West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
Reader reports about stolen vehicles:
PLYMOUTH MINIVAN: The photos and report were sent by William:
Stolen over Friday night or early Saturday is a white 1992 Plymouth Grand Voyage mini-van from in front of our house near Admiral and 62nd Ave SW. We were moving someone into a senior home, so it was unfortunately loaded with items. I know this will likely be emptied of contents and then abandoned – sad enough. Sadder yet though is that this was one of dad’s prize possessions, and it is stolen on the weekend we are moving him. If nothing else, we certainly want to have his Retired Army license plates back !
If seen, please call 911. Plates: AR 07246 Police report #24-66045
HYUNDAI SUV: This report is from Christina – it’s near the scene of this morning’s 3:30 am hit-run crash, so we have a followup question seeking more details about her neighbor’s car and whether it might be related to that, but while we await a reply, here’s her report:
My car was stolen early this morning or last night at the Strata Apartments on California Ave near Fauntleroy. My neighbor’s Hyundai was also stolen and she found out it was totaled when the drivers crashed into a business off of Fauntleroy. A witness said they saw the drivers jump into a black SUV after, which we believe could have been my car. I would appreciate if you could have people on the lookout for my car, which is a black Hyundai Tucson with tinted black windows and a California license plate (#7ZEB142).
Two hit-run crashes early this morning:
CALIFORNIA/GRAHAM: Thanks to Steve for the aftermath photo:
According to emergency-radio archives, that car was damaged by the driver of another car that hit a tree south of California/Graham around 3:30 am. Initially SFD sent a “rescue extrication” dispatch but it was quickly cancelled when responders learned the other car was empty and its driver had fled the scene. That car (not shown as it apparently was towed away after the crash) was described as a suspected stolen vehicle, with Georgia plates and trashed ignition. According to radio exchanges, the driver who caused the crash might have been racing someone.
17TH/ROXBURY: The report and photo were texted this afternoon:
On 3/9/2024 @ 12:35 am I was driving westbound on SW Roxbury when I had a green light through 17th Avenue SW. As I entered the intersection a white ~ 2000 – 2004 Dodge Ram 4×4 pickup truck ran the red light and entered the intersection. He hit the right/front of my car. My speed into the intersection was 25mph and he looked to be going about 30 mph. The impact pushed me into the oncoming east-bound lane. The driver fled the scene immediately and left west-bound to the next cross-street and made a left heading south. I followed him about 1 block but he was traveling at a very high rate of speed. My vehicle is VERY badly damaged and I was less than 1 mile from home, so I drove there and called 911. I reported the collision to both Seattle Police dispatch and King County dispatch operators. I was told that witnesses on-scene also reported the collision to 911. My significant other drove me back to the hit-and-run scene and I retrieved a broken metal side step in the street from the truck that hit me. There were no police, fire units, or witnesses at the scene. The photo is the broken metal side step from the white Dodge Ram. It looked to be a “king cab” model and looked like it had a black roll bar. It will have driver’s side door/body damage with a broken-off step. There should be an identical step on the passenger side. The truck’s damage will include red paint. If anyone sees this vehicle or knows the owner, please call 911.
10:36 PM: Multiple people have texted us about hearing apparent gunfire in the Westwood area. Police have been searching for evidence and finally just found it – shell casings near the 8400 block of 25th SW, not far from Southwest Teen Life Center and the Chief Sealth IHS/Denny IMS campus. No report of any injuries so far. Some 911 callers reported seeing a light-colored vehicle possibly associated with this, according to dispatch and officers.
11:13 PM: In cases like this – gunfire but no injuries reported – officers often investigate the scene and simply notify the Gun Violence Reduction Unit. In this case, though, according to radio communication, GVRU detectives were going to go to the scene, perhaps because it’s within blocks of high-profile gun-violence cases such as the January death of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam at SWTLC. Still no injuries reported from tonight’s gunfire.
11:21 PM: One parked vehicle has bullet damage, an officer just told dispatch. … The location has been updated to 25th/Cloverdale.
(Images from charging documents, Mixayboua at West Seattle Target with stolen card)
The man who stole two USPS mail trucks in West Seattle – and others elsewhere in the city – was sentenced in federal court today. 27-year-old Johny Mixayboua got a 3 1/2-year sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones. That’s what federal prosecutors had recommended for Mixayboua’s convictions on charges of theft of government property, mail theft, illegal transactions on access devices, and illegally possessing a firearm. The West Seattle mail-truck thefts both happened on January 17, 2023 – one on Beach Drive SW, the other on 57th SW. Three weeks earlier, he had stolen a USPS vehicle in South Seattle and with it, a key used to access cluster mailboxes; at one point the USPS entirely shut down residential service in the 98118 for a week during the investigation. Investigators used home security video and store-security video to link Mixayboua to mail thefts and attempts to use stolen credit cards (including images from Target in Westwood Village). He was eventually found near where he was living in a vehicle near a relative’s home, and officers also found a “ghost gun,” which compounded matters as Mixayboua was already a convicted felon and not allowed to have firearms. He pleaded guilty last December to the charges on which he was sentenced today, seven months after his May arrest.
