last night in the neighborhood of 59th and Stevens. Trek 8000 aluminum big fork mountain bike. Equipped with Campi pedals, Cateye computer, WTB speed V comp saddle, Grip Shift, bar ends, Mavic rims, Blackburn front and rear fenders, Blackburn headlight and tail light, Performance triangle shoulder bag, Performance mini pump bag with Blackburn mini pump, Park tool bag, dual bottle cages. Many miles and memories were put on this bike.
Please contact police if you see it.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
BURGLARY FOLLOWUP: When we included a 36th/Trenton burglary arrest in West Seattle Crime Watch yesterday, based on neighborhood e-mails, this detail was missing – the “loose change” loot, just reported via SPD Blotter:
Police are hoping a burglar changes his ways after officers caught him walking out of a West Seattle home early Wednesday carrying 65 pounds of stolen coins.
A resident in the 8600 (block of) 35th Ave SW called 911 around 4 AM after hearing glass breaking and seeing a man climb into a neighbor’s window.
As Officers Joel Nark and Jason Ross arrived at the scene, they saw the burglar emerging from the home, carrying an armload of bags. When officers shouted for the suspect to stop, he dropped everything he was carrying and took off running down an alley.
Police chased after the man, who hopped several fences, ran through yards, and jumped off a 10-foot-high deck as he fled. Neighbors spotted the suspect running from police and pointed officers in his direction. Police eventually found the suspect hiding in a shed and took him into custody.
Police recovered the 65 pounds of change – which the homeowner reportedly saves to give to his son – and a stolen humidor, and booked the suspect into the King County Jail for Investigation of Burglary.
P-PATCH CAR PROWL: From Dan:
My 9-months-pregnant wife pulled up to the Lincoln Park P-Patch (Wednesday) to water our garden. A blue, 2 door, lowered Acura/Honda with gold rims and an exhaust system pulled up when she left and punched out her window and stole her purse containing all of her ID’s and her medical cards. Folks across the street caught the license plate as (ending in) –9YFK. Please, if you see this car, give the police a call.
Four reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch.
First, a burglary near 36th/Trenton, with an arrest reported. Summarizing the neighborhood-watch e-mail string that was forwarded to us – vigilant neighbors heard glass breaking and saw someone entering the house next door just after 4 am. They called 911; in the meantime, a suspect was spotted running through nearby yards, and as more neighbors got involved, he was reportedly cornered in the next block, and police took him into custody.
Another burglary Tuesday afternoon has not yet been solved, so far as we know. From Erika and Jackson:
We would like to make sure the readers of the WS Blog are aware of the burglary that happened at our home yesterday. We live on 17th Ave SW between Holden and Kenyon, and our home was broken into during the afternoon hours (Tuesday) when nobody was home at our residence.
We have lived on the block for six and a half years and have never had this happen before, and typically feel very safe in our home. We are very shaken up, have had property stolen and minor damage to the house, but everyone is OK. We also have an alarm system with ADT, and it took the SPD 2.5 hours to come to our house after ADT called their dispatch. We also called 911 four more times on our own. We are currently working with ADT and SPD to get transcripts of the day to learn how that happened, as we are very upset with the alarm company and police department’s reaction time to our burglarized home. The police officer who did take our case was also very surprised at how long we waited for his arrival.
As everyone in Highland Park, West Seattle, and Seattle knows already, we want our neighbors to stay vigilant, locks all doors and windows when you leave your property (or are even in your backyards), and be aware of suspicious activity.
We also have two reports of possible package theft. From Teresa:
I wanted to let you know that a large UPS package was possibly stolen off our front porch in the Genesee Hill neighborhood (Tuesday) afternoon. I say possibly because no one saw it happen, but the UPS driver confirmed he delivered it at 11 am and by 4:30 pm it was missing when I arrived home. The shipping company and UPS are working together to remedy this for me, but I wanted to make the neighborhood aware of the possible incident.
She notes there were other signs of suspicious activity, such as an open side gate. Meantime, Josh in Sunrise Heights reported that while tracking showed 2 packages delivered to his home Monday, one was missing. So if you’re expecting deliveries … keep in mind that package thieves might be back in business in the area.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 8:31 PM: Someone stole that car this afternoon in Morgan Junction. Justin sent us the photo and report:
Black 2003 Subaru Baja with license plates A12916Y. Has a blue and white Scottish flag on the back window. Last seen in enclosed lot at 5953 California Ave SW between 1 pm and 5:30 pm on Monday, July 6, 2015. It had only 2 or gallons of gas in it at the time of theft.
If you see it – as Seattle Police always advise – call 911.
12:23 AM: Justin says the car’s been found.
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