West Seattle, Washington
24 Saturday
5:54 PM FRIDAY: Thanks to Craig for the photo. Police responded to West Seattle’s southwesternmost shore this afternoon – between Seola Beach and The Arroyos – to try to sort out how that Jeep Compass ended up in the water. First they had to be sure nobody was in the water. Dispatch checked the logs, and consulted the King County Sheriff’s Office, since this is close to the city-limit line, and found out a few things.
KCSO had a report of a hit-run around midnight involving a vehicle matching this description, near 30th/106th. And someone in the area reported giving the vehicle’s driver a ride to a bus stop around 1 am. What explanation they gave, we don’t know. Police who were back at the scene around 4 pm said they couldn’t access the vehicle because of the tide, which is going back out now.
P.S. Last reported case of SUV-on-the-beach was four weeks ago at Lincoln Park.
ADDED NOON SATURDAY: Thanks to the texter who sent this photo, saying it’s still there as of this morning:
It’s not visible from the public ends of either Arroyo Beach Drive or Seola Beach Drive – we tried looking Friday evening – so don’t bother trying to gawk.
Out of the WSB inbox this afternoon:
In the interest of keeping our neighborhood a safe place, I am writing to let you know of an incidence of stalking that happened to me this week in our neighborhood:
This Tuesday morning around 9:40 am I was walking east up Admiral and walked by a car that was parked in the “dead zone” between 49th Ave SW and Garlough Ave SW. When I was almost to 48th on SW Lander, he drove the wrong way up Lander, pulled over in his car and started talking to me. He let his feelings be known that he liked me and wanted to see me twice, which I answered with “NO” and “NO, I’m married.” and then he drove away. I was very distraught but dismissed it as a weird one-time occurrence. Wednesday I took my daughter to school and stayed for a school activity. Driving home, I saw his car again in the same place and time on Admiral; this was at about 9:15 am. Today, as I was running with my friend, west down Admiral he took a right turn in front of us from 51st onto Admiral and pulled over between 51st and Garlough at around 9:10 am.
After seeing him again this morning I called and made a police report. SPD gave me a case number (24-105089), told me to call 911 if he tries to make contact again, and asked that I put my neighborhood on high alert. I did not get a picture and do not remember any more than this: He presented as a white male with dark hair in his mid 30-40s. He was driving what I remember as a newer-looking black or very dark blue small sedan or hatchback with fully tinted windows. When I first walked by his car, the windows were cracked and I could smell cigarette smoke.
(Added: WSB photo, stolen car abandoned at 42nd/Andover)
5:20 PM: Thanks for the texts. Police are searching for a suspect wanted for among other things eluding and hit-run in Admiral. He was reported to be driving a white Crown Victoria, no plates, which police have reported finding at 42nd/Andover and have confirmed to have been stolen. Before being abandoned there, the vehicle is reported to have been involved in a hit-run near Hiawatha, at Walnut/Stevens. The suspect is reportedly on foot, and all we have is a partial description – white man, bald, glasses, dark hoodie or jacket. We’re trying to find out more.
5:26 PM: The Guardian One helicopter will be joining the search. The suspect was last seen southbound from where the stolen car was abandoned – a few more descriptive details: White or Hispanic, in his early 30s, 6′, 200-250 pounds, bald, glasses, dark top.
5:37 PM: After a possible sighting near 45th/Stevens, the search has moved there, including the helicopter. … Police tell us this all started in North Admiral, in an alley in the 2100 block of California.
6:05 PM: No updates since then. The search has apparently dead-ended for now and that’s why the helicopter moved on.
(Image from SDOT traffic camera at 35th/Roxbury)
9:58 PM: Police are blocking 35th between Roxbury and Barton, and Roxbury east of 35th, after a report of gunfire in the area, possibly coming from a person in an apartment building. No injuries reported.
10:41 PM: The roads are still blocked. Meantime, officers have reported detaining someone who might have involved.
11:10 PM: Officers told dispatch they were “wrapping up,” after checking the apartment from which the suspected gunfire came, and traffic cameras show the streets open again. We don’t know what if any evidence they found, nor whether the detained person was arrested, but we’ll be following up.
9:33 PM SUNDAY: Police are looking for evidence after suspected gunfire on Fauntleroy Way near SW Raymond. We’ve heard about it from multiple readers, including two who shared security-camera video/audio – in this clip, you hear the suspected shots right after cars pass by on Fauntleroy, about 29 seconds into the video. No injuries reported, and no confirmation yet of evidence found.
