The WSBeat: Gunfire; beer beating; brazen metal-theft target…
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
From reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers:
*Around 5:30 Tuesday evening, a citizen called 911 to report that someone in a passing car had fired a shot toward a home in the 6500 block of 34th SW. As it turns out, a person on the sidewalk had been the target. (And the target wouldn’t answer any questions.) Officers did, however, have a description of the car, which — along with its driver— turned out to be well-known to gang detectives. It was spotted and pulled over in Rainier Valley later in the week. The 17-year-old driver, a Kent resident, was booked into the Youth Service Center for investigation of the drive-by shooting.
Eleven more summaries – and it’s a little grittier than usual this time, so beware – after the jump:Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen car; interrupted car prowl
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports to share this morning (and the latest WS Beat roundup is in the works for a bit later) – First, just in from Judy, a Fairmount Springs car theft early today:
I wanted to alert the WSB community of a car theft. Seems like there’s been a rash of these posted recently!
Our car was stolen from in front of our house this morning around 4:30 am. 39th Ave SW and Raymond (one block off Fauntleroy – 5900 block of 39th Ave SW)
1998 white Nissan Maxima
License plate 984VFE
Also a *reminder* to not leave anything in your car. Unfortunately, my husband left his golf clubs, backpack and umpire gear in the vehicle – so this was all taken.
Another thing – I heard them this morning. I thought it was the newspaper delivery person when I heard the rustling- looked at the clock 4:30 am- and decided it wasn’t worth getting up to investigate.
If you see this car, call 911. As for a “rash” of car thefts – we checked the police-report map; 11 noted in West Seattle in the past week (not counting Judy’s, since the map is time-lagged and won’t show a report from this morning till later today), 10 the previous week. No particular hot spot – they’re on the map from Admiral to Arbor Heights, Beach Drive to Highland Park. Meantime, after the jump, a car-prowl-interrupted report from this past Wednesday:Read More
Video: West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network field trip shows do’s, don’ts of crime-resistant home
(Click image to go to YouTube video page, where you can watch the video)
If you want to keep a burglar from kicking your door in, what matters is “not the deadbolt, it’s the door frame.” That potentially surprising advice was part of a briefing on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design, presented Tuesday night by Southwest Precinct Community Police Team Officer Jonathan Kiehn for the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network.
Officer Kiehn had briefed the group on CPTED principles back in March, and recapped that briefing last night before attendees headed to the local home chosen for the on-scene review. Once there, we rolled video on his entire outdoor-and-indoor review, which you can watch above, unedited and nearly an hour long – looking at everything from landscaping to lighting to doors to the back yard to the alley, and yes, the door-frame issue.
(Even if you’re not a Block Watch Captain – yet! – follow the group on Facebook and the Web for invaluable crime-prevention advice and meeting announcements.)
West Seattle Crime Watch: Precious memories, taken by thieves
A car prowl in Highland Park stole more than just belongings – it stole precious memories that were all Mary‘s daughter and grandchildren had left of their husband/father, killed in the Middle East. Mary says it took her a while to realize that a public plea just might somehow help bring back that one item full of memories – one particular hard drive:
Last month my daughter’s Suburban was broken into when she and the
babies spent the night at my house. When I opened the curtains in the morning I saw that the back hatch was open. She ran outside, looked in and instantly started crying – someone had stolen EVERYTHING from in it. Two car seats and all the stuff that goes with them, a large emergency kit she had just put together, the dog’s leases and toys, yard tools that she borrowed from me, the brand new Easter presents for the kids, a bunch of toys and of course all the electronics. They even took the kids’ cups that were in the back seat, some miscellaneous clothes that were tossed in and all the kids’ snacks that were in the glove box. Unbelievable.
The absolute worst part – they took two external hard drives. She had them in the console and was taking them somewhere to have one copied onto the other. The one she was copying belonged to her husband who died in Afghanistan last year. On it were the last photos and movies he took of his life with his military friends, what he was doing and feeling on his 9-month tour and the last photos of his life. The people who have this hard drive have no idea what they have done to my daughter – they took his life from her. Again.
