West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?”:
*At 2 pm this past Saturday, officers helped Animal Control on a call about a dog being mistreated in a wooded area on Myers Way. The dog’s owner was wanted on $5,000 worth of warrants for vehicle prowling, theft, harassment and failure to appear. Both he and the dog were taken into custody without incident. From the man’s campsite, officers recovered a pry tool, window punch tool and an ax.
*An Arbor Heights woman known to “care for dogs” refused to give a canine back to its owner, claiming she had spent $1250 on veterinary costs after the dog had been placed in her care. The owner had never approved any veterinary treatment. An officer explained that the caregiver had taken on the expense at her own risk and that if she refused to return the dog to the owner, she would be charged with theft. The caregiver said, “Fine,” and decided to keep the dog. Both parties were given a case number.
Nine more summaries ahead:Read More
5:08 PM: Police are blocking off the area around the precinct. Avoid for now. Working on details.
5:23 PM UPDATE: Appears whatever this was ended quickly. Still working on details. Witnesses say officers converged on a van, which is still visible in the area, though the search/response activity is over.
7:25 PM UPDATE: We’ve heard from Lt. Pierre Davis at the precinct, who explains: “At about (5 pm), one of our officers intercepted an armed distraught male attempting to gain entry into the police precinct parking lot. A dialogue was rapidly started, in an attempt to assess the threat level and motivation of the armed subject. The subject complied with instructions to give himself up, thus ending the immediate threat and incident. Our officers did a fantastic job protecting themselves and the community in this incident.”
Since last weekend, we’ve been getting questions from WSB readers about installations in prominent Alki spots of what appear to be new surveillance/security cameras (a hot topic right now, as evidenced by the discussion about private cameras at last week’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting [WSB coverage here]). Traveling the waterfront, you can see at least half a dozen similar installations along Harbor and Alki Avenues as well as one near Constellation Park. Since they’re all on utility and streetlight poles, we speculated they had to be some kind of city project, so we started inquiring with city departments, and after two days of inquiries finally have a bit of information. SDOT pointed us to Seattle Police, as did Seattle City Light, describing it as a police project related to port security. Southwest Precinct operations Lt. Pierre Davis explained that the cameras are “part of a grant project ran by SPD to observe the waterway in that area.” This online article from last summer quotes a Seattle Fire Department official as mentioning a project for surveillance cameras all along the waterfront to help public-safety personnel in case of incidents. SPD Public Affairs says more information about the project will be made public soon.
Police say they started trying to pull over that car in West Seattle after discovering it was stolen – but it didn’t stop until it crashed into a pole outside the White Center Taco Time at 16th and 102nd. That’s all we know so far – we saw one person being arrested at the scene; scanner traffic suggested at least one other person had fled and was being sought. More info as we get it.
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Police now say the Roxhill Park incident reported here earlier involved the arrests of eight teenagers, and they’re investigating whether any are linked to the holdups earlier this week. From Jonah Spangenthal-Lee‘s update tonight on SPD Blotter:
Southwest Precinct officers seized a gun, impounded two cars, and arrested eight teenagers in Roxhill Park Friday evening, and are now investigating possible connections between the teens and several burglaries and robberies, including two recent armed muggings in Roxhill Park.
Following the muggings earlier this week, Southwest Precinct officers stepped up patrols around the park.
Today, around 4 pm, patrol officers noticed a dozen teens milling around the area of the park where gunmen had robbed two groups of middle schoolers.
When police tried to contact the group of a dozen teens Friday evening, several of them took off running. Officer were able to catch up to eight of the teens, who are all between 14 and 18 years old.
Officers arrested and booked an 18-year-old man into the King County Jail on a weapons charge after police found a handgun and a box of ammo in the car he’d been driving. Officers released the seven other teens at the scene, but police are now examining links between several of the teens and several robberies and burglaries in the West Precinct.
Police also seized two cars from the park and are obtaining warrants to search the vehicles. At least one of the cars may be associated with a recent robbery case.
