West Seattle police 1862 results

Person found dead at West Seattle bus stop

Thanks for all the tips a=about SPD and SFD at the bus stop on southbound 35th SW south of Avalon early this morning. The initial call around 5:40 am was for an unconscious, unresponsive person, and SFD medics were unable to revive him. Police tell WSB, “There were no signs of foul play.” The cause of death will be determined by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, which subsequently responded to the scene and, SPD says, “took responsibility of the deceased subject.”

UPDATE: False report of gunfire north of The Junction = fireworks; stolen silver Elantra

Two more incidents to report, one unfolding right now:

FALSE REPORT OF GUNFIRE: 9:39 PM: 911 received multiple calls about this a short time ago. Dispatch told officers that one caller at an apartment building in the 4100 block of California claims somebody – possibly a neighbor – fired a gun from a balcony. No injuries reported. Police are trying to sort this out right now. We’ll add anything more we hear.

9:53 PM: Police are not finding any evidence of gunfire despite that report, and now believe it was fireworks – they’ve reported finding an “empty box.”

10:02 PM: Thanks to David for this video of what it sounded like from 44th/Andover:

(back to original report) Meantime, via email:

STOLEN SILVER ELANTRA: Stolen-car report tonight from Lauren:

PLEASE HELP! Stolen car- silver/gray Hyundai Elantra (license plate AQS2284) stolen (near Fairmount Park). If you see this car, please call 911 and reference case number 23-237899. My fiancé starts teaching in about a week, and really needs his car back.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Wednesday night’s Admiral ‘havoc’

On Thursday, several readers asked about an Admiral incident the night before. We had heard bits and pieces of radio traffic, with a dispatcher at one point describing the suspects as “wreaking havoc,” but were unable to get followup information from Seattle Police until the case number was made available today. So we requested and received the report narrative, with a few redactions, today. The report began with the officer who wrote it being dispatched at 11:16 pm Wednesday to a report of a collision in the 2600 block of 42nd SW. The report picks up from there:

En route, dispatch advised that there were reports of shots fired in the area and that the involved vehicle may have left the scene.

I arrived with other Officers and observed several people clustered around a vehicle stopped in the middle of the roadway. The vehicle, a (redacted), had significant damage to the front end and windshield.

I spoke with the occupants of the vehicle (redacted). They told me the following. They had been at Alki Beach earlier in the evening and prior to the incident they were traveling eastbound on SW Admiral Wy. As they passed the 7-11 at 4312 SW Admiral Wy, they observed 3 vehicles in the parking lot revving their engines before leaving the area traveling westbound on SW Admiral Wy. They slowed down as they passed and they observed the 3 vehicles perform a U-turn behind them. They described these vehicles as a white sedan and 2 gray sedans.

They turned right at the intersection with California Av SW and cut through the parking lot at the Safeway … They emerged southbound on 42 Av SW and proceeded southbound. Another vehicle turned onto 42 Av SW facing northbound. The vehicle revved its engine and honked repeatedly. They stopped their vehicle in the roadway because they did not know what to do. There was an open lane of travel next to them for this other vehicle to pass them. The vehicle then proceeded forward at a high rate of speed and crashed into the victim vehicle. The vehicle then reversed at a high rate of speed. This vehicle was a white sedan.

(Redacted) all exited the victim vehicle and ran, fearing that they would be seriously injured or killed by this vehicle if it rammed them again. The vehicle then moved northbound again at a high rate of speed before driving around their vehicle and leaving the area northbound.

(Redacted) ended up hiding in a nearby yard. (Redacted) ran away southbound toward SW Lander St. As they approached the intersection, 2 gray sedans pulled up and demanded to know if they had seen a black male with dreadlocks.

These vehicles proceeded northbound on 42 Av SW and stopped mid-block in front of the victim vehicle. 6 black males exited the vehicles with bats and golf clubs and proceeded to strike the victim vehicle several times, shattering all the windows and causing significant damage to the body. They removed all of the items inside the victim vehicle and placed them in their own vehicles before leaving the area northbound.

(Victim names redacted) were afraid to confront the suspects stealing their property. They believed that the suspects would assault them with the bats and clubs if they approached. Several residents in the area heard the collision and called 911. They observed the suspects damaging the victim vehicle. They all provided similar narratives of what had happened.

