West Seattle, Washington
16 Monday
5:03 PM: Thanks for the tips about a police response on the east side of Westwood Village. It was wrapping up when we got there but the sergeant on scene was able to tell us that it wasn’t an incident response – they were there to arrest someone on a warrant. We don’t yet know who or what kind of warrant, but we’ll be watching the jail roster.
P.S. Crime concern/question? Tomorrow night is the monthly West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), 7 pm. The briefing/Q&A with local police precedes the featured guest – this month, find out about regional drug trends from Steve Freng of the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
ADDED TUESDAY: According to online records, the person arrested is a 19-year-old man wanted in connection with an assault case. He got out of jail less than three weeks ago after two and a half months behind bars.
FIRST REPORT, 4:18 PM: After-school activities like athletics were in shelter-in-place mode for a while at the Chief Sealth International High School/Denny International Middle School campus but it’s just ended. Police were searching in that area of Westwood, they tell us, because of a secondhand report that someone might have been seen in the area with a gun. Nobody found, and again, the shelter-in-place is over.
UPDATE, 7:35 PM: We’ve just received from Denny principal Jeff Clark the letter that he and Sealth principal Aida Fraser-Hammer sent to families about the incident:
At approximately 3:30 pm today, two hours after Denny scholars had been released and one hour after Chief Sealth scholars had been released, we had a report of someone driving erratically on 27 Ave SW. School staff went up the hill to assess the situation. As a part of this disturbance, a car had hit a parked car. The police quickly arrived. As the police investigated, a report was made that someone had possibly seen a gun. As a safety precaution, the schools went into a shelter-in-place, securing the exterior doors and bringing in scholars who were still in the area. The shelter-in-place was lifted after the police had searched the neighborhood and deemed that the situation was now safe. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Two items in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
SOUTH DELRIDGE POLICE SEARCH: A man was stabbed in the hand in the 8800 block of Delridge Way SW this past hour and police say they know who they are looking for. The victim originally declined medical assistance, so what was briefly dispatched as an “assault with weapons” response quickly closed, while the search proceeded. No description info.
STOLEN PICKUP TRUCK: Barbara reports, “Our 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 Megacab was stolen out of our driveway in upper Fauntleroy probably early this morning. Think we heard it drive away at 5:00 a.m.” Here’s an image of it as shown on Google Maps:
If you see it, call 911. (added Sunday) The owner is “also offering a reward in the amount of $250 for information leading to the recovery of our truck.”
One reader report and three police reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
READER REPORT – HIT AND RUN: From a North Admiral resident, via e-mail:
I live on the 1900 block of 42nd Ave SW. Last night at about midnight, my neighbors and I heard a loud noise. We all did not notice anything wrong at that time. This morning when I took a look at my truck, I noticed some damage. The noise was from a car that hit my truck as it was parked in front of my house. I did not get a look at the car last night, but it left some parts on the street. From these parts it is apparent that the car was a 5 series BMW built between 2009 and 2017. It will have some damage to its right front bumper, headlight, and fender. My truck was pushed back 3 feet, into the curb and suffered damage to its right front bumper, headlight, and fender.
The Seattle Police were notified and came to asses the situation. They were very nice and will be on the lookout for the damaged 5 series BMW. If you happen to see a 2009-2017 5 series BMW with damage to its right front, please contact the SPD.
We’ve asked for the incident-report number, and will add it when available.
And from the Seattle Police report files, narratives are available for three recent West Seattle burglaries, which we’ve summarized as follows:
9400 BLOCK 11TH SW: Police were called by residents of a house who believe someone broke in while they were away for about four hours last Tuesday morning/afternoon. They didn’t notice anything wrong until that evening, when they realized someone had gone through their bedroom, taking items including jewelry and a case that contained cash and documens.
5600 BLOCK 37TH SW: Last Monday morning, someone renovating a vacant house on this block discovered that it had been broken into overnight. The burglar(s) took tools from multiple rooms. Police lifted fingerprint evidence from the window through which entry had been made.
9400 BLOCK 22ND SW: Also last Monday, a burglary was reported at a business in this block. “Numerous electronic items” were taken, the report says. The person reporting the break-in told police they suspected a former employee who had been fired.