MONDAY AFTERNOON: We followed up with SPD today. Officers did not find any evidence (casings, damage, eyewitnesses, injuries).
11:30 AM: SPD has released information today on the Tuesday investigation that blocked traffic at 1st/Cloverdale, alongside Highway 509, as mentioned by a commenter following our daily traffic roundup. Police say it started as a domestic-violence report just before 6 am. Officers talked to a woman near “an RV trailer close to an encampment” who reported that she was almost hit by a bullet when a man shot at her. They arrested the suspect “after several calls for others to come out of the RV” and booked him into jail, eventually recovering the weapons shown below in a photo from SPD, which describes them as “an AR-15 without a serial number, a bow gun, arrow, and ammunition.”
Police say the suspect is “lawfully prohibited from having any guns.” We are checking on his status; since he was booked yesterday, he would likely be scheduled for a bail/probable-cause hearing today. The victim was not injured.
12:28 PM: The suspect is still in jail, and we discovered in past court documents that he was already wanted in another case in which he is charged, so we are identifying him: 42-year-old Pascual Ferrer-Gonzalez, whose last known address on one document was in Burien. That other case is an auto theft in which he was charged in October 2021 but had yet to go to trial – there’s a long case history online; we downloaded some of the documents. He was found with the stolen car on I-5 in SeaTac in December 2020, and charged in October 2021. (One document notes that was two months after he was convicted in an assault, domestic violence, and burglary case.) He didn’t appear for arraignment in the auto-theft case, so a warrant was issued, and he was arrested two months later. Judge Veronica Galvan granted his release on personal recognizance. Various case delays ensued; he ended up in jail again for four weeks last November and December, until he was granted release again on personal recognizance, this time by Judge Johanna Bender, on condition he show up for a day-reporting program. A little over a week later, court documents show, he didn’t, so another arrest warrant was issued. He didn’t show up for a hearing this past January, either, so a warrant from that hearing was still in effect when he was arrested yesterday.
7:55 PM: We don’t yet have the documents from this afternoon’s hearing, but the jail docket shows Ferrer-Gonzalez’s bail is now set at $305,000 – that’s $5,000 for the unresolved auto-theft case, $300,000 for this new case.
(Saturday evening photo by Robert Spears – car wasn’t removed until Sunday morning)
Last weekend, that car remained in the water off Duwamish Head, in the 1200 block of Alki Avenue, for 34 hours following a one-car crash we told you about early Saturday. The 22-year-old driver, unhurt, was arrested for DUI, according to police. The question remained: How/why did he drive into the water? We’ve obtained the early version of the collision report. According to the narrative written by police, the driver was headed east/northbound at the time, so he crossed both directions of Alki Avenue before going over the curb and into the water. Here’s what the narrative says:
Multiple witnesses standing on Alki beach pier saw [vehicle] driving EB, struck the WB curb, rolled 2-3 times over the grass/trail, and then plunged into the water. The paths and side mirror and damage to curb correlate witnesses’ statements. … 2 witnesses [in a nearby building] saw car go over curb, rolled/spinned 360, then went into water.
The narrative also summarizes what the driver told police:
[Driver] said he drank two beers, drove down Alki, lost control of his car, hit the curb, and went into the water.
The driver is a Burien resident, according to the report. So far he has not been cited nor charged in this incident (or any others). We asked Seattle Parks earlier this week if the crash did any significant damage to the seawall or beach that would have to be repaired; they said no.
3:51 PM – First: The Guardian One helicopter is just east of Highland Park because of a reported vehicle theft “in progress” in the 8400 block of 1st Avenue South, at or near the tow yard there, across from the 1st/Cloverdale encampment. The vehicle is described as a green 1997 Nissan pickup. The helicopter was not specifically dispatched for this call – it happened to be up and heard the radio traffic and offered assistance.
Second, for those who have asked: There was a sizable emergency response on the Alki Point end of Admiral Way for a medical call described as a suspected overdose. We don’t have an update on the patient.
4:48 PM: Update on the first incident – the helicopter wasn’t in the area for long, and couldn’t locate the stolen pickup. According to police radio, the owner has spotted his truck in the area again, and requested police assistance.
7:49 PM: Police are blocking SW Thistle both ways just east of Delridge because of an incident. We’re still working to find out more about the original callout – but they’re calling in negotiators and setting up a command post. Avoid the area.
8:05 PM: We’ve talked at the scene both with police and with a woman who says her boyfriend is the person police are after – this is described as a domestic-violence situation. The suspect is believed to be barricaded in an apartment in a building on the southeast side of the intersection.