No one was able to provide further descriptions of the vehicles or suspects. The victim vehicle was not drivable. An impound form was completed and Gerber Towing responded to the scene and removed it. Officers conducted a check of the surrounding area but were unable to locate the suspects or their vehicles. (Redacted) No evidence of a shooting was located at the scene or nearby. It is likely that the sound of the collision and the sound of the victim vehicle being damaged were misheard as shots by several callers.

(Victim names redacted) declined to be examined by SFD. They advised that they each had a backpack inside the vehicle that was missing. They all stated their backpacks were black in color and contained personal items including their clothing. They believed that the 2 gray sedans had been chasing the white sedan that struck the victim vehicle.
(Redacted) They were all provided business cards and they declined to provide audio statements. They all left the
area.

Dispatch broadcast an auto recovery at 14 Av S and S Dakota St. (Redacted) This vehicle [a Kia] returned stolen out of Bellevue. The vehicle was described as having significant front end damage. … I responded to that location and observed a black backpack outside of it. I collected this backpack and submitted it to evidence. … There was a report of an assault or robbery at xxxx SW Waite St; in that incident the suspects were described as 6 teenaged males one of whom was black. They may have left the area in a dark-colored sedan. It is unknown at this time if these incidents are related.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 5 reports

August 7, 2023 12:27 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 5 reports
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

First, from the inbox this morning:

BROKEN-WINDOW CAR PROWL: Sent by Donnie:

Neighbor on SW Barton/ 31st Pl, reporting to warn others of what’s been reported a few weeks back in the spree of car windows being broken. At some point during the night, my car window was broken — car seemed to be rummaged through but nothing was stolen, including an iPad I forgot to bring in that was clearly visible. It was noticed this morning around 4:30 as I was leaving for work. Police report has been filed and I’ve attached a photo to warn others and if anyone has any suspects in mind.

Two more reader reports:

DUMPED ITEMS: Sent by Tom:

These items were dumped on 12th Ave SW just north of the intersection of SW Webster. These were from a stolen car because the ignition switch was lying on a WeatherTech floor mat. Seen on Sunday around 5:30 pm.

He wasn’t able to take possession of them so if they might be yours, check that area.

FOUND LAPTOP: This turned up on Chris‘s mailbox in the Delridge area:

Chris says the side not shown has “identifying marks” – if you think it might be your lost/stolen laptop, contact us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we’ll connect you.

One case of confirmed weekend gunfire:

ARREST NEAR ROXBURY LANES: As reported briefly on our partner site White Center Now, the King County Sheriff’s Office says it arrested a suspect after responding to a report of someone “shooting into the air” near Roxbury Lanes early Sunday. No injuries.

And a report from last week that we just found:

PRIDE FLAG ARSON: According to a brief SPD summary, this happened just after 11 pm last Wednesday (August 2nd):

Officers responded to a report of a bias crime in the 4600 block of Southwest Stevens Street. Unknown suspect(s) set a victim’s Pride flag on fire. The victim extinguished the flag and reported to police seeing several subjects in the area. The flag was damaged and a small section of an exterior wall singed.

We just checked the SFD 911 log and did not find an accompanying response. If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 23-220377.

SIDE NOTE: If you have used our Crime Watch page, you’ve probably noticed the absence of SPD “Tweets by Beat” incident categorizations, locations, and case numbers. It’s been down now for going on three weeks; SPD says the problem is known but they have no ETA for restoration. Prior to the full outage, some sectors around the city, including the F (eastern) ones in West Seattle, hadn’t been showing data for a while. SPD has a few other options for finding case numbers/classifications, but none are as thorough as Tweets by Beat was. You can find our archived crime reports here but as for current events, many calls aren’t dispatched by radio so your texts are more important than ever when you see a significant response – 206-293-6302 – thank you.

FREE: Seattle Police to offer two more steering-wheel lock giveaways

(WSB photo, June)

In hopes that fewer Hyundais and Kias will wind up like that one – stolen and pushed down a slope at Westcrest Park – SPD is giving away more steering-wheel locks. After two giveaways in April, two more dates have just been announced for late August and early September. Sent today by Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite:

In response to a rise in vehicle thefts involving certain Kia and Hyundai models, SPD’s Crime Prevention Coordinators will be giving away steering wheel locks at each of its five precincts this summer.