This all actually started unfolding before 4 pm; the release of seven suspects corresponds to what Det. Jeff Kappel told us this afternoon. Our first report on Wednesday afternoon focused on the Tuesday robbery of middle-schoolers in the park; later on Wednesday, police revealed a similar holdup had happened Sunday. The victims included students of Denny International Middle School, whose principal Jeff Clark sent a letter to school families later Wednesday; a more widely distributed letter came yesterday from regional Executive Director of Schools Carmela Dellino, including safety tips.
ADDED 11:16 PM: The 18-year-old suspect is facing charges of carrying a concealed pistol without a license and being a minor in possession of a pistol, both misdemeanors, with bail set at $1,000 for each charge, $2,000 total. His prior Seattle appears to include mostly driving violations, but a Pierce County record accessed online says he was arrested a week ago in Pierce County on suspicion of burglary and possession of a stolen gun.
ADDED 4:31 PM SATURDAY: According to the King County Jail Register, the suspect is out of jail as of about three hours ago.
When multiple reports came in two days ago of the Seattle Police Mounted Unit riding up and down SW Barton through Westwood and Fauntleroy, we noted that we usually only heard about one sighting a year, though the unit is based in West Seattle, at Westcrest Park in Highland Park. Now, just two days later, they’ve turned up on Alki Beach. Thanks to Kate Kaemerle for the photo!
(Photo courtesy Tammy Wooley, added 9:18 pm)
Several people called/texted/e-mailed to say they saw Seattle Police out on horseback on SW Barton within the past hour or so. So far, no photo – and when we went out looking for them, we couldn’t find them – but just in case you didn’t know, it’s not unusual to see them out and about, since the SPD horse force is based here in West Seattle, at Westcrest Park. We’ve reported sightings in the past, most often at Westwood Village (like this and this and this), where they’re taken for acclimation – they often show up at the summertime Picnic at the Precinct, too. As reported here two years ago, their funding was slated to be cut until the Seattle Police Foundation stepped in to help. P.S. If you saw them today and took a photo – we would love to share it – thanks!
If you noticed the police and fire response under the bridge, west of the marina: They’re investigating the discovery of a body. Police at the scene told us they’re looking into whether it’s linked to a vehicle found and towed off the bridge early this morning – possibly a case of suicide. After getting a reader report about this investigation with a mention about a car abandoned on the bridge, we went over to ask if it had anything to do with the Walking on Logs vehicle, but police said the vehicle in question was found on the high rise.
(As we note whenever reporting confirmed or possible suicides, they are an epidemic, five times the homicide rate, and shouldn’t be ignored. There **is** help available: Crisis Clinic has online resources and a 24-hour hotline, 206-461-3222.)
After a few intense days, crime reports have calmed a bit, so far as we can tell from the inbox and 911 map. But we do have two burglaries and two car prowls to report:
Stephen discovered Thursday night that his home in the 6000 block of Fauntleroy Way had been broken into while he was away at work – and that burglars had struck elsewhere on their block, leaving (besides fingerprints) a footprint that police told him resembled one found at the other scene. He says the burglar/s entered by tearing a basement window out of its frame; they stole jewelry and an iPad, but left other electronics behind. He also says police mentioned “a band of about 5 people” are believed to be responsible for many of the West Seattle burglaries happening right now.
Car prowls: Betsy says her car was broken into early Thursday morning in the 6400 block of 36th SW, but “nothing of value in the car, so nothing stolen.” Then Friday between 9:30 am and 1 pm, Beth‘s Civic was broken into near 35th and 100th in Arbor Heights. She’s hoping her brown-leather purse was dumped somewhere by the thief/thieves – let police know if you spot one.
Last but not least – if you have a “nuisance property” in your neighborhood, the newest newsletter sent by Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon includes LOTS of information on what you can do about it, compiled, he writes, with the assistance of precinct liaison Melissa Chin from the City Attorney’s Office. See it here.
P.S. As noted here earlier, the next crimefighting meeting is the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network, 6:30 pm Tuesday at the precinct (Webster/Delridge).
Before we get to the toplines from last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, two crime reports.
First, two reader reports about open mailboxes in Arbor Heights. Paula reports:
All of the mailboxes on 37th place between 102nd SW and 104th SW (map) were open this morning when I was leaving for work. They were like this Monday morning as well.
