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

| Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

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.

Mariana June 16, 2023 (4:46 pm)

Apparently someone tried to get into the daycare across the street. The suspect lives in those apartments

WSResident June 16, 2023 (5:06 pm)

As a parent of children that attend Louisa Boren school, I think it’s a huge oversight of the police to serve a warrant so soon after school pickup when lots of families and children are walking and playing in that vicinity. Also the school is still filled kids that attend YMCA after school as well as everyone that works at the school.

susie June 16, 2023 (5:48 pm)

WSRES, OH you didn’t get the memo, crime doesn’t wait?
- J9 June 18, 2023 (3:23 am)
  
  Lol, apparently not.
Lindsey June 16, 2023 (5:51 pm)

It started at about 3:00, but I agree. Hard situation for all the families in the area.
Marianne June 16, 2023 (5:52 pm)

A man tried to take a child from the daycare across the street. This wasn’t a warrant!
- WSResident June 16, 2023 (6:14 pm)
  
  It looks like the original incident occurred earlier in the day and the staff was able to intervene before the child was taken. While police def needed to apprehend the suspect, the timing of the warrant was ill advised since he was unstable and could have done something that could have been devastating to all the students, teachers, families nearby at that particular time. Not sure why this logic is something to get so upset by…
  - WSResident2 June 16, 2023 (8:39 pm)
    
    I’m confused by what you would rather have happened. You wanted them to wait? Why is the logic not apprehend them as soon as possible. The city and police system are bigger than your kids’ inconvenience.
    - A dangerous situation June 16, 2023 (9:18 pm)
      
      The word “inconvenience” was never mentioned. I think all of us neighbors who have kids in the area whether at the STEM school or the daycare were looking at the huge police response with the SWAT vehicle and all the heavy weaponry, knew that the STEM school hadn’t been alerted and wasn’t in lockdown. How do we know? Because the neighborhood watch group was discussing the incident in real time and the block watch told the school, apparently not the police. Traffic was still getting through and school was about to let out. There wasn’t great information, whether it was an emergency get this guy off the street right now, or if it was a warrant for some drug offense. Either way… The school could have been alerted to keep kids inside. If the perp started firing and all those police opened fire, so many people were at risk and it would have been even worse and scarier for the kids in the daycare and the school than it already was.I guess I’m rambling at this point. But my neighbor wasn’t complaining about having to drive the long way around to pick up their kids. They were worried about exposing more kids and more traffic to a really dangerous situation.I’m so sorry for all the neighbors who had such a terrifying, awful afternoon and who have had to live with this guy as a neighbor. He sounds like a real bad actor. I hope you are able to get some rest. We deserve some peace and quiet after all the crap that’s gone down in this little corner of West Seattle recently!
    - Sam-s June 17, 2023 (7:18 am)
      
      You’re not rambling, you made a lot of important points. Thank you for sharing. I’m sorry you and the other families had to deal with all that stress and uncertainty..
WSResident2 June 16, 2023 (5:52 pm)

I am guessing this wasn’t a convenience warrant. Assuming Seattle’s lack of enforcement nowadays, this is probably a bad hombre and this was the time to take him. It’s unfortunate no doubt. But your kid is probably safer with this POS off the street (literally.)
Longfellowcreekaptsresident June 16, 2023 (8:48 pm)

Smh. I live in the building next to the suspect (with my 2 young kids) . How do you think it was for us to have so many police and swat outside our door for a man who attempted to take a kid? Especially having 2 kids that live right next to him? Like come on . It was a 6-7 hour standoff . But the warrant being served around school time (I had to get my kid from the bus during all of this) is inconvenient for you? Also, my oldest daughter just aged out of that daycare and my youngest hasn’t gone in a couple weeks . Could’ve very well been my kid since I’ve seen this neighbor quite a bit.
- WSResident June 16, 2023 (11:29 pm)
  
  I’m sorry you had to go through that but I did NOT say it was inconvenient for pickup. I said it was dangerous to do it during a time when so many families and kids were out and about walking around unknowingly about what was happening. It was just bad timing. If they couldn’t wait to serve the warrant then at least have a better plan of action and communication effort to inform those hundreds of young kids and families. It was a very uncontrolled environment in a very unstable situation to have a school full of kids being let out without a better plan. It was also not too long ago when there was multiple shootings over here so who knows what could’ve happened during a standoff. But either way, I’m sorry you had to be neighbors with this individual. Not taking anything away from your situation. Just sharing my thoughts on the risks of carrying this out during school pickup without any information to the families.
  - HS June 17, 2023 (7:05 am)
    