I don’t think this was just some random kids prowling the streets and checking for unlocked car doors, these people must have had a large vehicle to take all this stuff away and while they tried to jimmy the ignition, they just succeeding in scratching up the steering column. We called the police and of course there is nothing they can do, this happens almost every night they say. Unfortunately the magnitude of this does not even register with them, it’s just another car prowl.
I know asking for the hard drives back is a stretch to say the least but I have to try. And of course if they get returned there will be no questions asked. Thank you.
You probably remember Mary’s son-in-law: Navy Petty Officer Jarod Newlove, the West Seattleite killed in Afghanistan ten months ago.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Witness helps solve burglary
(Photo shared by Michael, added Tuesday morning)
Couple messages came in earlier tonight about police activity at Delridge and Holden. Here’s what it was about, according to Lt. Ron Smith of the (not far from the scene) Southwest Precinct: About quarter till six, a call of “burglary in progress” in the 2400 block of SW Holden brought police to the scene. 
A witness said he had seen two “male juveniles” go into a home, steal items, and walk/run away.
Description/”direction of travel” information that the witness gave, quickly distributed among police, was good enough that officers found the suspects several blocks away; they fled into a residence and then, Lt. Smith continues, “The 2 suspects fled out a window at the rear of the house and were apprehended on a steep uphill embankment where they tried to conceal the stolen goods in the blackberry brush. Officers processed the scene and the recovered property was placed into evidence. Both suspects were positively identified and placed into the Youth Services Center for burglary. One suspect was also booked for a warrant. Thank you, West Seattleites, for taking good care of your neighborhoods!”
(P.S. Interested in burglary prevention? This meeting/field trip tomorrow night is for you.)
ADDED 10:23 PM: Since publishing this, we’ve received a note from the witness, Phillip, telling his story:
I actually heard them busting through my neighbor’s house and then saw them leaping over the fence, so I jumped up and ran out my door chasing after them down the street – I called out to my neighbor to call 911, and kept chasing them all the way down Holden (barefoot, mind you.. I didn’t even realize I forgot my shoes) where I saw them go running into a house. I managed to cut up my foot a bit chasing after them, but didn’t even realize until I got in my house and saw I was tracking blood around. I just did what any good neighbor would – looking out for them. :)
The credit really should go to the WSPD for their incredibly fast response.. it was only about 2 minutes from when I lost sight of them to when the first cruiser rolled up, and they’d apprehended them moments afterward.
ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: SPD Blotter featured this case early today. Only added detail is that the suspects are 16 and 17. Also, Michael shared a photo he took during the big police response, and we’ve added it atop the story.
West Seattle Crime Watch: ‘A terrible ripoff’ & 3 more reports
Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes as the weekend comes to a close. First, the one to which Kevin tipped us, with e-mail headed “A Terrible Ripoff” – it’s about what you don’t see on this door, any longer:
The opening-soon Junction restaurant/pub A Terrible Beauty (California/Edmunds) is missing an ornate metal door-knocker. After Kevin’s note came in, WSB contributor Katie Meyer went over to find out more. Seems it turned up missing yesterday, and they speculate it might be a case of metal theft.
Sorry to say there’s no photo we can point you to so that you would know it if you saw it, but Katie says ATB’s co-owner Jenna Shannon Garvey O’Brien describes it as “(matching) the hardware on the door, which is pretty dark patinated brass, looks nearly black – it was round, about 3 inches, with a loop or ring that swung as the knocker. It was original to the antique door they got from a reclamation/salvage place, and they had taken the hardware off, painstakingly sanded/refinished and re-stained the door, then screwed the hardware back on.” Jenna told Katie they regret not nailing or gluing it to the door, since, Katie reports, “they’ve learned to nail everything down from their other establishment, where someone walked off with an ornate Celtic cross from inside the restaurant, and someone else walked out with a brass urn and an antique washboard!” Three more Crime Watch reports ahead – a parking-lot hit-run and a GPS theft – plus an arrest report from the Southwest Precinct:Read More
Update: Man stabbed in Arbor Heights, taken to hospital
ORIGINAL 1:59 AM REPORT: Police and medics are at the scene of a stabbing in the vicinity of 37th and 99th (map). According to scanner traffic, the victim is a 25-year-old stabbed in the abdomen and face with a “kitchen knife.” He’s being rushed to Harborview Medical Center.