Dates & Times:

Tuesday August 29th : 2:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Saturday September 2nd : 9:30 am – 11:30 am

Locations:

East Precinct – 1519 12th Avenue
West Precinct – 810 Virginia Street
North Precinct – 10049 College Way N
South Precinct – 3001 S Myrtle Street
Southwest Precinct – 2300 SW Webster Street

The devices are available at no charge to people who live or work in the City of Seattle, with a focus on those who own or lease a Kia or Hyundai vehicle. Due to limited availability, locks cannot be set aside or held. Only one lock allowed per person. Please go to the pickup event scheduled for the precinct where you live or work.

BLOCK-PARTY PLAN? Registration deadline for Night Out 2023 is days away

Less than two weeks until Night Out, when neighbors around the country get together for community-building and safety planning. The official night is Tuesday, August 1st, but if you want to close your (non-arterial) street, you need to register your block party with SPD by next Monday (July 24th). That also is the day that Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite invites you to stop by the precinct (2300 SW Webster) to pick up swag for your party – “goodie bags for kiddos, and crime prevention materials for adults.” That’s 1-4 pm Monday in the precinct’s community-meeting room, first come, first served. As of this morning, 179 block parties are registered in the SW Precinct’s jurisdiction (West Seattle/South Park) – go here to add yours.

UPDATE: Deputies, police, helicopter search for White Center robbery suspects in south Highland Park

2:13 PM: Thanks for all the tips about Guardian One circling over south Highland Park and a police response on the ground. We’re working to find out what led to this and will update shortly.

2:18 PM: KCSO seems to be the lead agency and a deputy tells us on the ground that they’re looking for robbery suspects. Four, according to dispatch. We don’t yet know where the robbery was.

2:34 PM: A commenter says the robbery was at 16th/107th in White Center; we’re going that way to check. Meantime, the ground search is focused near 12th/Barton (added photo above).

2:58 PM: The mini-mart on that corner told us it wasn’t them. (And the commenter now says that was a mistaken reference to a robbery earlier this year.) We have an inquiry out to KCSO’s media team.

3:19 PM: Finally found the incident in archived KCSO dispatch audio. The robbery was at the Top to Bottom clothing store in White Center, 9651 15th SW. The robber(s) were armed and got away with ~$500 worth of clothing. Still listening for more details.

3:43 PM: A tip led officers to detain at least one suspect at/near 15th/Roxbury. Seattle Police are involved again because in this case it started with a reported sighting on SW Cambridge.

3:55 PM: KCSO has provided a bit more information – the armed robbery was reported around 1:30 pm, with four people “reported to have entered the business at that location, displayed guns and stole about $500.00 worth of merchandise … 2 persons were detained close to the area in connection with the robbery, but it is not 100% sure if they were involved at this time. No injuries were reported and no firearms recovered as of yet. Some clothing items that have belonged to the suspects were recovered in the surrounding neighborhood. These were confiscated as evidence.”

4 PM: KCSO update on the previous two detainees: “The two detained were released as there was no evidence, or witnesses that could say they were 100% involved.”

UPDATE: Standoff at 14th/15th/Roxbury

10:35 AM: As reported on our partner site White Center Now, SPD is assisting King County Sheriff’s Deputies with a response in the parking lot between 14th and 15th south of Roxbury. At the scene they told us that they’re after a man who had made threats to passersby and who is refusing to come out of a van. KCSO says the man is believed to be experiencing a mental-health crisis. 14th SW is blocked south of Roxbury; 15th was too, but is reported to have reopened; avoid the area.

12:26 PM: We’re back in the area to check on the situation. The lot south of Bartell Drugs is still taped off with a major police presence. 14th SW has reopened, so this situation is now confined to the parking lot.

4 PM: As commenter “Alki Resident” notes below, the person has been taken into our custody since our last check at the scene.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Another convenience-store robbery

This time it’s the ampm store at 7301 Delridge Way SW – police are investigating a report of an armed robbery there. Early description of the robber is male, Black, late teens, covered face, all-black clothing, armed with a gun, got into a black SUV and left northbound. This is the fourth convenience-store robbery in West Seattle in the past nine days; the other three were at 7-11s.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire on Harbor Avenue, in North Delridge

12:26 AM: Police are blocking Harbor Avenue SW by Salty’s on Alki (1936 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor) right now for a gunfire investigation. A 911 caller reported seeing someone who appeared to be shooting at cars in the area; police arrived and have reported finding both casings and “unfired rounds.”

