West Seattle, Washington
12 Monday
If you haven’t already answered this year’s Seattle Public Safety Survey, researchers at Seattle University hope you’ll do it sometime before month’s end:
Every year, Seattle U researchers conduct this community survey “to try and assess the main concerns of Seattle residents and convey those concerns to the police department. We want to make sure we hear from as much of the West Seattle residents as possible.” Here’s the direct link – use the dropdown on that page to choose which of 11 languages you want to use. If you’re interested – here are the results of last year’s citywide survey.
9:50 AM: Thanks for the tips. Police have blocked off 46th SW north of Admiral. We just went to the scene ti ask what’s happening. They tell us they’re in a standoff with a domestic-violence suspect.
10:41 AM: We asked the SPD media office if they could tell us anything further. They say this started as an assault call around 8 am; the victim “sustained a non-life-threatening injury.” Officers at the scene trying to arrest the suspect include negotiators.
11:52 AM: Not yet resolved.
2:38 PM: Commenters report police have left. We’re following up on how this was resolved.
6:34 PM: While an SPD spokesperson confirmed that the situation was over, they hadn’t yet received a final report on how it ended. All we can verify independently is that apparently no one was hurt, as there were no SFD medical responses in the area. We’ll ask again tomorrow for that report and will update here when we finally get info.
ADDED 11:53 AM WEDNESDAY: Here’s the summary we received from SPD after another inquiry this morning:
Police responded to a report of an assault in the 2300 block of 46 AV SW around 8:00 a.m. Victim sustained non-life-threatening injury from the reported assault. Police were at the location effecting the arrest of the barricaded suspect. HNT [Hostage Negotiating Team] was on scene assisting with communications.
Police did not make physical contact with the suspect in the home because officers did not want to escalate the crisis the suspect was experiencing.
The victim was relocated to another residence and did not return to the property.
Officers established PC [probable cause] to arrest for Assault 4 and Harassment, but no physical arrest was made. Domestic Violence Unit detectives are investigating.
Just received from SPD crime-prevention coordinator Sarah Lawson:
We will be holding a Personal Safety Class on November 9th from 6 PM to 8 PM virtually. We will discuss things such as awareness, trusting our instincts, making a safety plan, how to stay safe in different situations, how to call 911, etc. The class is suitable for anyone 14 years old and older who would like to learn some basic tips and tricks to live, learn, and work safety in Seattle. Here is the link to register.
While the webpage for the class says it’s “full,” Sarah says it’s NOT, so sign up for the waitlist and you’ll be registered from there.
She also has provided four flyers with personal-safety information, in light of recent robberies targeting all ages:
Purse Snatching
Phone Snatching
Safety for Youth, part 1
Safety for Youth, part 2
Lots of questions yesterday afternoon about a large group of police motorcycles seen traveling on various West Seattle streets, including 35th SW and Fauntleroy Way SW (with a stop at Lincoln Park), and over the bridge. Nobody sent photos or video but given the circumstances, and the lack of any known visiting dignitaries, we suspected it was training, and said that to people who contacted us directly, but we wanted to confirm it before writing anything. Early this morning, we finally got that confirmation from Det. Judinna Gulpan of SPD’s media-relations team – just training. (It happens periodically, as we’ve reported over the years, and it’s sometimes multi-agency, like this round in 2019. And once in a rare while it’s not training – like 2018, when the prime minister of Japan came to West Seattle for lunch.)
3:01 PM: We happened onto that scene this morning while headed just east of the West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way intersection, where a double-digit lineup of RVs has been parked for some time. Before we could start making inquiries about the operation, breaking news interrupted. We have an inquiry out to the city now – but we’ve also heard from someone about one item left behind, and the hope that its owner can be found. Sent by Matthew:
Seattle police recovered a brand new Miller 260 arc welder/generator today 11/2/23 as they were removing the RVs and trailers in the 7400 block of W. Marginal Way SW. If anyone knows who the owner of this stolen generator is, please contact SPD officer G. Barreto at SPD7590@seattle.gov
5:17 PM: As for the city operation today, spokesperson Lori Baxter tells us:
As part of our commitment to make public streets, sidewalks, and spaces clean, open, and accessible to all, the City’s Unified Care Team (UCT) conducted an RV remediation this morning in the W Marginal Way SW and 2nd Ave SW vicinity.