2:17 AM UPDATE: At the scene, police tell us they are questioning a suspect. Adding a photo. No information on the circumstances yet, but we’ll be checking back.
1:08 PM UPDATE: Details on the circumstances, just obtained from Lt. Ron Smith of the Southwest Precinct: He says the incident started with an “ex-boyfriend forcing his way into the residence.” That man, he says, attacked his ex-girlfriend and another woman – until “another male in the residence … stabbed the (domestic-violence) suspect in an effort to stop the assault.”
West Seattle Crime Watch: Viking Bank robbery photos
An FBI agent was in the area near Viking Bank on the eastern edge of The Junction (40th/Alaska) earlier today, according to WSB contributor Christopher Boffoli, continuing to search for evidence in yesterday afternoon’s robbery (WSB coverage here), and showing surveillance photos. We had sent a request to FBI’s local media unit this morning, hoping such photos would be made available; they have just arrived in the inbox.
There’s no additional descriptive information today – just From the FBI news release: “A reward of up to $1,000 is being offered to anyone with information leading to the identification and capture of these subjects. Anyone with information regarding these subjects is asked to call 1-800-222-TIPS, the 24/7 anonymous tips line of the Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound.”
By the way – unless we’ve missed something, our archives indicate this was the first West Seattle bank robbery in almost nine months, since one at Westwood Village last August. The bank hit yesterday was also robbed in June of last year. (The June 2010 Viking Bank stickup was believed to be the work of the so-called “Mrs. Doubtfire” robber, so dubbed because authorities weren’t sure whether it was a man dressing as a woman; earlier this year, 54-year-old Kristen LeClaire was arrested in connection with that robbery spree, and we just looked up her status – she remains in jail, now charged with 9 counts, with her next status hearing set for May 31st.)
West Seattle Crime Watch: Cell-phone theft-spree arrests
Earlier this week, a note came in, suggesting we look into a pattern of thefts. The anonymous tipster wrote in part:
3 students have reported having their cellphones stolen from them while waiting at bus stops in West Seattle. All 3 students have filed police reports accordingly. The first one happened during the last week of March, the most recent happened within the last week. Each of them happened at different bus stops, but all have happened in West Seattle.
Each student was approached by a young person they did not know, who either asked to use the student’s phone for an emergency or simply asked to see the time. If the student resisted, they were bullied by the stranger & the stranger’s friends. When the students did take out their phones, the stranger grabbed the phones and ran away with their friends.
Two of the victims also were assaulted, wrote the tipster. But before we could finish investigating this to write about it – we found out that the Southwest Precinct has a break in the case. After we saw Lt. Pierre Davis at the Alki Community Council meeting tonight, he shared this exuberant report:
While conducting surveillance, the SW ACT Team watched one of the possible suspects steal a cell phone from a victim. They did a stake-out on the suspect’s residence and arrested the suspect when he exited. A search incident to the arrest located the stolen cell phone. Our SW ACT Team also located the other involved suspects and arrested them as well. Crime spree over!!! Winning!!!!!
Next step – we’ll be seeking to find out who the suspects are and what happens to them in the jail/court system.
Update: Police seek 3 robbers in West Seattle Viking Bank holdup
(6:07 PM UPDATE: Seattle Police have released their official summary. Adding that, and more photos, below)
ORIGINAL 3:50 PM REPORT: Police are at Viking Bank in The Junction – and nearby – looking for bank robbers. Seattle Police say three people robbed the bank. According to Officer Renée Witt in the media-response unit, they were described as possibly armed, three Hispanic men in their 20s, medium build, one wearing a red bandanna, black or dark hoodie, with black sweat pants.