9:12 PM: We’re continuing to monitor this; it’s not resolved yet.
(Traffic-camera framegrab showing closed streets north of response scene)
9:45 PM: Police just told dispatch they’re shutting down Delridge, too, and they’re calling for help directing traffic. Meantime, SWAT has arrived on scene. Radio exchanges indicate the suspect is wanted for two incidents involving guns.
10:10 PM: Police said the suspect told them by phone he would surrender – and they just told dispatch he has, and is now in custody. They’re checking inside the apartment just to be sure it’s now empty (others who were inside were reported earlier to be out), so the response won’t start winding down until after that.
10:34 PM: Thistle is still closed “until SWAT clears out.” … Per dispatch, the suspect has a warrant related to what was described as a “drive-by shooting” incident as well as the domestic-violence incident to which they initially responded.
10:53 PM: Thistle is reopening too.
… it’s training, according to a notification given to dispatchers and heard on police radio a short time ago. They were planning to head into West Seattle from the southeast, toward Lincoln Park.
“If rock bottom was ever a thing, we’re probably there.” That’s how District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka described the first statistic presented during this morning’s Public Safety Committee briefing about Seattle Police hiring and recruiting.
The briefing (full slide deck here) was focused more on recruiting/hiring processes than on specifics of where staffing stands now – aside from that one overall stat – so we don’t have, for example, a precinct-by-precinct breakdown of current staffing – other updates are given on that periodically. But the council did hear a lot about how recruiting and hiring works, and doesn’t work, right now.
The briefing was presented by a team led by Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess (a former police officer and city councilmember). One long-running factor, the contract negotiations with the officers’ union, is “very close” to agreement, Burgess said toward the briefing’s end, without elaborating. But many other factors affecting recruiting and hiring were discussed. “The problem of recruitment is not just a Seattle problem,” he and others at the table – including SPD Chief Adrian Diaz – stressed.
This group followed a briefing earlier in the meeting that included some revelations about what Councilmember Cathy Moore observed was a “clunky” process of moving candidates along through various stages of screening and testing – the length of time it takes to provide SPD with lists of qualified candidates, for example. “I don’t get a sense of urgency,” Moore said.
The process moves faster than it used to, councilmembers were told, but still could move faster. But the SPD and mayor’s-office team listed other factors – like starting salary, in which they said Seattle ranks 15th on a list of jurisdictions with which it competes for officers:
There was some discussion of incentives offered by other jurisdictions, such as take-home vehicles and housing subsidies (none of which are being currently offered or proposed by Seattle), Meantime, among the applicants SPD is getting, the ethnic diversity outstrips the city as a whole, but the gender diversity still lags far behind:
Councilmember Moore called out the low percentage of female applicants, noting that women said child care was a factor in their decisions, and saying she’d like to see “a plan” for addressing that. Scheduling challenges too. She also voiced concerns about problems such as sexual harassment that were raised in the recent “30 by 30” report – addressing SPD’s efforts in a nationwide initiative toward 30 percent female officers in sworn law enforcement. Chief Diaz said there’s a “women’s workgroup” and also noted that two-thirds of the SPD civilian staff is female.
Much time in the briefing was spent on the million-dollar-plus marketing/advertising plan for which SPD hired an outside agency; Burgess said its debut was followed by an “immediate uptick in applications.” Saka suggested later, though, that “we’re not going to market our way out of this,” but also offered that in addition to featuring the mayor and others, the marketing campaign should call attention to the changed council as well.
Besides spending money on advertising, SPD reps said they’re also strategizing with recruiters from private-sector companies and have meetings scheduled next month with firms including Microsoft, T-Mobile, and Nordstrom; they also talked about software programs they’re using to communicate more responsively with candidates. And they thanked councilmembers for their shows of support, such as attending roll calls at precincts. But they acknowledged that overall, the department lost more officers than it hired last year, so there is more work to do if they’re going to build back the numbers. (We’ll add video of today’s meeting when it’s available on the Seattle Channel website later.)
ADDED: Here’s the meeting video – this discussion starts 1 hour, 12 minutes in.
As announced at last month’s Alki Community Council meeting, the ACC is teaming up with SPD for a free personal-safety training session, this Wednesday (March 13), 3:30 pm at West Seattle Library (2306 42nd SW). ACC president Charlotte Starck tells WSB tonight that they still have room for more people – you can register here right now! The training is summarized as: “Officers will teach you how to be safer in a variety of situations with a specific focus on shopping areas and neighborhoods from Alki to North Admiral and the West Seattle Junction. This is not a self-defense tactical class, but an engaging lecture and run-through of various scenarios, with Q & A following.” It’s for anyone age 14 and up.
