Category Archives: Crime

Crime notes: Civic stolen, scanner catch-up

Dan Dean writes:

Just wanted to let you know that our car was stolen last night from 14th Ave and South Hinds Street, and was hoping you could post it to the blog!

This is on the heels of a roof rack stolen off of our car last week. I don’t know what’s going on in our neighborhood, but it’s incredibly frustrating.

Please keep an eye out for a white 1998 Honda Civic 4-door with Washington plate 299 VCV.

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Chris and Amie wrote to the mailing list about a car prowl that occurred on Sunday:

Last night, someone smashed our front passenger window of our newer model car with our empty garbage can, parked on the parking pad at 19th & McClellan, an open, well lit spot. They rifled through the contents of the car, and stole my jacket in the front seat. We figured they just leaned in to look for stuff, as the alarm would have gone off if they opened a door. I would imagine it took them several tries to break a car window with an empty 24-gallon plastic garbage can. Sadly, we heard nothing. This was reported to the police.

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And catching up on recent activity logged at BHNW’s Scanner Blotter:

  • Robbery reported at 17th and Shelton, 8:55pm yesterday
  • Suspicious group of 5-7 men chased from back yard near 37th and Rose, 6:55pm yesterday
  • Report of several shots fired near 14th and Oregon, 2:45pm yesterday
  • Three men door-knocking and looking in windows ran off when they saw someone at home near 32nd and Juneau, 2pm yesterday
  • Burglary reported near Morgan and Beacon, 1pm yesterday
  • Forced entry burglary reported near 13th and Austin, 3pm Saturday
  • Burglary reported near 14th and Hinds, 6:45pm last Thursday (very near where Dan’s car was stolen from!)

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Theresa described some suspicious activity on the mailing list last Friday:

My husband confronted two men who were scoping out houses on our block, the 2700 block of 13th Ave S, around noon today. The first man was about 6′-3″, white, blond hair, glasses, about 25-30 years old, wearing black hoodie and jeans. The second man was about 5′-6″ black, 30-35 years old, black coat, blue jeans, white shoes, carrying a duffle bag.

They walked down the street with a piece of paper in hand, stopping on the sidewalk in front of each house, sometimes going back to houses they had already looked at. They went up to some houses and looked in the front windows. My husband saw the tall man go up to one neighbor’s house look in the front window, then knock on the door, looking over his shoulder repeatedly while the other guy stayed out on the sidewalk looking up and down the street.

My husband went across the street to confront them, and the guy at the door immediately turned away from the house, mid-knock. The guys just looked at each other when he asked what they were doing, paused, then said they were “collecting information”. They departed on foot, heading north on 13th Ave S.

Rainier Valley Food Bank burglarized, Thanksgiving food stolen

Photo by Mack Male.
Photo by Mack Male.
$1500-$2000 in food was stolen from the Rainier Valley Food Bank between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning when burglars broke into the food bank’s storage locker and stole potatoes, onions, canned food, peanut butter, and other food collected by local volunteers in food drives last weekend. The food was scheduled to be given out this weekend as the Thanksgiving distribution. If you would like to help, you can bring your donations to the Rainier Valley Food Bank, 4205 Rainier Avenue South, Tuesday through Saturday, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., or donate online at rvfb.org.

Thanks to the Seattle Times for the report.

Jungle cleanup, sidewalk flooding, and overserving among topics on the BAN list

The Beacon Hill Alliance of Neighbors (BAN) mailing list has been quite active recently, and Travis Mayfield has been all over it for KOMO:

  • Update: Inside the Jungle — Craig Thompson details a recent excursion into the homeless encampment that runs along the west and north sides of the hill, alongside I-5 and I-90.
  • Sidewalk ‘Pools’ Raise Pedestrian Complaints — Complaints of flooded and obstructed sidewalks are addressed by neighborhood representative Steve Louie and City Councilmember Sally Clark.
  • Responding to Public Drunkeness — Tips on reporting “overserving” to the Washington State Liquor Control Board when observing evidence of public drunkeness.