3:57 PM UPDATE: Just added a photo. And yes, that’s what the helicopter is doing over The Junction.
4:30 PM UPDATE: The FBI is on scene as well as Seattle Police, since they have jurisdiction in bank robberies. Multiple witnesses report that some evidence was found, but there is no word of arrests. No injuries either, in case you were wondering.
(This photos and others below, all by Christopher Boffoli for WSB unless otherwise credited)
4;49 PM UPDATE: There have been anecdotal reports that some area schools’ afterschool programs sheltered in place while the search was on. We’re having trouble getting anyone on the phone to confirm this – but in case you are worried, know that NO INJURIES ARE REPORTED ANYWHERE as a result of the robbery or the search. Meantime, according to what Christopher Boffoli photographed, they left significant evidence behind:
5:05 PM UPDATE: Teresa Wippel from Seattle Public Schools confirms that Madison Middle School did decide to have the students who were still on campus “shelter in place” – some were outside when the school heard about the robbery, and the school decided – it was a unilateral decision, not a police order – to bring them in. Wippel says they also called the parents of students who would usually go home by themselves, and they escorted students to school buses.
6:07 PM UPDATE: Police have just published their summary of the robbery at SPD Blotter. Click ahead to see it in full, along with more of our photos:Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Alleged car prowler thwarted, arrested
Just in case you’re wondering: K-9 is helping with a police search that is related to at least two complaints in the Fairmount Park/Fairmount Springs area. WSB contributor Katie Meyer heard the early scanner traffic and reports that two people were reportedly seen in at least one backyard, one possibly with a ladder; the 5400 block of 41st SW was mentioned. There has also been a report of someone suspicious seen east of the park. We’ll add more information when/if we get it.
1:47 AM UPDATE: We haven’t heard back from police yet, but we have it from a neighborhood source that one suspect was taken into custody, believed to be the man spotted going through a car.
2:07 AM UPDATE: Confirmation from Lt. Alan Williams at the Southwest Precinct: “At about 11:54, a citizen who lives in the 5400 block of 42nd SW [map] saw someone inside his (unlocked) car. The suspect ran when the victim yelled at him. The victim called 9-1-1. Several patrol units and one K9 unit responded. The dog and handler were able to locate and detain a possible suspect in the 5600 block of 41st SW. The victim identified the suspect as the person he had seen inside his car. The suspect, a 20-year-old man, was booked into jail for Car Prowling.”
Teen who attacked Alki bus driver charged in a new crime
As reported this morning by our partners at the Seattle Times: The teenager who beat an Alki woman unconscious in Tukwila, while she was working as a Metro bus driver, is back in jail. Thirteen months ago, we were at Juvenile Court on Capitol Hill (story here) to cover the sentencing of the then-14-year-old boy, who wrote a letter of apology that described what he did as “touching,” and who was described by his mother as a “good kid” while she also attempted to blame the victim for not preventing what happened. We didn’t identify Solinuu Leae by name at that time, as he was charged as a juvenile; now 15, he has been arrested again, charged as an adult for a violent robbery that, like the attack on the driver from Alki, also rendered its victim – robbed while waiting for a bus in Renton – unconscious. According to the King County Jail Register, Leae’s bail is set at $200,000; he’s been jailed since May 10th. The bus driver he attacked in January of last year told WSB back in March that she was returning to work as a driver. Court documents in the new case against Leae say his sentence for attacking her was completed in January.