(Police-report narratives are seldom available for more than a fraction of cases, so please let us know directly if you have something to report in Crime Watch so your neighbors around the peninsula know! Once it’s been reported to police, e-mail the info to editor@wsb.blackfin.biz – but if it’s happening now or just happened, such as an active police search, text or call 206-293-6302 – thank you!)
8:57 PM: Thanks for the tips – police are investigating what, according to scanner traffic, is confirmed gunfire in High Point; they have found shell casings. We’re off to find out more.
9:09 PM: Police are on Lanham Place SW, just north of SW Graham, investigating, but not commenting.
10 PM: Police are still there, trying to make contact with someone possibly connected to the incident, and they will be blocking off streets nearby to keep people away until this is resolved.
10:35 PM: Not resolved yet. Meantime, we got a phone call from a neighbor who said she wanted to publicly thank police for their rapid response when she called after hearing the gunfire.
11:08 PM: Officers are still working strategically and deliberately to resolve the standoff.
MIDNIGHT: Standoff continues. We’re monitoring for the duration.
1:08 AM: Standoff continues.
2:13 AM: Five and a half hours now since the original call.
3:01 AM: As best we can tell from monitoring radio, this is wrapping up – an ambulance has been brought in to transport the person police had been working to take into custody. We’ll seek the official report for followup information later this morning.
ADDED 10:53 AM: That followup info just arrived via SPD Blotter:
A 26-year-old man is in custody and several guns have been recovered following an extended call Wednesday night into Thursday morning in the High Point neighborhood in West Seattle.
On March 7th, just before 9:00 pm, officers responded to several reports of shots fired in the 6000 block of Lanham Place Southwest. Officers located bullet damage to a parked vehicle in front of an apartment building. Additionally, it appeared that several items had been thrown from a third-floor apartment onto the ground below. As officers were containing the building, someone threw two handguns out of the window. Officers attempted to make contact with the occupants but to little avail. Officers believed the male suspect inside the apartment was in crisis.
After a prolonged standoff, officers obtained a search warrant for the apartment. With the assistance of SWAT, Gang Unit detectives, and K9, officers made entry into the apartment where the 26-year-old suspect was arrested without incident. Inside the apartment, several additional handgun magazines and ammunition was located and collected for evidence. One of the handguns that was tossed out the window was reported as stolen, while the other had been reported as missing.
The suspect, a convicted felon, was booked into the King County Jail for weapons violation. Detectives will handle the follow-up investigation.
We’ll be checking on the suspect’s background and will add more when we have i.
Until 7:30 pm, you’re invited to stop by Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle) and talk with city reps about Mayor Jenny Durkan‘s search for the next Seattle Police Chief. Just a few people were there when we stopped by in the early going, so your comment(s) will certainly be heard. You can read more about the search process here; there’s a quick online survey here; see who’s on the selection committee here.
If you have a gun in your residence, the Southwest Precinct has a free cable lock if you need one. Here’s the reminder sent today:
Due to recent incidents nationwide, the Seattle Police Department’s Southwest Precinct would like to remind our community about firearm safety, specifically when it comes to proper and safe storage of firearms and ammunition.
The SW Precinct has free firearm cable locks for interested community members! And we would also be happy to speak with you about firearm safety, safe storage, and general questions.
If you are interested in firearm cable locks, or in speaking with the Seattle Police Department about firearm safety, please contact Jennifer Danner, the SW Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator, at Jennifer.Danner@seattle.gov or 206-256-6820.
P.S. If you missed her presentation on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design at this week’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting – we covered it here.
Want to learn the basics of deterring criminals from targeting your residence or business? The slide deck embedded above (or in PDF here) shows the highlights from Southwest Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner‘s presentation at last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network meeting.
As always, the meeting at the precinct was led by WSBWCN founders Karen Berge and Deborah Greer. Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis started with a briefing, saying property crime was front and center as always.