Six of the eight RVs onsite early this morning voluntarily moved from the area. Two RVs and three vehicles, including one vehicle confirmed as stolen, were towed from the site by Seattle Police Department’s Parking Enforcement division. As part of UCT’s cleaning efforts, crews then removed 7,100 pounds of debris from the site.
Outreach providers have been engaging onsite for a number of weeks leading up to the remediation to offer those living onsite a shelter placement. A total of 15 offers of shelter were made, with three individuals accepting referrals.
UCT will be closely monitoring this area in an effort to prevent repopulation of the site.
(Added: WSB photo)
10:38 AM: Police have converged on Pathfinder K-8 in Pigeon Point and here’s what we know. The original call that came into 911 was from a passerby who claimed they saw a man with a gun “walking into the school.” According to radio communication, police have NOT found anyone so far but are searching the school. More information as we get it.
10:45 AM: Just to be clear – NO REPORTS OF GUNFIRE. Police, including SWAT officers, are clearing the school room by room. The original description of the person a passerby said they saw was “unknown-race male, 5’5″ to 6’0″, medium build, red puffy coat.”
10:52 AM: Police have just told dispatch “We’ve cleared the whole structure and found no evidence of a weapon, a suspect, or a shooting.” … Individual classrooms remain locked and sheltering in place, they added. (Update – school staff in comments says it’s a lockdown.)
11:04 AM: They’ve been trying to get back in contact with the original caller, who was apparently on their way off-peninsula when they called in the report. … Meantime, SPD has sent a media team member, who will eventually brief us outside the school.
11:17 AM: They’re now checking individual classrooms. Meantime, Police Chief Adrian Diaz is there and has just briefed us.. Notes from our crew in a moment.
11:22 AM: Chief Diaz says there were two 911 calls of concern. One was the original one reported above. The second one, which has come up in comment discussion below, was a 911 call claiming there was a “school shooting” somewhere – no location given. That was an unfounded call – there has been no gunfire anywhere, school or otherwise. No injuries of any kind. Police will stay at the school through day’s end.
11:45 AM: Now our crew says the school’s announced that it’s closing for the rest of the day and setting up procedures for parents to sign out and pick up kids. The police response is downsizing.
12:25 PM: We’ve left the school too but expect more information later – we have followup inquiries out both with police and the district. We have also added three more photos above.
2:42 PM: For the record, here’s the official district statement, from SPS spokesperson Bev Redmond via email:
Earlier today, a concerned citizen contacted 911 to report a potential safety issue regarding the sighting of an individual with a weapon on the Pathfinder K-8 campus. In response to this report, and in close coordination with the Seattle Police Department (SPD), the school initiated a lockdown procedure as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
During a lock-down classroom and exterior doors are locked. Students remain indoors and in their classrooms until the lockdown has been lifted.
We are pleased to report that after a comprehensive safety sweep of the school and campus, SPD confirmed that there was no credible threat to our students or staff. The safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority, and we are grateful for the swift and thorough response of the SPD in this matter.
As of now, the school has transitioned to a shelter-in-place status, maintaining heightened security protocols to ensure ongoing safety. We want to assure all families that Pathfinder students and staff are safe.
During a shelter-in-place, all exterior doors are locked and students remain indoors while the normal instructional day continues.
The school will continue with the school day as scheduled, following the standard Thursday dismissal time of 3:25 p.m.
We understand that incidents like these can be concerning, and we will continue to communicate with the Pathfinder community as we receive further updates and information.
The “continue with the school day” conflicts with what the principal said when we reported it above, but hopefully families have received updates. The district has not yet answered our question about the Genesee Hill shelter-in-place, which appears to have been related to a second unfounded 911 call.
2:55 PM: SPS has just answered that question, also via email: “Genesee Hill was placed in a shelter-in-place as a precaution until SPD could clarify the focal point of the 911 call. Genesee Hill was the former location of Pathfinder K-8.”
(WSB photo)
Sitting outside the Southwest Precinct, ready to collect your donations for the West Seattle Food Bank – and/or unwanted/expired prescription drugs for safe disposal – are, from left, SPD Officer Matthew Roberson, SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Sarah Lawson, and Yuri Bolivar and Donna Kelly with Drug-Free Youth. Drug Take-Back Day happens twice a year, but adding a donation drive for food and warm clothing, to benefit WSFB and its Clothesline clothing bank, is new. They’ll be there until 2 pm, at 2300 SW Webster (the public lot entrance is just east of The Home Depot’s south entrance). The wish list of requested donations is here.