If a statewide initiative gets enough signatures to go to voters, the State Legislature first gets the chance to approve it, which would mean it will become law without going onto the ballot. That’s what just happened with Initiative 2113, which will lift restrictions that legislators placed on police pursuits three years ago (and loosened a bit last year). Unlike legislation, initiatives don’t require the governor’s signature – if both the State House and State Senate pass them, they will become law. Both votes happened today – the House voted in favor of it, 77-20, and the Senate vote was 36-13. According to the roll-call tallies on the Legislature’s website, all three West Seattleites representing the 34th District in the Legislature voted no – Senator Nguyễn and Representatives Emily Alvarado and Joe Fitzgibbon.
Under current state law, pursuits are allowed in six types of circumstances; under 2113, the authority becomes simply “There is reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law.” There are some caveats, such as that “The person poses a threat to the safety of others and the safety risks of failing to apprehend or identify the person are considered to be greater than the safety risks of the vehicular pursuit under the circumstances.” Officers also need to notify a supervisor, who will then oversee the pursuit, and they need to have gone through a particular type of training. You can read the initiative’s full text here. Initiatives passed by legislators become law 90 days after the end of their session, which in this case is Thursday. Departments can have more restrictive policies than state law allows, as has been the case with SPD (here’s their current policy).
Before we get to today’s event lineup, this has just been announced – the first Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting of 2024, first one since last June. The SWPCPC isn’t a group so much as a banner under which community members can come to the Southwest Precinct to hear from and talk with local police. The meeting is set for Wednesday, March 6, at 6 pm, organized by the precinct’s interim crime-prevention coordinator Mark Solomon, who has booked a guest, too: Amy Smith, interim chief of the Community Assisted Response and Engagement (CARE) department. (Here’s our report following a chat with Chief Smith at the CARE/911 center downtown.) All welcome at the March 6 meeting; the precinct is at 2300 SW Webster.
9:02 AM: Seattle Police and Fire are responding to a “scenes of violence” call on Belvidere in the Fairmount Ravine area. Details to come.
9:09 AM: The address logged for this call is one to which emergency responders have been called multiple times before, including “person in crisis” situations.
(Added: Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
SFD responders were “staging” – waiting – nearby until police arrived, which dispatch has been told has just happened, so soon they should be able to verify what’s happening. “The initial report was that two people may have been stabbed,” is what SPD just told dispatch that they had heard from SFD, and now they’re going in to see whether that’s true.
9:19 AM: One person needs medical treatment, dispatch has just been told, “but no one’s stabbed.” So most of the response is being canceled.
9:25 AM: Our crew has just arrived and confirmed with SFD on scene that this was a false report of stabbings but one person does need treatment for “minor injuries.”
Noting for the record: From more than a few neighborhoods in north West Seattle, people texted us tonight, wondering about what one reader described as “racing cars and loud bangs,” audible all the way up to Admiral. Reviewing police-radio audio, we note the activity was a summer-size crowd of drivers drawn to Don Armeni Boat Ramp. One police officer dispatched in the 7 pm hour reported back, “There’s too many people here for me to do anything.” But others were sent and before 8 pm, one officer reported that they were planning to close the entrance to Don Armeni, where police estimated hundreds of cars/drivers had gathered. There were no confirmed shots-fired incidents; some cars are modified to generate backfire noise similar to gunshots (early in the evening, eastbound on Roxbury, we were right behind one). No injury incidents logged.
7:23 PM: Avoid Delridge Way/SW Thistle for a while – northbound traffic on Delridge is blocked because of an emergency response. The SFD log and radio traffic describe the call as an overdose response.
7:32 PM: They’re getting traffic through by alternating directions through one lane.
7:44 PM: SFD medics were unable to revive the overdose victim, described over the air as a 40-year-old woman. The scene will be clearing.