12:52 AM: Harbor has reopened. Officers told dispatch they “recovered about 20 fired and unfired 9-millimeter casings.”

1:12 AM: Out on a separate gunfire call in North Delridge, officers told dispatch they’ve found “four shell (casings) in the 2600 block of SW Brandon.”

UPDATE: Streets reopen after 8-hour police/SWAT response following carjacking attempt on Puget Ridge

(WSB photos)

9:11 AM: Thanks for the tips. Police have closed 18th SW near the 7100 block [vicinity map] as they attempt to arrest someone who we are told is a suspect in a carjacking. The suspect is believed to be armed and at a particular residence. SWAT has been called in. Avoid the area.

9:47 AM: Going back through archived police-radio audio, the original incident was reported around 8:10 am as an attempted armed carjacking, nearby on 18th SW, with the would-be carjacker leaving the scene on foot.

10:25 AM: Not resolved yet. We’re continuing to monitor and will add updates when we have them.

10:54 AM: Just received video from an anonymous resident who says it shows the attempted carjacking – a grocery-delivery driver was dropping off the items when in the background, you see the person run up and get in the car. Though the video cuts off, the resident says the driver subsequently pulled the would-be carjacker out to keep him from stealing the car. (Video removed for now per request of the resident.)

11:10 AM: Police are closing off Dumar as well between 16th/Delridge.

12:43 PM: Still not resolved. Also of note, the road closures are rerouting Metro 128.

2:04 PM: Not resolved yet.

3:09 PM: Seventh hour.

4:14 PM: Eighth hour.

5:22 PM: They’ve declared the house “clear” – we’re going back over to verify. Meantime, what took all this time were the steps it took to get to that point. They had to get a view inside the house, which required breaking windows to get a drone inside. They also used various devices – from flashbangs to “pepper balls” and gas – with the aim of temporarily incapacitating anyone inside. The house has multiple levels, plus an attic/crawl space, so each of those levels took time to investigate. The SPD SWAT team was assisted by K-9s and by equipment from the King County Sheriff’s Office. Another time-consuming component is that a search warrant is required, so they have to get one drawn up and signed by a judge.

5:40 PM: Our crew has verified at the scene that no one was found in the house or its outbuildings. Streets in the area, including Dumar, have reopened.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Arrests end Beach Drive, Alki SWAT standoffs

9:42 PM: Thanks for the tips. Police, reportedly including SWAT, are at an apartment building in the 3600 block of Beach Drive SW. It all started with a report that a resident armed with a gun had threatened a neighbor around 7 pm. No injuries reported so far.

10:02 PM: Meantime, a separate incident at Alki has police blocking off an area near 59th/Lander. We’re not certain exactly what this is about, though there was a dispatch for a “fight with weapons” about half an hour ago.

10:14 PM: The Alki situation is also getting some SWAT officers. It reportedly involves domestic violence, and as with the other situation, a suspect reported to have a gun.

10:33 PM: Neither situation is resolved yet. The one near 59th/Lander is actually at a residence on Marine (east of 59th). SWAT remains at both scenes. If you’re near either, you may hear PA messages meant to encourage surrender, and possibly the “flashbang” type noise devices SWAT often uses.

10:50 PM: Officers have just told dispatch that the Beach Drive suspect is in custody, so some of the units that have been there are headed to the Marine/Lander standoff.

11:48 PM: The Marine/Lander situation is still ongoing. Officers have told dispatch they’re communicating with the suspect.

12:05 AM: Officers have told dispatch their suspect is in custody. They have a warrant to search the residence, which is what they’ll be doing next.

10:39 AM: Both suspects were booked into jail, we’ve confirmed. The Beach Drive suspect is a 49-year-old man held for investigation of felony harassment; the Marine/Lander suspect is a 44-year-old man held for investigation of assault and unlawful imprisonment.

TUESDAY: SPD has recapped the Beach Drive incident on SPD Blotter.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire near Lincoln Park

Police dispatched after 911 callers reported hearing gunfire in the Lincoln Park vicinity Saturday night confirmed it. The reports came in around 11 pm. Officers told dispatch they had found at least one casing; a nearby resident reports that police found at least five (in the street on Fauntleroy Way, radio exchanges indicate). No injuries reported.

About the police response at 35th/Morgan

Thanks for the tips/questions about a big police response at 35th/Morgan. We went over to find out what was going on. Police say they got a report of a fight involving at least one person with a gun. No shots reported fired but the reportedly armed person is being questioned.