3:36 PM: Thanks for the tip. Police are at 35th/Webster investigating gunfire. The 911 call came in around quarter till 3. At the scene, we noted that police have found multiple casings.
The area taped off is on the west side of the intersection. Traffic on 35th is getting through but Webster is blocked there.
3:40 PM: Update – we’ve just talked to a police supervisor. Police say one person was injured and taken to the hospital. They say a “blue sedan” was involved.
7:29 PM: There was no SFD response for a victim, and finally getting a chance to listen to dispatch audio (this happened while we were out on an unrelated story), we know why – the victim “showed up” at Harborview 20 minutes or so later. Also, officers told dispatch about bullet damage in an apartment building on SW Webster by the scene. And police were investigating a possibly related blue Honda Civic found, empty, at Westwood Village, with “bloody clothing” inside. … SPD says in an update on SPD Blotter that “multiple” buildings were hit and that the victim is a 30-year-old man.
(Photo sent by Sam)
ORIGINAL SATURDAY REPORT: Thanks for the tips. A person was found dead on the Lincoln Park beach just south of Colman Pool this morning. The 911 dispatch happened just before 8 am. The person was described as an “adult female” whose body was “wet.” Police responded, as did SFD in case there was a chance she could be revived, but she could not. So far there’s no indication of suspicious circumstances that would require a homicide investigation; it’ll be up to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, which sent a crew to the beach to take possession of the woman’s body, to determine what caused her death.
ADDED MONDAY: Police tell us the woman was 61 years old; and, “There were no signs of trauma or foul play at this time.” Again, the Medical Examiner will determine how/why she died.
11:27 PM: After a vehicle went into a yard in the 10200 block of 31st SW in Arbor Heights, police tried to get the driver to come out. He was reported to have a gun and a dog, and was not responding to commands to come out. So after trying for a while, including loudspeaker calls, police have called in negotiators and SWAT. Thanks to all the neighbors who’ve texted tips and photos (206-293-6302 any time); one neighbor describes the vehicle as a “white Chrysler 300”). We’re not clear on the driver’s status; we heard “passed out” at one point. We’re continuing to monitor.
11:44 PM: It does sound as if he’s passed out but showing signs of life. Meantime, they report “the dog is aggressive” but they’ve managed to seize the gun.
12:06 AM: The man is now reported to be out of the car and in custody. SFD medics will be checking him out. (And police have been figuring out how to have the dog cared for.)
ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: This incident is featured on SPD Blotter tonight, with some additional information:
Police arrived around 10:00 p.m. in the 10200 block of 31st Avenue Southwest. They found a white Chrysler 300 sedan had backed into a tree. Inside the vehicle was the driver and a large dog.
When officers initially contacted the driver, he had difficulty staying awake. During this contact, police noticed he had a handgun in his coat pocket. In addition, the Pit bull started becoming aggressive within the vehicle.
Officers attempted to call out the driver from the vehicle, but he did not comply. More resources arrived on the scene to assist with taking the suspect driver into custody.
After SWAT and HNT responded to the location, the firearm and dog were secured first, then the suspect was taken into custody.
The firearm recovered was a loaded handgun with an extended magazine.
(SPD photo)
Prior to being booked into King County Jail, police obtained a blood warrant for the DUI investigation. The 41-year-old male suspect was arrested for unlawful possession of firearm, possession of a stolen vehicle, and driving under the influence.
We learned from a parent that Highland Park Elementary was briefly in shelter-in-place earlier this afternoon. For anyone else wondering about it, here’s what we found out about the reason: Police were dispatched to a reported “disturbance” at the school around quarter till 3. Dispatch told officers the call was somewhat convoluted, involving an off-campus dispute over a possible burglary and people including a parent showing up at the campus, arguing. We asked SPD how it ended up, and here’s the summary: “There was an incident that occurred by the school with a parent and approximately three high school kids. A parent accused the high schoolers of burglary. When officers arrived, all subjects had left the scene. The school was put into shelter in place briefly and has subsequently been lifted.”
As mentioned here recently, the Southwest Precinct has more steering-wheel locks available free for people with Hyundais and Kias, current favored target of thieves, so the precinct’s acting Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon just scheduled an open pickup time:
Based on the number of folks that reached out to me regarding getting a steering-wheel lock, I have scheduled a steering wheel lock giveaway at the Southwest Precinct for this coming Wednesday (September 27th), between 5-7 pm. Anyone who wants a lock can come to the Precinct and get one, as long as supplies last.