An update in the shooting death of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam one week ago at Southwest Pool/Teen Life Center: The King County Medical Examiner’s Office announced this afternoon that it’s classifying his death as a homicide; the KCMEO says he died from a gunshot wound to the torso. When the KCMEO released his name last Thursday, both the classification and cause of his death were listed as “pending”; the updates were released this afternoon in the office’s daily list of death investigations. Classifying his death as homicide does not necessarily mean investigators believe it was deliberate, but it means they’ve ruled out suicide. The victim was a student at nearby Chief Sealth International High School, where hundreds of students rallied Monday in his memory to demand action against gun violence. Police continue to investigate; any information can be reported to the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000. This death is now the first homicide case in Seattle in 2024. (Family photo)
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has just released its daily list of death investigations, which identifies the Chief Sealth International High School student who died of a gunshot wound at Southwest Pool/Teen Life Center on Tuesday. His name was Mobarak S. Adam, according to the KCMEO document, which says he was 15, not 14 as SFD had said on Tuesday. The KCMEO document does not include any insight into the investigation, though; “cause of death” is listed as “pending,” and “manner of death” (this is where the KCMEO usually says homicide, suicide, accidental, or natural) is also listed as “pending.” As we noted here earlier, SPD is not yet releasing any information beyond what Chief Adrian Diaz said at the scene Tuesday. Meantime, Seattle Public Schools superintendent Dr. Brent Jones sent this message to the community:
Like many of you, I am deeply saddened by the loss of this young member of our community.
Our central office and school teams are working tirelessly to offer support to the grieving family and the affected school communities. We are collaborating with city officials to coordinate and share resources.
Multiple agencies are joining forces to react and respond to this tragedy. Although there is no known threat to our schools due to this event, the Seattle Police Department will have additional patrols around the Chief Sealth and Denny campuses.
The Seattle School Board and I remain committed to creating welcoming and safe neighborhoods for our students and staff.
But to make a real difference, larger changes are needed.
Our young people deserve the opportunity to focus on growing and thriving without violence. The availability of firearms only adds to worries.
It’s time for us, as a community, to address this issue together. We need to challenge ourselves to work collectively.
Let’s start with each of us taking a more active role in creating safety in our communities. Be a vigilant neighbor, encourage open communication, or contribute to initiatives that make our shared spaces secure for everyone.
Please remember, you can use the SPS Safe Schools Hotline 206-252-0510 to report any threats to SPS schools. This phone number is managed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
We want our students to be free to take on academic challenges in the classroom, rather than facing threats on our city streets. Together, let’s build a safer and more resilient community.
11:05 AM: Two days after a 14-year-old boy died of a gunshot wound in a restroom at Southwest Pool/Teen Life Center, the facility is closed again today, according to this announcement we received:
Southwest Pool will be closed (again today, Thursday, January 25). The plan is to open for Friday, January 26, for Adult Swim 12-2:30 pm and the HS Swim Meet 3:00-6:00 pm. Lesson participants will be issued a credit for the missed class.
Following the tragic incident at SW Pool, the Department is allowing staff some time to recover and a chance to heal.
As for the investigation itself, police have yet to provide any updates. Southwest Precinct representatives at last night’s HPAC meeting reiterated that they couldn’t comment while the investigation continues.
ADDED 2:50 PM: SPD has finally just posted about Tuesday’s incident on its “blotter” website, but there’s no additional information beyond what’s already been reported, except a note that anyone with information should call the SPD tipline, 206-233-5000.
10:29 PM: Multiple 911 callers – and texters contacting us after calling 911 – reported suspected gunshots in High Point a short time ago, and police have confirmed it was gunfire: Officers have just told dispatch they found casings at 29th/Brandon. They’ve also heard from people near 29th/Findlay who say they were “shot at” – but no injuries are reported so far. The only description is a “black sedan with aftermarket headlights.”
10:47 PM: A texter says they’ve found casings by the 34th/Myrtle roundabout and have reported that to police.
10:56 PM: Officers have just told dispatch they’re at the aforementioned “second scene.”
11:11 PM: They’ve subsequently reported a “bullet in a house” near the second scene. Still no injuries reported in connection with either scene.
We checked on these two incidents after getting reader photos/questions:
MAIL TRUCK IN DITCH: This happened on SW 106th near the city-limit line this afternoon; as the photo shows, King County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded. KCSO tells us the mail carrier got stuck in the ditch but was unhurt; USPS sent its own tow truck to pull it out.
DRIVER ARRESTED: That was the scene at 47th/Graham around 11 pm last night; the neighbor who sent the photo says, “This guy started hitting cars on Raymond and 46th, then came flying down 47th Ave SW, lost control, then kept flooring it trying to get away.” SPD took the driver into custody; we asked today about what happened next, and a department spokesperson replied, “The 46-year-old male driver was arrested for DUI and will receive the applicable traffic citations as well. After the investigation, he was released from the precinct.”
After multiple 911 calls about suspected gunfire heard in Fairmount Ravine, police went to the area, and officers have just told dispatch the gunfire is confirmed – they’ve found casings. They’re “just past the Admiral bridge,” which dispatch calculates is in the 2500 block of Fairmount Avenue [map]. No word of injuries so far.
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