11:31 AM: Thanks for the tips about police activity outside the Highland Park 7-11. That helped us zero in on the source of some scanner traffic about an arrest – and now we’ve just obtained more information from SPD media-relations Det. Mark Jamieson (officers at the scene declined comment). He says the white Escalade in the photo was suspected in connection with a West Seattle burglary this morning and a non-West Seattle burglary yesterday (in South Precinct jurisdiction); an officer spotted it, called for backup, and a “felony stop” (which usually means guns drawn) was made in the 7-11 parking lot. They arrested a suspect and impounded the vehicle, pending a search warrant. More details are expected to be made public a bit later, police tell us, so look for another update.
ADDED 1:36 PM: SPD Blotter‘s report notes that an “observant neighbor” is to thank:
A neighbor called 911 Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. after she spotted a man attempting to break into a home in the 1200 block of SW Othello Street. The witness continued to update dispatchers as officers were responding to the home and described a white Cadillac Escalade driving away from the home.
The King County Sheriff’s Guardian One helicopter was in the area and spotted the SUV leaving the neighborhood. The pilot directed officers to the vehicle in the 1600 block of Southwest Holden Street. Seattle police officers took the 23-year-old into custody and have turned him over to burglary detectives. Detectives believe the suspect may be responsible for an additional burglary in the area this week. Detectives will book the suspect into King County Jail for investigation of burglary.
ADDED 2:58 PM: According to a separate online update from the South Precinct’s commander, the non-West Seattle burglary yesterday was in the 10100 block of Rainier Ave S. The victims, who were home, provided police with a plate number, so that’s how police knew what/who they were looking for.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
With the scheduled guest out sick, this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting was all about questions and concerns brought by those in attendance – from tagging to harassment to park problems.
First, the regular update from Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis, who as usual lauded community members for “seeing something and saying something.” Property crime remains West Seattle’s biggest problem – “always has been” – right now, all categories are spiking, and he says police suspect that’s because some “prolific offenders” are out of jail again. He vowed “to get back out there and … round them all up,” noting that police circulate weekly, sometimes daily bulletins about particular suspects, “especially if they have warrants.” If they suspect they know where specific offenders are re-offending, they “saturate the area.”
Sometimes they can get “more time for these individuals” if they can be linked to multiple crimes. “That can be the difference between having a safe and sane six or seven months and a chaotic six or seve months.” He said he knows car prowls for example “are a pain in the butt” and once they get people arrested, they see what they can do to get them kept in custody. He mentions the value of letters from individuals about defendants facing sentencing, saying those letters can be “hell on wheels,” impressing judges.
Then he opened the floor to questions.
Four reports/updates in West Seattle Crime Watch:
POLICE AT WESTWOOD VILLAGE: A few people asked us about a big response on the east side of the center earlier this afternoon. Police responded after a man called 911 to report that someone he didn’t know showed a gun and threatened him, in or near the WWV QFC. They eventually took a suspect into custody but were continuing to search for the gun. No injuries, no shots fired.
Hours earlier, not far away …
CONFIRMED GUNFIRE: If you thought you heard gunshots in the Westwood area late last night – you did.
We went to the area after hearing a snippet of scanner traffic mentioning “shell casings found at 26th/Trenton”; when we took the quick camera photo you see above, police were apparently finishing their search, because by the time we circled around to go into the lot and park, they had left. Today, we confirmed with SPD media relations that it originated as a report of gunfire heard; no injuries, no damage, shell casings found in the street and collected as evidence.
FOLLOWUP – BURGLARY SUSPECT CHARGED: Last week, police reported arresting a 36-year-old man found inside a vacant West Seattle house “staged for sale” at 36th SW/SW Morgan. They also reported finding a variety of car-prowl loot. We followed up on the person who was arrested and discovered that he had been arrested three other times since the start of the year but had not been charged in any of those cases. In this one, however, the suspect, 36-year-old Nicholas D. Watson, is now charged with one count of residential burglary and one count of second-degree vehicle prowling. Court documents confirm the house he was found in is the former longtime problem house that was sold last year and renovated, and say that the car-prowling incident happened February 11th in the 7000 block of 30th Place SW. They allege that Watson was found in the 36th SW house with a backpack full of items including some belonging to that car-prowl victim. He is reported to have told officers he tried to use 10 stolen cards to buy things but was unsuccessful. The police narrative in the court documents also says:
There were various other pieces of ID and credit cards belonging to people other than Watson that he admitted he took from various other car prowls in West Seattle. He could not remember specific car prowls and the names on the cards did not return to any Seattle Police reports. He stated he did not know them and knew he did not have permission to possess them.