West Seattle Crime Prevention Council, report #1: Burglaries down
First of two reports from tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct: The burglary “spike” reported last month by Capt. Steve Paulsen is over, according to operations Lt. Pierre Davis. He presented one specific statistic as evidence: The second full week in April, this area had 23 burglaries. Second full week in May, there were five. (We doublechecked the online police-reports map, which shows even fewer, if you configure it for 5/8-5/14.) Lt. Davis attributes the drop to more arrests: “We went out and corralled a bunch of our bad guys – we really knocked ’em dead.” But don’t let your guard down, he said (and while he didn’t mention them specifically, yesterday’s Arbor Heights incidents underscored that) – keep an eye out in your neighborhood, particularly as vacation season kicks in next month and more people are away, and when you see someone or something, get as much descriptive information as you can – car descriptions, suspect descriptions.
Speaking of keeping an eye out, Karen Berge from the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network announced at meeting’s end that their next meeting is next Tuesday, 6:30 pm, also at SW Precinct. Coming up later: Current drug-abuse trends, from tonight’s guest speaker, a regional expert who spoke to the group 2 1/2 years ago (WSB coverage here).
West Seattle Crime Watch: Double truck theft in Genesee
First time we’ve heard of one household suffering a double auto-theft hit in a single day/night. Michael says, “You can imagine the shell-shock we’re feeling,” as he reports:
Sometime after 9:30 PM on Monday night, 2 of our trucks were stolen from our street parking. A 1993 Red Nissan King Cab and a 1991 White Ford F-250. We’re on 48th Ave SW between Andover and Dakota.
The ONLY reason we know about this so early was that at 3:48 AM (today), we were woken up by SPD knocking to inquire if we owned the F-250. It’d been involved in a collision in Auburn, and connected with a burglary in that area.
When we started to give them the info on the F-250, my wife looked out and saw that the Nissan was missing also.
We just checked, and so far, no other auto-theft incidents are listed in West Seattle in the past 24 hours of reports noted on the time-delayed police-response map. One other note: As mentioned in the daily preview, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets tonight at the Southwest Precinct, 7 pm – it’s a chance to talk to police leadership about neighborhood crime concerns and to hear firsthand about the latest trends.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Arbor Heights burglaries
Police confirm three incidents in Arbor Heights this afternoon might be related. According to Southwest Precinct Lt. Ron Smith, two homes were broken into – “both had evidence of forced entry”; nobody was home at either one. Then there was a prowling/attempted burglary report, with somebody at home and calling 911. Lt. Smith says the caller saw two “juvenile males looking into the house”; they were seen fleeing southbound from the 10200 block of 37th SW. Jeff, who says he reported them, sent the following note as we were writing this story:
It was about 12:20, Monday afternoon, I had just pulled up in front of my house
when I heard banging coming from down the street. I looked over, and saw two black males late teens/early twenties trying to kick in a front door at 37th and 102nd. I immediately got their attention with some colorful language, then they ran south on 37th avenue towards Arbor Heights Elementary. I got back in my truck, drove to 37th and 104th and spotted the two punks before they disappeared behind cars and into someone’s yard. I called the police during pursuit, I am hopeful these guys get caught.
We had heard a scanner report that the police search resulted in “sheltering in place” at Arbor Heights Elementary; nothing actually happened at the school, but as noted above, the suspects had been reported seen in the area.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Traffic-circle tree taken out
The lushly landscaped traffic circle at 39th/Lander (map/Google Street View) lost its young tree to a hit-run driver overnight, according to a note we received from CD (who also provided the photo – thank you!). The tree was a 10-foot-tall coral-bark maple, CD explains, adding, “The vehicle must have been some sort of large truck/pick up truck as the traffic circle is fairly high.” The incident has been reported to police.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Police brief Fairmount Springs neighbors
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
At the heart of a meeting tonight in Fairmount Springs was not a victim, but a person – a neighbor in the hospital, for reasons not yet understood, fighting to recover from serious injuries she suffered in some kind of attack.
She’s in stable condition, reported neighbors at the meeting’s start. Then at the meeting’s end, a prayer for her physical and emotional recovery was offered, by the pastor of the church where about 50 neighbors gathered.
And the neighbors’ condition was a source of concern too. Don’t be frightened, exhorted police. “It’s not the one who did this that’s the powerful one – you are,” asserted Mark Solomon, the Southwest Precinct‘s Crime Prevention Coordinator.