UPDATE: Man arrested for attempted kidnapping after SPD/SWAT response at Delridge/Juneau

4:04 PM: Thanks for the tips. Juneau is blocked between Delridge and 25th SW because of a standoff with someone in a unit at the Longfellow Creek Apartments. Police would only tell us that they’ve been trying to serve a warrant on someone who does not want to cooperate.

We don’t yet know what the warrant is for.

4:45 PM: If you’re in the area, note that officers have warned dispatch (in case of phone calls) that SWAT plans to use a device you might hear from a distance.

5:44 PM: The suspect is reported to be in custody.

6:07 PM: And here’s what SPD tells us about what led to this: “Police responded to a report of a suspicious circumstance in the 5900 block of Delridge WY SW around 11:15 a.m. It was reported a man attempted to take a child from a nearby business without authorization. Staff were able to intervene and the child was safely returned to his legal guardians. Afterwards, the 39-year-old male suspect barricaded himself within his residence. SWAT served a search warrant and took the man into custody. He will be booked into King County Jail for attempted kidnapping.”

SATURDAY UPDATE: Though we aren’t likely to be able to get the paperwork from prosecutors until Tuesday, the jail register shows the suspect had a bail hearing today and that his bail was set at $200,000.

UPDATE: Police investigating Myers Way encampment death

9:10 PM: Police have converged on the unsanctioned encampment on the east side of Myers Way, across from the Arrowhead Gardens senior-living complex. They say they’re investigating a death – a man was found dead, “circumstances inknown.” We are at the scene trying to find out more.

9:17 PM: Homicide detectives have arrived.

9:46 PM: SPD spokesperson Det. Judinna Gulpan told us at the scene that this was originally called in as some kind of gunfire incident; the man who was found dead had some “signs of trauma,” but that’s all they’re saying right now. It happened somewhere deep within the extensive encampment, which was the subject of a meeting with police, other city reps, and concerned Arrowhead Gardens residents (WSB coverage here) just three weeks ago.

CRIME WATCH: Three shot at Roxy’s Casino

11:04 PM: King County Sheriff’s deputies are getting assistance from Seattle Police responding to a report of a shooting victim at or near Roxy’s Casino (28th/Roxbury). No other details yet.

11:26 PM: We don’t have information on the victim’s condition but per SPD, KCSO has one suspect in custody.

11:30 PM: A reader who says he was in the casino when it happened just called. He says three people were shot.

12:24 AM: Our photographer is just back from the scene. KCSO is not commenting, saying they’ll “issue a statement” at some point. Meantime, commenters who were there say one victim died at the scene.

3:30 AM: No statement yet.

7:55 AM: From KCSO Sgt. Eric White :

What we do know at this point is that around 2248 hours last night an unknown person came into Roxbury Lanes Casino located at the 2800 block of SW Roxbury Street in Unincorporated King County and began shooting. KCSO Deputies from White Center, Burien, Sea Tac, Metro and Sound Transit Divisions responded to the scene. As many as three victims were reported to have sustained injuries, and were transported to Harborview Hospital for their injuries. KCSO Major Crimes Detectives responded to the scene. The suspect in this is still at large. This case is still an active and open investigation.

ADDED MONDAY: Though Harborview Medical Center usually won’t provide the media with updates on patient conditions without names, they are making an exception in this case. HMC spokesperson Susan Gregg tells WSB that 2 men are in critical condition and one woman is in serious condition. … Also, the casino, bowling alley, and restaurant plan to remain closed until Thursday.

UPDATE: About that circling airplane

1:40 AM: Thanks for all the texts. We’re looking into the small plane that’s been circling various parts of the peninsula. Checking its trail on a flight tracker (Flightradar24), it’s been all over points from Olympia northward throughout the night, not just here.

(Screenshot from Flightradar24)

With its flight originating in Thurston County, and crosschecking the type of aircraft, it may well be State Patrol.

1:52 AM: As noted by a commenter, another flight tracker (Flight Aware) confirms that it’s a WSP plane. It’s headed back for Thurston County, too. … Checking WSB archives, we reported on almost exactly the same type of flight and aircraft Labor Day weekend last year, same time of the morning.

1:59 AM: A few commenters have mentioned officers at 45th/Juneau, and a phone caller says they’re State Patrol.