The King County Jail Register shows Watson is still in custody.
Not far from where that burglary happened …
CAR PROWLERS: From Lindsey:
This was in the east alley at 37th Ave between Graham & Morgan. This happened in the early hours of this morning, 2/20, between 12:00 AM and 1:30 AM.
These two individuals walked up to my truck parked next to my detached garage, tried to open it, looked around, and left. They returned about an hour and a half later, forcefully broke into the truck camper, and stole a valuable Festool sander I use in my business as well as some miscellaneous small tools.
The victim says she already has received tips about the possible identity of one prowler from a neighborhood list. He has not been arrested or charged so far as we know, but if you have information, the police incident # is 18-063199.
REMINDER – CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TONIGHT: One more reminder that the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, which regularly includes Q-and-A time with local police as well as updates on local trends and incidents, is at 7 pm tonight at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
7:10 PM: Thanks for the tips about multiple police cars on 42nd SW between Junction 47 and Jefferson Square. Couldn’t tell from scanner traffic what was happening so we went over in hopes of asking. All the cars were empty and the officers were somewhere out of view. Next stop: The precinct, where we were able to find out that it was a “person in crisis” call. No related medical call so far, although this category of calls sometimes results in a direct call for a private ambulance.
7:53 PM: And one has indeed arrived to take the person for evaluation.
10:50 AM: Thanks for the tips and the texted photo. SW Genesee is blocked by police just west of Delridge. The 911 log shows a medical call there just after 9 am; we’re on the way to find out more.
11:10 AM: The police here are from the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad. The medical call was from the incident – a female pedestrian hit by a driver on Genesee at 26th and taken to Harborview.
11:20 AM: Police here also tell us it’s a DUI investigation.
A ReachNow car still on the scene has visible driver-side windshield damage.
11:56 AM: SFD says the victim is an “adult female with serious injuries.”
1:04 PM: Still blocked off with investigators working.
2:19 PM: SDOT has since tweeted that the street is open again.
ADDED TUESDAY NIGHT: The 30-year-old suspect got out of jail this evening; the register says it was a “conditional release.”
Thanks for the tip about what looked like a major police response at a home on SW Portland west of California SW. We went over to check and found out that the reason we hadn’t heard anything was that it’s not a Seattle Police response – these are Tacoma Police officers, including a K-9 team. They would tell us only that they’re at the house serving a warrant.
7:23 PM: Seattle Police are investigating a shooting at 14th Avenue S. and S. Trenton in South Park. They say one victim has been rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and that there is no suspect in custody yet. No other official details except that an officer who left a meeting we’re covering to go to the scene said that it involved “youth in our community.”
7:29 PM: Metro says Route 132 is rerouted off 14th Ave. S. (which is an arterial) because of this.
9:17 PM: 14th Avenue South is still blocked at the scene. SPD now says the victim is 16 years old and that he has a gunshot wound to the head, and that gang detectives are investigating, “processing the scene and interviewing potential witnesses.” If you have any information, call 911.
(First 2 photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
7:38 PM: You’ll want to avoid the Delridge/Henderson area, which is reported to be blocked right now for a police investigation, including westward to 20th SW [map]. An “assault with weapons” SFD dispatch is on the way too, for a Seattle Police officer reported to have a knife wound to the hand. More to come.
7:50 PM: We just talked with police at the scene. They tell us the officer who is hurt had just detained a suspected tagger allegedly caught in the act. The suspect, they say, became uncooperative and stabbed the officer in the hand. Not life-threatening – the officer is being taken to the hospital now. Delridge is open but Henderson is blocked just to the west. The suspect is in custody.
(Photo by Tim Durkan)
10:10 PM: We just went over to verify that investigators have cleared the scene and reopened the road, which they have. We hope to find out more tomorrow about the officer’s condition and the suspect’s status.