He spoke along with the top two Seattle Police leaders from the precinct, its commander, Capt. Steve Paulsen, and operations Lt. Pierre Davis. Before the meeting was out, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen had offered a few words too.
The gathering at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene was the first major neighborhood meeting since another one sparked by crime concerns a year and a half ago (here’s our report from that night). And as it concluded, neighbors agreed they would like to meet more often – maybe quarterly – though they already are bound by strong Block Watches and a much-used mailing list. But first: What police said tonight about the Sunday morning attack, reported in the 5900 block of 41st SW – ahead:Read More
West Seattle Crime Watch: Fairmount Springs investigation update
Police have released more information about the case we reported here on Monday, a woman who is in the hospital and told police she was attacked by someone in her Fairmount Springs home. Seattle Police media-unit Det. Mark Jamieson says there is no question the woman was seriously injured – but police do not believe it happened in her home; there is no sign of a struggle or other evidence there indicating an attack. According to the police-report narrative in the case, the original call did not come from the woman’s home; the victim showed up at a neighbor’s house early Sunday morning saying she was “hurt and needed to sleep.” Then the neighbor noticed the woman was clearly injured, and called 911. The victim told police she woke up to find a man in her room; he said nothing but restrained her, then sat on her, and tried to strangle her. She said she fought back, and that she lost consciousness and awoke later to find him gone, at which time she said she managed to get herself free and walked over to her neighbor’s house. Police also confirm they questioned someone yesterday in connection with the case but that no one is currently under arrest. The victim remains at Harborview Medical Center, and because of her condition, Det. Jamieson says, police have been unable to talk more with her yet about what happened and where it happened.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Car stolen in Gatewood
Eagle-eyed WSB’ers have found stolen cars before – maybe you’ve seen this one. Out of the WSB inbox, from Angele:
My car was stolen between 7 pm Sunday night and 7:30 am Monday morning. It’s a white, 4 door, 1992 Nissan Maxima. Lic. #506SUN. It was stolen from California and Portland [map]. The car was locked, nothing visible on the inside, and the security system was intact. If anyone sees this car, please call 911. Thank you.
SPD is continuing to tweet stolen-car reports at @getyourcarback; here’s the tweet sent this morning for this car.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Woman in hospital after reported break-in
A 64-year-old Fairmount Springs woman is in the hospital today with what police describe as “serious injuries,” after an incident reported to them as a break-in. According to Seattle Police media-response unit Det. Mark Jamieson, the description is cautious because investigators are still trying to sort out what actually happened and how the victim was injured – he says they are not at all sure yet what actually took place, nor is there a description of a potential attacker, nor do they know for sure whether the attack was random or involved a stranger. He says all they do know for sure is that police were called to a home in the 5900 block of 41st SW around 4:30 am Sunday, that a woman is in the hospital with serious injuries, and that detectives are still working the case. When any additional information become available, we will add to the story.
West Seattle Crime Watch: Seen this briefcase anywhere?
From the WSB inbox – Robert wonders if anyone has seen a briefcase taken when someone broke into his car:
As I walked to my driveway to go to work Tuesday morning (05/02), I saw broken glass near my car. Sure enough, someone had smashed my driver’s side rear door window during the night. The only thing missing was my briefcase. It is an old, doctor’s style black case that opens from the top. It isn’t worth much, but has sentimental value. There was nothing of real value inside, other than some personal papers and some books on education. I imagine the thief was disappointed and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was dumped nearby. If anyone runs across it, I would greatly appreciate being notified. You can email me at neoreadteach@yahoo.com. Thanks. The theft took place near 37th and SW 98th ST in Arbor Heights.
(No “you shouldn’t have left it in there” comments, please, “blaming the victim” is against WSB rules.) Police do advise that absolutely nothing be left in vehicles, even if you think it’s nothing a thief could possibly have any interest in – here’s more information about car-prowl prevention.
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