2:06 AM: That said, the Seaview incident has been described on emergency radio as a suicidal person … Meantime, looking further into our archives, we covered another State Patrol circling/looping situation in 2021, and learned later that it had to do with a stolen car.

POLICE STAFFING: Southwest Precinct rebounds from last year’s low, and response times speed up

Tomorrow morning, the City Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee gets its latest periodic briefing on Seattle Police staffing. Here’s what we learned from the briefing presentation, which was posted today:

The Southwest Precinct (West Seattle and South Park) ended the first quarter with 54 officers and 10 sergeants. That’s up from 50 and 8 a year earlier, one fewer than the 56 and 9 from a year before that. (Those two charts were shown here.) Overall, the entire department ended the quarter with 1,029 fully trained officers, and 949 in service; SPD had projected it would make 31 hires during the first quarter and actually hired 26, while they projected 27 more officers would leave, and separations totaled 28. They’re now expecting the year will end with 33 officers fewer than they have budgeted for, and they expect that money will instead have to be spent on overtime, 80 percent of which SPD says goes toward meeting minimum staffing levels. Meantime, most of the $3.8 million budget for recruiting and retention has remained unspent; the meeting presentation attributes this mostly to the mayor’s office working on a “new marketing plan.”

Other numbers of interest in the presentation slide deck include response times. For the Southwest and West Precincts, they improved in all categories, though other precincts saw response times increase in some categories. For Southwest, the average response time for a “Priority 1” call is now 10 minutes, a full minute faster than a year earlier, though still well above the department’s 7-minute goal. Average response times for “Priority 2” calls in the SW Precinct fell from 44 to 41 minutes.

Tomorrow’s meeting is at 9:30 am, at City Hall and online; you can see the full agenda, and commenting info, here.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire twice in 1 night in 1 neighborhood

8:17 PM: Police are converging on Delridge and Juneau [map] after gunfire was reported, possibly from vehicles. Officers have told dispatch they’re finding casings from two different guns, apparently rifle and handgun. No reports so far of anyone being hit/hurt. Avoid the area.

8:26 PM: An officer has told dispatch that a “black sedan” that was involved was last seen “southbound near 21st/Myrtle.”

(WSB photos)

8:37 PM: This is on Juneau east of Delridge, between the residences on the north side of the street and Boren STEM K-8 on the south side. Adding photos.

Police are going to reopen the street shortly. They tell us no damage, and the vehicle was further described as a “black newer-model Chrysler 300.”

10:33 PM: Though the city doesn’t record traffic cameras, some private entities do, and one of them caught a bit of this incident on the Delridge/Juneau camera, tweeting it here.

11:55 PM: Police checking out another report of gunfire have found “numerous shell casings” in the 5600 block of 26th SW. They suspect it’s related to the earlier gunfire, as they are reporting two types of casings. They’re also finding vehicles with bullet damage. … Officers have told dispatch that multiple vehicles were struck in the driveway of what they’re referring to as a “problem house” in that block, theorizing it might have been the target.

12:01 PM: Officers have also confirmed a nearby house was hit. So far no reports of injuries. … Looking at nearby homes’ security video, they observed a “black sedan” in this incident too.

From homicide cases to parking enforcement @ Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Crime updates and parking enforcement were the primary topics at last night’s Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting, facilitated in person and online by chair Melody Sarkies and the precinct’s Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner.

(WSB photo, 15th SW homicide scene, Monday)

POLICE UPDATE: Lt. Dorothy Kim, the precinct’s second-in-command, offered the same overview we’ve heard at other recent community meetings – most categories of crime are down, except for auto theft, which remains way up. One other category that’s up, homicides – West Seattle has had four unsolved shooting deaths in the past six months. Lt. Kim said she had checked with homicide detectives about the most recent two. In the case of 20-year-old Ka’Don Brown, found dead a month ago on the Chief Sealth International High School campus, investigators are “waiting on search warrants” and also still hoping to hear from people with tips, information, or security video that might help (206-233-5000 is the tipline).

In this week’s shooting death of 41-year-old Chad Anderson, found dead on 15th SW between Barton and Cambridge, Lt. Kim said the murder was “probably associated with a house we’ve had issues with in the past,” though she didn’t know whether that house was near where the victim was found (there was some question that morning about whether the shooting had happened there or elsewhere).

There also was a question about the unauthorized encampment at Myers/Olson. No new information since the meeting we covered at Arrowhead Gardens on Monday, just a reiteration that “working with (multiple jurisdictions’ bureaucracies) is slow.”