Police are investigating what appears to be a case of someone shooting into an Arbor Heights house. Officers were sent to the 10600 block of 31st SW a few minutes before midnight. According to the dispatch, the resident heard glass break and found a bullet in their kitchen, but didn’t see who did it, and didn’t hear anything (such as a vehicle pulling away). Officers confirmed to dispatch that it indeed appeared to be “a bullet into a house” and reported finding a casing. No injuries were reported.
The report and photo are from Jasper:
I wanted to report my stolen truck – it is a blue 1982 Datsun King Cab. Front bumper is sagging and there’s stickers in the top corners of the back window. License plate 7739F. Stolen from downtown Seattle and last seen yesterday [in West Seattle] between 41st and 42nd Ave on Andover St. but was gone by the time I arrived so it’s driving around. Please contact me at 425-223-6828 if seen.
EVENING UPDATE: Jasper’s pickup has been found, and he says thanks to readers for the help!
Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
POLICE DETAIN ALKI BURGLARY SUSPECTS: This is happening right now. Someone called 911 to report a suspected burglary at Il Nido (the Italian restaurant in the former Alki Homestead) after seeing/hearing people inside on a night when it’s usually closed; police have detained two suspects, one caught while running a block west, the other, after running into a nearby business. We don’t know yet what they’ve confirmed about the burglary – they’re trying to reach the restaurant’s owners – but in case you’re on Alki and wondering about the police activity, that’s what’s happening. MONDAY UPDATE: We followed up with SPD, which tells WSB, “Officers found two juveniles, both males, ages 13 and 14. They were arrested for burglary and property destruction, identified and released.” They are accused of breaking into an under-construction area of the historic building.
ATTEMPTED TRUCK THEFT: Emailed by a reader in North Admiral:
Wednesday morning, about 1 – 2 a.m., car thieves attempted to steal my husband’s red Dodge Ram pickup. 45th Ave just north of Hill St. Luckily, a neighbor’s nephew was driving down Hill Street and noticed a van with its lights off parked in the middle of the street. He stopped his car and when they noticed him, a couple of people jumped out of the truck, into the van and took off. The truck’s passenger side lock was damaged, and they attempted to jam a screw driver into the ignition. The tip of the screw driver broke off in the ignition. This is the second auto theft, although ours was only attempted, in our neighborhood in a couple of weeks. The last auto was recovered by the owner using a tracker in their vehicle. They were able to find it in Georgetown and recovered it. Our Neighborhood Watch Captain will be putting an alert out to all the neighbors in this area for those who are not yet aware. Please post so others are aware.
The photo and report are from Sweta:
This morning I found that our mailboxes had been pried open with mail scattered on the ground. Our building is on California in North Admiral. Incident was reported to the US Postal Inspection Service.
The report and security-camera images were sent by Admiral Pub proprietor Alex Garcia:
It was bound to happen eventually. We had a break-in (today) around 5 am. We really have nothing worth stealing, it was more the 6k in damages that hurts the most. They stole alcohol, cash, and broke both the front doors and back door.
Luckily we have a temporary fix for both the front and back… but it will cost us 3k plus install for new front doors and the back door also is going to require a new door, frame + install etc.
Luckily we were still able to be open and will continue to be open.
As bar owners, we do our best to plan for these days, but they always come when you least expect them. If you would like to support us here are 2 ways you can support us: You can donate to our gofundme. Or you can come out next week to Wednesday Trivia (7 pm) or Thursday Music Bingo (7 pm). We will have drink specials and it will be a fundraiser for the new doors and lost liquor (that was stolen). Any kind of support would be greatly appreciated. We love you all!
We’ll add the SPD report number when we get it.
Sent by Johanna:
I found these parts of a Kuat bike rack behind my fence in the alley between 26th SW and 28th SW, 9400 block. They are quite expensive parts and I’m assuming taken off a stolen vehicle and dumped or some other nefarious circumstance. I’m hoping maybe their owner may see them on the blog so I can give them back even though they are just parts now.
If this might have been your bike rack, let us know and we’ll connect you.