12:58 AM: Police are looking for a driver who they wound up following across the West Seattle Bridge – going the wrong way. We heard it all start on the scanner on I-5, and then police reported the driver was going westbound in the eastbound lanes of the bridge. The driver hit a barrier, according to police, and kept going. We recorded part of this via an SDOT camera and will add it when we can. The driver reportedly got off the bridge and then was seen on California by Charlestown “all over the road” but we haven’t heard any updates since. The vehicle is described so far as an older white Tahoe, and it’s reported to have left a trailer behind somewhere along the way. If you see this – or any other – erratic driver, call 911.
1:33 AM: Added our phone video of the SDOT camera that showed the wrong-way driver and police. Watch the left side of the screen for a vehicle trailing sparks. Still haven’t heard any word of police finding him (the description that was broadcast mentioned a beard as well as a gray beanie, so we’re fairly sure the driver was male).
10:44 AM: We confirmed with SPD that the vehicle/driver never was found. We also found out that officers in the South Precinct initially believed there was some association with a burglary case, but now they don’t think so, and believe it was more likely a case of driving under the influence.
As reported here Friday, police were called to Chief Sealth International High School on Thursday and Friday, and we now have the report narrative that was filed after the second incident. The officer who prepared the report wrote that the original dispatch was “Fight at front dome door [at the school]. At least 5 students. No weapons.” Here’s our transcription of the report from there:
When I arrived the school was in lockdown. I responded to the dome area located in front of the school and observed several teachers standing by with (name redacted). I observed (name redacted) who was visibly upset, pacing back and forth, talking on his cell phone, with blood on his hands and nose.
I contacted (name redacted) and asked him what had occurred. (Redacted) said “they hit me.” I asked him who it was that hit him and if it was related to yesterday’s incident. (Redacted) only said “(Redacted), and they all left the building.”
1:44 PM: If you’re wondering about the police response in North Delridge right now – officers are investigating a reported burglary at a house in the 5400 block of 26th SW. Early information is from radio communications; no other details so far but it’s a significant response, indicating the call came in either with burglar(s) still in the house or having just left.
1:49 PM: And now police report, no burglary after all.
10:31 PM: Police are searching in Morgan Junction right now after another report of someone being robbed of their phone. According to preliminary information from scanner traffic, they’re looking for two suspects. No specifics on circumstances so far, but police were summoned to the west side of the 6400 block of California SW, and the suspects were last seen on the east side of the street. Police broadcast these descriptions: White man 20s-30s, about 5’8″, gray hoodie with picture/writing of some sort, red/plaid PJ-type pants; black man 30s-40s, 6′, dark jacket, golf hat, black jeans.
10:50 PM: A friend of the victim tells WSB the robbery happened at the northbound C Line bus stop – the victim then went across the street to contact police.
12:54 PM: Thanks for the tips about a sizable police response on Puget Ridge, along 18th SW near SW Juneau. Police tell us they are dealing with a person believed to be in crisis who is inside a residence. They’re hoping to make contact and get them out safely.
2:54 PM: We’ve confirmed with police what neighbors reported in comments – the person is out of the house and in custody, safely, no one hurt.
We’ve finally obtained a bit of information about an incident last night in The Junction. We knew from scanner traffic that three suspects had been arrested after a search in the 40th/41st/Alaska vicinity around 6:30-7 pm, but didn’t hear what preceded the search/arrests and were unable to find officers afterward to ask; the online information system (including Tweets by Beat) is down, too. So we went back to the precinct today in hopes of tracking down a few details. While the full report isn’t available, we’re told it was a purse-snatching. No injuries. The three suspects who were arrested – two adults, one juvenile – are described as having had run-ins with police before. We hope to get the full report after the holiday weekend.
Very early Saturday morning, as reported here, a 19-year-old man turned up in the 9200 block of 17th SW with a gunshot wound to the leg. Police searched for blocks around, with vague information about the location and circumstances – maybe during a robbery in an alley, they were told at one point. We requested the followup report yesterday, didn’t get it, then renewed the request today after noticing that what little information is online showed the incident wasn’t classified as an assault, but rather as “weapon discharge” and “injury.” Accidentally self-inflicted, Det. Patrick Michaud in media relations just told us, and the wounded man was too embarrassed to admit it initially. Case closed.
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