PARKING ENFORCEMENT: Clayton Harrington, who’s been with city for barely a month, is Parking Enforcement Manager. RV remediation “is a big issue for us,” They have rules and laws to follow. Also there was SDOT’s engineering and design manager Matt Beaulieu – “we’re doubling down on Vision Zero” to improve safety. He said various strategies are being emphasized – “no turn on red” is a big one, Home Zones, trying to focus on where the majority of our collisions occur. Safety work is not its own silo, Beaulieu said. What are you going to do to solve the safety problem? asked Sarkies. “If it was easy, we would have already done it,” Beaulieu acknowledged.

Fauntleroy residents were there to ask about concerns regarding the Residential Parking Zone going to “virtual permits,” no more tags hanging in cars, so no simple way to know if someone’s in violation, and they don’t want to call a police officer to come scan a car to see if they’re permitted or not. Over time, people from Vashon and Kitsap may go back to parking on the streets overnight, if they find it’s not being enforced. Another Fauntleroy resident said houses were long unmarketable in that area because the streets were overparked. The RPZ solved that, but now, “It’s being violated every day,” he said.

Another attendee brought up the RV-parking situation and wondered what PEOs can really do. Harrington said he was at the meeting to hear about challenges and concerns like that. Harrington said he couldn’t commit to bringing on personnel in the middle of the night to check for RPZ offenders, though. “Right now we barely have resources to deal with the stuff we need to deal with in the middle of the day.”

And there’s an important point, said Lt. Kim – SPD doesn’t have the technical capability to read whether plates are signed up with the RPZ system; their plate numbers can detect if a car is stolen or not, and that’s it. Harrington said he wasn’t previously familiar with that issue so he doesn’t know yet what’s being done about it. It could run afoul of the city’s surveillance policies – as city attorney liaison Joe Everett noted, another review process might be needed to expand the readers to check something else, such as whether a vehicle is permitted to park in a certain zone. This might require City Council changing the laws. Lt. Kim suggested one problem regarding junk RVs might be that Lincoln Towing‘s yard is out of room to store more.

Next question again from Fauntleroy – the plan for getting speed bumps seems to have changed, with residents having to pay part of the cost, she said. And, she said, SDOT told her the process of getting a speed bump could take four years. “It seemed like a lost cause,” she said. She said another block had paid to get an unauthorized speed bump installed at their own cost and maybe her block would just do the same, “since SDOT never came and took it out.” Beaulieu said that the formerly well-supported Neighborhood Traffic Control Program went away around pandemic time and was largely replaced by the Home Zone program that installed many dozens of traffic control bumps and other things while the West Seattle Bridge was closed. What they’re asking people to do now is to go through Neighborhood Matching Fund – and that’s where the neighborhood covering part of the cost comes in. “We recognize that’s not an ideal process,” Beaulieu acknowledged. But right now “that’s the best tool we have.” The attendee said, “But the more the city puts speed humps on arterials, the more people gravitate toward residential streets.” She mentioned rogue traffic-calming attempts like putting garbage cans in the street to try to slow people down.

An online attendee asked about no-parking signs that have been discussed for Harbor Avenue – “no parking 11 pm to 5 am,” for example, even if it’s not regularly enforced. The Harbor Avenue rep at the in-person session said there are also proposals out to change zoning so that RV parking wouldn’t be legally allowable on the water side of the street. He said that all the residents’ proposals have been turned over to the mayor’s office.

NIGHT OUT: Registration opened this week. Danner said the registration process is a bit different this year – you can opt into a “public-facing map” of street parties if you want to. SPD will also proactively send out important info to registrants, such as how to properly close their street, how to tell whether their street is an arterial, etc. Night Out is Tuesday, August 1st, this year.

NEXT MEETING: Tentatively set for Thursday, June 8, 6 pm, with Jim Fuda of CrimeStoppers as a spotlight guest.

UPDATE: ‘Scenes of violence’ response for possible stabbing- unfounded

May 11, 2023 5:37 pm
|    Comments Off on UPDATE: ‘Scenes of violence’ response for possible stabbing- unfounded
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police

5:37 PM: SPD and SFD are responding to a report of a possible stabbing in an apartment in the 9400 block of 27th SW. Updates to come.

5:41 PM: So far, police on scene say it appears this was unfounded. The response is being closed out.