The precinct is at 2300 SW Webster, next to The Home Depot.
8:32 AM: SFD and SPD are arriving in the area of what was reported as a possible shooting, but haven’t found anything/anyone yet. They started with an address in the 9200 block of 16th SW, are now checking the 9600 block of 15th SW, while trying to reach the original caller.
8:39 AM: Having not found anything – officers even looked on the unincorporated King County side of the area – they’re canceling the response.
11:09 AM: Now there’s another response to the same area – we’re monitoring.
11:14 AM: Ths one also appears to be unfounded.
4:38 PM: Police are searching around homes on Fauntleroy Way SW just south of the ferry dock, looking for a man in what’s described as a “weapons call” and possible burglary. He’s described as Hispanic, with dark medium-length hair, no shirt, tan pants. The Guardian One helicopter is on its way to join the search. More information as we get it.
4:47 PM: The helicopter’s arrived in the area.
4:56 PM: We went to the area to look for an officer to ask about what preceded all this. We’re told the first call came from people at the ferry dock who saw what they described as a naked man with a knife or possibly box-cutter. Police noted that this might be the same person seen acting suspiciously near Fauntleroy Church earlier in the day.
5:08 PM: This search has moved a bit further south, along Marine View Drive. Meantime, police are also investigating an unrelated burglary near Fauntleroy Park, to the east of all this, and it sounds as if they have arrested someone – DIFFERENT suspect. … The original subject of the search, meantime, is said to be running through yards in the 10000-10200 block of Marine View Drive and is described as carrying a machete.
(Reader photo)
5:22 PM: The search has moved westward from there to 47th SW.
5:34 PM: They’re surrounding an area there and making the mandatory announcements that a K-9 will be deployed.
5:57 PM: Nothing new to report. Many officers still in the area, and Guardian One is back after a brief break.
6:31 PM: With the helicopter’s help, they’ve located the person they believe is who they’ve been looking for. … And he’s reported to be in custody. This was in the 10200 block (whether 47th or Marine View Drive, not clear). … Officers also just told dispatch they’ve found the machete, too.
2:08 AM: The first “heard gunfire” report this time came from a police officer who was in the High Point vicinity. Then in short order, dispatch started reporting multiple 911 callers who heard it too, including one who saw “muzzle flashes” in the Walt Hundley Playfield vicinity. Officers have subsequently found shell casings “about 30 yards into the park.” 13 “pistol casings” found so far, as well as “rifle casings,” as officers described their findings to dispatch.
2:18 AM: So far no reports of injuries or property damage. One officer gave dispatch a more-specific location, in the park west of the 6900 block of 31st SW.
ADDED THURSDAY: The police summary of the incident describes the recovered casings as “twenty-two 9mm … and six .556.”
A dozen years after saving the SPD Mounted Patrol, the Seattle Police Foundation has saddled up a special fundraising campaign for the unit, which is based here in West Seattle – in a barn next to Westcrest Park.
This time, it’s not in danger of shutdown, but the SPF funds “gaps” not covered by the basic SPD budget, so to get the word out, they invited media to visit the barn.
Riding McLovin – a name bestowed by the horse’s previous owner – in our video is Sgt. Brandon Caille, who along with one officer comprises the entirety of the Mounted Patrol’s permanent unit staff – supplemented if necessary, he says, with temporarily reassigned officers from elsewhere in the department. You must of course be trained to ride. Among those who are – SPD Chief Adrian Diaz.
When we visited during the “open barn” event on Wednesday, we had just missed the chief taking a turn around the indoor riding ring. The unit currently has six horses, plus Li’l Sebastian, who is wildly popular during community appearances:
Community appearances is what the unit focuses on, in fact, says Sgt. Caille – “relational policing” is the formal term. They might visit areas, for example, where data shows there’s been an uptick in crime. A common misconception is that they do crowd control work; Sgt. Caille says actually, they don’t.
The SPF calls its campaign “Adopt-A-Horse” – donations might even eventually fund a replacement for one of the current horses, which can cost up to about $20,000. (McLovin was one of the two most-recent purchases, in 2021.) SPF stepped up to save the unit when budget cuts threatened it in 2011; three years later, the city started covering its basic funding again, but the SPF has been covering “gaps” as it does for some other units in the department. If you’re interested in donating, go here.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
(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 amLocations:
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 StreetThe 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.
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.
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.”
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