    Really scary situation on so many levels. I do sympathize with families, pedestrians and neighbors. This was scary. However, I’ve seen the SWAT team work before. It’s not what you see in the movies or on television with bullets flying everywhere. It’s a tight group that work in conjunction to separate and contain in dangerous and tight situations (dense urban areas, hostage, etc.). The fact that they were used at all shows the urgency of the arrest and imminent danger to the community. This is the work they specialize in. I’m very grateful that staff quickly intervened, or in response to comments that a different scenario of a neighbors child leaving daycare with a person they recognized but was not a guardian didn’t occur and that the arrest escalated immediately. Truthfully, we have no idea what that man had inside his apartment that could have escalated the situation. And I’m grateful to not be reading a different report this morning. Very scary all around.
  - 937 June 17, 2023 (9:20 am)
    
    WSR, you really should live your life with less “ifs” and “dangerous situations”. You seem incredibly fragile.
    
    LE does it’s best to assure safetly ESPECIALLY when kids are around. If “perp” 🙄 is trying to nab kids from a business… DURING BUSINESS HOURS (“daytime”) then that “perp” needs to be dealt with swiftly – I am sure LE made all decisions based upon the severity of the situation.
    
    I’m certain they are sorry their “heavy weaponry” scared you. BTW “heavy weaponry” consits of modified ARs, camoflage, sidearm, crowd control devices a vehicle to transport all this. And probably some clandestine individual with a very accurate medium caliber rifle – at a moderate distance.
    
    You and the kids were never in “danger” – well maybe before SWAT showed up….
  - Ross June 20, 2023 (10:07 am)
    
    If cops thought it was unsafe they would’ve barricaded the whole area & lockdown the school.
Rhonda June 17, 2023 (2:07 am)

There’s nothing safer than a SWAT team present when there’s a barricaded violent criminal threatening the entire perimeter. It would’ve been dangerous for the entire community to let him be on the loose, especially for area children.
Person June 19, 2023 (6:51 pm)

Are you kidding me? There was a *literal attempted kidnapping* of a *toddler* across the street – you’d rather the police wait to intervene until you and your kids aren’t inconvenienced? Jesus.

Alki resident June 16, 2023 (5:25 pm)

Likely a flash bang.

Lindsey June 16, 2023 (5:50 pm)

They just got him out.

WSB June 16, 2023 (6:07 pm)

Just got the info from SPD. Yes, it was a warrant (they had to get one to get permission to go after the suspect) but that wasn’t the origin of the call. Adding above.

WSparent June 16, 2023 (8:51 pm)

Does anyone know the circumstances around the attempted kidnapping? My son goes to that daycare (he wasn’t there at the time of the incident) but I would really like to know more details.

Reikamae June 16, 2023 (10:31 pm)

From reading the details above it seems like a complicated custody situation perhaps? My daughter goes there too (she wasn’t there either today) and I’m sure the staff sprang into quick action.
- CC June 17, 2023 (9:14 am)
  
  Our son goes there. They told my husband that someone tried to pick up who wasn’t on the child’s authorized pick up list. I don’t know what that looked like, but it alarmed them enough to call the police.

Question June 17, 2023 (9:22 am)

Was this person actually a parent of the child?

Cj June 17, 2023 (12:49 pm)

My kiddo attends Boren STEM K-8 but was not there Friday. I find it odd that there is no mention (in the notice) of that huge school right across the street. The principal sent out an email stating that the police presence had nothing to do with the school. However, I think if there is a kidnapper barricaded across the street, that the school should have been notified and a shelter in place should have happened.

WSB June 17, 2023 (10:37 pm)

We likely won’t be able to get court documents until Tuesday because of the holiday, but the jail register shows that bail was set for the suspect today at $200,000. – TR

Wondering June 23, 2023 (10:19 am)

Any update on this?
- WSB June 23, 2023 (10:46 am)
  
  The suspect was at first held on $200,000 bail, then released because SPD hadn’t forwarded a case for the KCPAO to consider “rush” charges. Doesn’t mean he won’t eventually be charged.

Laurence June 18, 2023 (7:22 am)

My daugther goes there, but not on Friday. I was told he was the dad and didn’t have the authorization to pick up his child.and did not want to leave.

Sorry, comment time is over.