Jeff also e-mailed about this – saying he noticed it at 37th Pl/102nd at 6:45 am – and points out that SPD’s auto-tweets include a “suspicious vehicle” reported in that general area around 2:45 am.
Second, a car-vandalism report from Jamie:
I just wanted to give a heads-up to residents of Highland Park. Sometime between 7 PM Monday and 7 AM Tuesday (1/15) both my car and my husband’s were “paintballed”. No real damage to report – just clean-up needed. I’ve already reported it to the police, but thought neighbors should be aware.
And third – the WSCPC meeting. It was a wide-ranging West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – from crime trends to cannabis.
Just announced by Mayor McGinn: 15 people appointed to the new Community Police Commission, intended to help “promote community confidence in (SPD)” through reforms and priorities. Two names on the list caught our eye on the list: Newly returned Southwest Precinct commander Captain Joe Kessler, who had been working on reforms/ethics during the two years between his two stints here, and Bill Hobson, executive director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center, now building a 66-unit housing complex in North Delridge for formerly homeless people. The announcement, including the full list, ahead:Read More
We’ve found out more about the search that caught attention off Beach Drive last night, involving what looked like a law-enforcement boat searching for something or someone. While Seattle Police told us it wasn’t their boat, it turns out they were involved with the original call earlier in the day – tipster Mike spotted an auto-tweet categorized “water emergencies” in the long ongoing list of SPD “Tweets by Beat” on the WSB Crime Watch page. That gave us an incident number to ask SPD media liaison Det. Mark Jamieson about. He says police got a call around 3:40 pm from someone who described spotting a 10-foot metal rowboat with no one on board. Police decided to look from land. They saw no sign of anyone in distress, and turned the case over to the U.S. Coast Guard for further investigation – that’s whose vessel they say was out searching last night. The Coast Guard public-affairs officer we just called had no record of it, but in the meantime, the folks at Beach Drive Blog – which mentioned the search last night – points out the “rowboat” may have been the one shown on their site five days ago, since the tide’s been high enough to move things around.
Four months ago, we reported that a Harbor Avenue man was in the hospital after his third encounter with police in 24 hours – who were reported to have used a Taser on him after behavior that was described as a vandalism rampage in his own apartment building with a sword. Days later, two WSB commenters reported that the man had died; we were never able to get official information on that – but now, we’ve learned it’s true, via the county’s announcement that an inquest has been ordered:
King County Executive Dow Constantine today ordered an inquest into the death of Mike Chen, who died on or about September 10, 2012 following a confrontation with police outside his West Seattle apartment four days earlier.
According to a letter from the King County Prosecutor, Seattle Police responded to numerous call-outs involving Mr. Chen at a convenience store and at his apartment complex, both on Harbor Ave. SW. On Sept. 6, police responding to a call from Chen found him slumped on the ground with a sword in front of an apartment door at 3213 Harbor Avenue SW. Police say when Chen grabbed the sword and started to sit up, they tased him several times during a struggle, then administered CPR when Chen showed no pulse after being handcuffed and restrained. He was rushed to Harborview, where he died on or about Sept. 10.
7:11 PM: Police and fire are answering a call right now, at an apartment complex in the 2200 block of SW Holden. We’re on the way; more to come.
7:30 PM: Fire crews at the scene tell us a woman is injured and on her way to the hospital. Still working on other details.
7:34 PM: Both police and fire cleared the scene relatively quickly. We don’t know anything more about the circumstances but will add whatever we find out later.
10:25 PM UPDATE: According to Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, the injury was believed to be self-inflicted; the victim, now described as a juvenile female, is expected to recover.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?” We skipped a roundup in mid-December, so there are several incidents from that time toward the end:
*On December 27th, officers were dispatched to a North Admiral apartment where an elderly man who needs a wheelchair had been beaten all over his body by his adult son. Dad also had a severe contusion over his left eye and was taken to the hospital for treatment. Son had fled the scene before officers arrived.
*On the 28th, on Marine Ave. SW, a man saw a stranger in a neighbor’s car. He pulled the man out (the suspect’s three friends scattered) and held him while he called 911. Before officers arrived, the friends returned. One punched the victim in the chin, causing him to let go of the suspect. The suspects were described as four thin white males, about 17-18 years of age, wearing all dark clothing.