Sign up for the BAN list at http://www.cityofseattle.net/ban/

Crime notes: Indecent exposure, more burglaries, South watch plans solidifying

Napsiyah writes about an incident that occurred at Beacon and McClellan, next to the Link station:

This morning at 8:30am as I was walking to Light Rail to go to work, a man driving a truck got out and exposed/masturbated himself in front of me. I turned around and ran and called the police to report this incident. Please put on the blog to look out for this man!!! It was a busy street! We need to report and catch this sicko.

She described the flasher as a “white or hispanic male wearing a camoflauge baseball cap, around 5’7″, medium build” and was reportedly driving a newer-looking navy blue truck with tinted windows.

Call the police if you have any information about this or similar crimes.

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On the mailing list, Hazel reports an attempted break-in of her locked garage door on Monday at 20th and Spokane, and also relayed a report from her neighbor of an attempted lock-picking on 21st Avenue South on Friday.

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Mahalie also reports on the mailing list of a second burglary of her home just off Cheasty some time between 9am and 5pm on Tuesday where the burglars appear to have taken their time and left with multiple computers, power supplies, a camera, a heavy change jar, and more after having rifled through bags and dumped out boxes looking for loot.

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BHNW logged additional burglaries at 19th and Massachusetts last Saturday and at Beacon and Austin Friday.

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Nick writes of a captured criminal:

My wife and I live on Beacon Hill on Hanford St. Our car was stolen on the 29th of October. We got it back the same day but, I just wanted to let you know that. The guy who stole it was arrested and is still in jail today.

Some more good news like this would be very welcome lately.

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Mike Cheney posted a promising update in the forum about Project Safe Neighborhoods, plans to establish a neighborhood watch in South Beacon Hill and Holly Court, plans to pursue grants, and notice of monthly meetings. Sounds like things are starting to come together!

Thanks everyone for keeping your neighbors informed!

Home invasion robbery by men posing as police

SeattleCrime.com has details of a home invasion robbery at an apartment near 13th and Beacon in the early morning of November 1st. A couple was robbed of several thousand dollars by six men dressed as police officers.

From the story, the couple seems to think they were targeted after having gone to a taco stand earlier in the evening. I wonder what could have happened at a taco stand to make these criminals interested in tracking down and robbing these victims.

Update: KOMO has more details.

Rash of burglaries along 13th and nearby

Recent burglaries and thefts recorded by bhnw.org
Recent burglaries and thefts recorded by bhnw.org

Going off of the scanner activity logged at bhnw.org, there’s been a seemingly large and sudden jump in burglaries in mid-north Beacon Hill, particularly along 13th Avenue South. In just the last two days, and only counting the reports logged by the part-time volunteer staff of BHNW, there have been 6+ burglaries and several other related crimes, mainly along this stretch.

Update: From Captain Emerick via Mariana Quarnstrom via Steve Louie:

FYI, the morning shift just caught two burglars in the act around Swift Ave and Eddy. They kicked a door and ran when the homeowner confronted them. Great arrest. Suspects were 2 older white guys that appear to be homeless or living at the missions. They will be going to jail soon..

Also, Mike Cheney has an update on the block watch program he’s spearheading in the forums.

Some of the security tips from the June South Precinct Email Community Newsletter are not really applicable for this time of year, but some warrant reviewing:

Install good quality dead bolt locks with at least a 1” throw on all exterior doors.

Replace the existing screws in the strike plates with screws that are 3”-4” long. When a door is forced open, it is the jamb that splinters and gives, not the door. By securing the strike plates with 3”-4” long screws, you secure the jamb to the wall stud. When the deadbolt lock is engaged, the bolt goes into the jamb and the jamb is now secured to the framing of the home. This makes it much more difficult for a person to force open a properly locked door.

Secure Tools and Ladders

Secure all tools, including ladders, so they cannot be used to gain entry into your home or that of a neighbor.

If Away For An Extended Period Of Time

If you’re going to be away for an extended time, ask a friend or trusted neighbor to watch your home. If they see suspicious activity while you are gone, they will know to call 911 for you.