That’s Rose‘s black 1999 Honda CR-V, plate CKU4036, stolen from 34th SW near West Seattle Elementary in High Point today. Police report number is 24-057258 – if you see this car, refer to that report when you call 911.
9:27 AM: The report and photo are from Stan:
Sometime overnight my 1998 Ford E-250 van was stolen from in front of my home near corner of 48th and SW Stevens. Van is white, with a raised roof cap, and would be hard to miss, with signage from its previous life as a coffee van consisting of the word Coffee in front, and other coffee-related signage (all on the roof cap). Signage seen on van body has since been removed. WA license CDV0613.
If you see it, call 911. We’ll add the police-report number when we get it. (UPDATE: It’s 24-55953.)
12:06 PM: As Stan commented below, a reader tip has reunited him with his van.
Miscellaneous West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
BUSINESS BURGLARY: We got a tip about this on Friday but police didn’t provide information until today. Burglars hit the Admiral Safeway gas station (42nd/Admiral) just before 3:30 am Friday. According to the SPD summary, “The (burglars) utilized crowbars and a U-Haul box truck with a tow rope to break into the fuel station kiosk. (They) stole cigarettes/merchandise and tried to remove the safe before driving away. Officers spotted the van a short distance away and began to coordinate a stop. The van driver began to drive recklessly, and officers disengaged, losing sight.” If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 24-051042.
UNHINGED: We’ve received multiple questions about, and photos of, the detached door at 4719 California SW:
Yes, police are aware of it – we’ve heard multiple calls in the past week or so, and there was another one this morning in the 6 am hour (SPD incident # 24-054044). It’s been reattached at least once that we’ve seen. Regardless of how it was opened, it’s ultimately the property owner’s responsibility to keep vacant spaces secured.
STOLEN AND/OR ABANDONED? Grant sent this photo of a possibly stolen and/or abandoned Kia this morning, seen at 37th/Elmgrove in Gatewood:
We walked through the area in early afternoon and didn’t see it. But Grant noted that it was parked the wrong way and practically protruding into the intersection. While you can call any suspected stolen car in to 911, if one is parked illegally, you can also simply report it to Parking Enforcement, which might be able to respond quicker – that direct number is 206-386-9012.
Three weeks ago, thanks to tips, we reported that the Delridge Playfield lights were out again because of wire thieves. Last week, one of our original tipsters, John – who had photographed the exact spot hit by the thieves – told us that crews were on scene to fix the system. We subsequently inquired with Parks, who responded today that the lights are working again. Security was improved, too, according to John’s observation: “Installation of steel conduit instead of PVC previously used, therefore making hard to steal the cables.”
Thanks for the tip – we went over to Patrick’s Café and Bakery at 15th/100th in White Center after a report of gunfire at the intersection.
Speaking to us and other media at the scene, proprietor Patrick Choy said he and others in the cafe heard the gunfire around 10:40 am but didn’t see it – he speculates it was someone in a vehicle shooting at someone in another vehicle.
Some of the bullets hit his building – no injuries but a very close call for a woman in the café, whose boot was hit by a bullet. Patrick said deputies found shell casings in the street, too. We checked with the King County Sheriff’s Office, which tells us they have no description information so far: “The suspects are unknown at this time.” Meantime, Patrick’s remains open for business as usual.
Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:
SEARCH FOR SUSPECT: This is happening right now in Delridge. Police were at the Salish Landing complex in the 6900 block of Delridge Way SW looking for a domestic-violence suspect. They made forced entry into an apartment and found the suspect used sheets and blankets to escape down the exterior of the building, and was last seen running “into the woods.” Officers gave this description to dispatch – Hispanic man, 20s, bald, 5’7″, slim, green checkered pants, white or gray tank top. They’ll be using a K9 to search so if you’re in the area you may hear sirens and loudspeaker announcements. 7:29 PM UPDATE: Police told dispatch they have found the suspect.
HIT-RUN WITH STOLEN CAR: Thanks for the texted tip and photos.
Above is a stolen Hyundai Sonata that someone crashed into parked cars southeast of Westwood Village late last night, after 11 pm. At least two were damaged:
After the crash, witnesses told police they saw three people in dark clothing – believed to be teenage boys – get out and head toward Westwood Village. No injuries reported. If you have any information, the SPD incident # in this case is 24-052892.