*On the afternoon of the 30th, a car broke down on the lower West Seattle Bridge. The driver pushed it clear (though the vehicle was sparking and smoking) and then walked away, dropping a small handgun in a construction tool belt nearby. A bit later (after officers found a stun gun in a holster in the vehicle), a woman (claiming to be the driver’s girlfriend) and another man arrived. She gave officers the boyfriend’s name, but she was evasive and nervous. A records check showed that her boyfriend was a convicted felon (prohibited from having a gun) and was wanted on two warrants. The car was left at the scene and the weapons taken as evidence. The gun had a magazine loaded with five .22 caliber rounds.
*A dog walker called 911 after finding a shotgun in a wooded part of Me-Kwa-Mooks park on the 28th. An officer confiscated the firearm.
11 more summaries ahead:Read More
We’ve received a few calls asking what TV crews are doing at Westwood Village. Here’s what we’ve learned about the story, which you will likely see in various citywide media tonight: It involves the video above, made public by the lawyer representing a West Seattle man who was hit at Westwood Village two years ago by a police officer he had bitten. The video is from the dashboard camera of the officer’s patrol car.
It happened on December 29, 2010, outside the Marshall’s store, where police had stopped to check out an unoccupied car left at curbside with the engine running. Ahead, a statement and other documents that lawyer James Egan provided, plus a report with SPD’s comment:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What Seattle Police Captain Joe Kessler has just done is almost unheard of, he says:
SPD commanders almost never return for an encore at a precinct they have led before.
Yet this week, two years and three months after he turned over command of West Seattle’s Southwest Precinct to Capt. Steve Paulsen, Capt. Kessler got it back, while his successor/predecessor moved on to lead the Beacon Hill-headquartered South Precinct.
“It’s like walking back into (your family’s) home after being away at college,” he observed.
We visited the precinct at Delridge and Webster Thursday to talk with Capt. Kessler about his return, what he’s been doing since leaving West Seattle, and what’s in store now that he’s back:
4:47 PM: What is reported to be a 2-car crash has Delridge blocked by the Southwest Precinct and Home Depot. According to scanner traffic, four people are hurt. We’ll have a crew at the scene shortly and will update.
(Added: This photo and next two, by Tony Bradley)
4:53 PM UPDATE: Police tell us the Mercedes was reported as stolen, with the suspected thief possibly linked to a burglary; that car hit the BMW, which was not involved. The suspect was among the injured.
5:13 PM UPDATE: Delridge is blocked all the way from Webster to Orchard. Meantime, a commenter wondered if the stolen Mercedes in the crash is the same one reported in our earlier Crime Watch report – our crew confirms it does appear to be the same make/model/color (late ’80s, 4-door, green) but we haven’t confirmed.
5:29 PM UPDATE: The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is on scene, and that would tend to mean the closure will last a while – probably a few hours. Meantime, police have provided more details: They started trying to stop the Mercedes on 35th; it headed south on Morgan/Sylvan Way, then after entering Delridge, fishtailed and hit the BMW. Police confirm, as we reported earlier from scanner traffic, that the suspect, who was alone in the stolen car, and the three people from the other car are all at Harborview Medical Center.
6:14 PM UPDATE: Photographer Tony Bradley – whose photos we’ve added to the story – confirms the license plate on the stolen car. Meantime, SPD Blotter now has an item; the number of victims differs from what we were told at the scene and heard in medical-radio traffic, but the report does add one detail: The burglary from which the stolen car’s driver was said to be fleeing was in the 4200 block of SW Graham – just a few blocks from where the car was taken this morning.
7:15 PM: Went by the scene a few minutes ago, and Delridge was still blocked, except for allowing cars to leave Arco/Home Depot/etc. and head northbound.
LATE-NIGHT P.S.: The road has fully reopened.
3:26 AM: We’re receiving multiple texts from Highland Park and Westwood from people who say they heard gunshots or fireworks a short time ago. One says they called 911 and were told multiple reports had been called in. No indication so far of anyone having been injured, nor word of any proof it was gunshots – let us know if you see police in your neighborhood. (Might be a coincidence, but we should also note that the solstice officially happened at 3:12 am. The scanner indicates similar sounds being heard in other parts of the city, and one in the north end already has been determined by police to have been fireworks.)
3:41 AM: Commenters are indicating it was apparently fireworks.
(September 2010 photo of Capts. Kessler & Paulsen, by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
After two years as commander of the Southwest Precinct, Captain Steve Paulsen has just announced he is being reassigned. On January 2nd, he takes over the South Precinct – and his Southwest Precinct predecessor Capt. Joe Kessler returns. Capt. Paulsen says:
I have truly enjoyed my time serving our folks of West Seattle and South Park the past few years. I can easily say that West Seattle is a great place to work and I will greatly miss my officers and residents that I have come to know and care about.
I am looking forward to new challenges with my next assignment. Just as in West Seattle/South Park, the Rainier Valley, Beacon Hill, SODO and Georgetown each has their own identity as neighborhoods and I am excited to develop those relationships as well as those with my South Precinct police officers.
He describes Capt. Kessler – who left in September 2010 after 2 1/2 years to lead the West Precinct and then moved into a special role on the department’s ethics project – as “one of the best captains on the Seattle Police Department.”
(WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: New info added to end of story)
(Added 10:40 pm – photo from neighbor who reports casings found in her neighborhood)
FIRST REPORT, 9:45 PM: We’re getting multiple reader reports of possible gunshots heard in Highland Park – no shootings on the 911 medical-call log, though – and a helicopter (believed to be the law-enforcement Guardian One) is overhead. The scanner indicates police are investigating – so far they have not found anything.
9:56 PM: Co-publisher is in the area and says Guardian One has left. Meantime, police are still checking out various areas where people reported hearing the possible gunfire, but no indication they’ve found any evidence so far.
10:15 PM: Nothing new, and the scanner traffic on this has quieted down. Earlier via the radio, SPD was reported to have checked with the county to see if anything had happened on their side of the line – the answer was no. We’ll follow up a bit later to see if anything ever turned up.
10:39 PM: Just heard from a resident near 12th and Elmgrove, where she says casings have been found and police are searching for more evidence. Added the photo she sent (atop this story).
ADDED 10:15 AM MONDAY: Just checked with SPD spokesperson Det. Renee Witt, who says police recovered nine casings in all, in the 7900 block of 12th SW. No injuries or property damage reported. Police were told that a white car, possibly a Gran Prix, was seen with a passenger pointing a “rifle out of the window,” firing shots “into the air,” but police did not find the car or any suspects.
Just out of the WSB inbox, the latest newsletter from your local Seattle Police crime-prevention coordinator Mark Solomon – featuring always-valuable advice on preventing burglaries – including a focus on “trends” in how burglars choose their targets – with a p.s. about package theft. Read on:
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
As always, the WSBeat summaries are from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers, incidents that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?”:
*A week ago Saturday, on 17th SW, a man described as someone known in the neighborhood for a dislike of dogs walked by a home where a dog was behind a fence. He stopped, pointed something at the dog, and started to walk away. The owner, thinking the man had taken the dog’s picture, wondered why. He caught up to the man, who complained that the dog was “always barking” and that he hadn’t used a camera but a device that emits sound waves that bother canines. He returned 15 minutes later, stood across the street from the home, glared at the dog’s owners and spent time studying their backyard. Concerned, the couple called 911. Officers visited the suspect, who lives around the corner. When he answered the door, officers noticed his lapel pin in the symbol of Hitler’s Schutzstaffel (“SS”). Their report states that the man was “immediately confrontational,” claiming the dog had jumped at him and that he would kill it. It was noted that he has a concealed-weapons permit. Officers suggested that since he hates dogs, he might want to avoid that block and that he should be careful about using devices that might injure an animal. The man’s response? “I’ll do as I please and go where I want to.”
*New scam: Someone calls, claims you bounced a check, and says you’ll be responsible for huge fines — and face arrest — unless you send a money order or provide the caller with your debit-card information. Do not do so. Just hang up.
Twelve more summaries ahead:
| 15 COMMENTS