911 callers on and near Alki Point reported hearing what sounded like gunfire – and police are finding what appears to be evidence of it. So far, “one live round” in the 3400 block of Beach Drive SW.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
LITTLE FREE LIBRARY ARSON: Diane sent the report and photo:
This morning at 5:25 am we woke up to the smell of fire and noticed someone had taken all the books out of our little free library and lit them on fire. Fire department responded quickly. Earlier this week someone had taken all the books out and left them all on the ground, but last night the same thing happened and they were all lit on fire. There was also other personal products, lotions, ceramic figurines, etc. that were on fire. We are at the 7200 block of 39th Ave SW.
Diane has reported this to police; we’ll add the number when we get it.
CAR BREAK-IN: This report is from M:
Just wanted to share a reminder to not store car registration or title in your car. (You can use a digital copy of your registration.)
My car was prowled this morning at 3:38 am (near 39th and 100th SW). They broke a window and stole the vehicle registration (in a lock box that they probably thought would contain something much more exciting), along with a binder of car repair records.
The memorial outside Southwest Teen Life Center/Pool lingers, one month after the January 23 shooting death of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam inside the center. Steps away from the memorial, a crew worked on the outside of the building today:
We believe, but have not yet confirmed, they were working on the new camera system promised for the center. Last night, Seattle Parks’ chief deputy superintendent Christopher Williams told the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners that the new cameras would be in place within “a couple of weeks.” City records show an electrical permit was granted this week for installation of what the application described as “a CCTV system with 16 camera locations.” (The city website shows a similar permit was granted to a different contractor last June; we’ll be following up on why the cameras apparently weren’t installed then.)
Meantime, no new information from police; we had filed a public-records request four weeks ago for the initial report on the incident, and received a notice today that the request has been denied, with the explanation that “the records requested are associated with a case that is under active investigation and non-disclosure is essential to effective law enforcement.” (The reply invited us to try again in about six weeks.) But during Williams’ briefing at the Parks Board meeting last night, he said the city and Seattle Public Schools planned to participate in an upcoming meeting organized by the Chief Sealth International High School PTSA focusing on safety at the adjoining Chief Sealth and Denny International Middle School campuses as well as the center, pool, and stadium facilities across the street. He mentioned a tentative date in mid-March; we have checked with the Sealth PTSA and they say a date isn’t finalized yet.
From our daily check of the police-call logs, one incident of note early today: An armed robbery at the Fauntleroy/Alaska gas-station mini-mart. Archived police-radio audio had limited details on this, so we asked SPD for the report narrative. At 4:51 am, “an officer was arriving at the 4500 block of Fauntleroy Way SW for an unrelated theft call. The victim met the officer outside the business and stated that an armed robbery had just occurred.” The officer was told three people – two male, one female – went into the store, with one “going behind the counter and pointing a silver/gray semi-automatic handgun at the victim and demanding the register be opened.” Between the three robbers, they took money from the register, vape products and cigarettes, and food/drink items, then got away in a vehicle parked behind nearby. According to the radio recording, it was a “blue minivan” and one robber was described in slightly more detail – a white man 45 to 50 years old, tall, medium build. When last seen, police say, the van was southbound on 35th SW from SW Alaska. If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 24-050006.
That’s one of seven windows at Hope Lutheran School‘s future north campus – the former Seattle Lutheran HS – broken by a vandal early this morning. The report and photos are from Hope’s Sally Heit, who says it happened at 1:50 am. “Repairs are underway, but needless to say it is very frustrating.”
She also sent this image of the vandal, who she says matches a photo of a person shown on social media “panhandling at the Jefferson Square Safeway with what is reported to be an aggressive dog (which you can see in the photo; he’s on the guy’s back).”
Police report # for the vandalism is 24-047421.
TUESDAY UPDATE: Here’s security video of the vandal as he threw the rock, twice.
After a reader tip, we went over to Super Deli Mart (35th/Barton) to check on a report they’d been broken into overnight. Indeed, the telltale broken window told the story. Part of it, anyway – staff told us that the vaping-related items stolen were worth far less than it will cost to replace the window. According to recorded dispatch audio, their security company got an alarm notification around 2:40 am. If you have any information, the SPD incident number is 24-046976.
Thanks for the tips and photo. That’s the aftermath of yet another crash-and-grab burglary (or attempt) at Global Smoke and Vape (35th/Roxbury), hit repeatedly in recent months. According to police audio, it happened just before 3:30 am; the 911 caller reported seeing two people get out of the vehicle that was used, and into a second one to get away. The vehicle left behind was radioed in as a 2015 Kia Optima that officers believed to have been an “unreported stolen” registered to someone in Auburn. We don’t know if burglars made it into the store to take anything or not. P.S. The Twitter/X call log shows police were also called to the strip mall around the same time Thursday for a suspected burglary, but we don’t have information on how that turned out.
| 7 COMMENTS