Have the Post Office hold your mail and hold your newspaper delivery.

Make it appear that your home is occupied. You can do this by having timers set within the home that will turn lights on and off. You may want to consider timers for your exterior lights or photocell attachments (which activate when it gets dark and go off when it becomes light).

Do Not Leave Personal Belongings Unattended

Whether they are in a shopping cart or on a picnic blanket, always maintain positive control over your belongings. Never leave personal belongings unattended in your vehicle. Seattle has an incredibly high rate of theft of personal property from vehicles, particularly at public parks.

Additionally, record the serial numbers of your more valuable electronic items and keep them in a safe place. Consider engraving identifying information on your valuables as well. Take photographs of your valuables showing the identifying information.

Keep an eye out for suspicious individuals in your neighborhood. Be wary of solicitors or people going from door to door asking to use your phone, your bathroom, or a glass of water. Solicitors must register and carry identification in the city of Seattle. Call 911 if you encounter suspicious activity. 911 calls are used to determine police staffing and patrolling.

Crime notes: Headliners

Seattle man [Kino Gomez] skips bail, costs family $100,000Seattle Times Blotter

Beacon Hill teen tells of selling her body on Seattle streetsSeattle P-I

Police Beat: The MomentSlog with the police report from the hair salon robbery last week

Transient sentenced to prison for slaying at homeless campSeattle Times Blotter, Van Truong sentenced for the September 11, 2008 killing of Major Lee Gay in “The Jungle”.

Armed robbery of hair salon across from Shell

From the SPD Blotter:

On October 24th at approximately 6:37 p.m. two male suspects wearing all black clothing and ski masks and armed with handguns walked into a hair salon located in the 2300 block of 15th Avenue South.

Victim #1, a female employee, was at the rear of the salon and walked to the front when she heard the door chime. As she walked into the front area of the salon, one of the suspects grabbed her by the shirt and ordered her to the floor. Both suspects demanded money from her. She gave them cash.

Victim #2, a male employee who was also inside the salon, heard the noise and went to victim #1’s location. There he was contacted by one of the suspects and ordered at gun point to walk to the back of the business.

Victim #1 was able to run out of the salon when one of the suspects had briefly left her location. She ran across the street to a gas station for assistance. Both suspects fled the business when they discovered victim #1 had escaped.

Both victims and several citizens in the area heard one or two gunshots as the suspects fled the area. No property damage to the business or adjacent buildings was found by officers. Neither victim was injured during the incident. The suspects remain at large.

Anyone with information about this incident or who may know the identities or whereabouts of the suspects is asked to call 911 or Seattle Police immediately and refer to this incident.

Man shot in buttocks at John C. Little Park last night

Via the SPD Blotter:

On October 15th, at approximately 7:15 p.m., South Precinct officers responded to a call of a shooting in John Little Park in the 7000 Block of Holly Park Drive South. The call stated that shots had been fired inside the park and that lots of people were seen running from the scene. Officers arrived and located a 22-year old man who had been struck by a single gunshot in the buttocks. No one else was injured. The wound is not considered life-threatening, and the victim was transported to the hospital for treatment. Neither the victim or the several people with the victim could provide officers with any information about what had occurred. The Gang Unit will conduct the follow up investigation.

Crime Notes: Dog park danger, Cheasty snatching, and more Jungle blues

Kristy emailed us recently pointing to an article from the Laurelhurst blog about attacks at the Magnuson dog park. This ties together somewhat with Travis‘s article recently on the KOMO blog about our own sparsely-attended dog park near the Jose Rizal bridge.

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On the mailing list, Mahalie wrote of a break-in along Cheasty where a laptop was stolen sometime Friday night or Saturday morning. Monica added a note about a garbage bag full of someone else’s mail dropped next to her recycling Friday or the night prior. (Sharon who lives in the 9XXX block of Renton Avenue South, you may be interested to know your garbage has moved.)

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Another reported attack just off of Dearborn in “the Jungle” has been reported in the P-I by Casey McNerthney: Man found beaten with two-by-four. This is just the most recent report of violence and crime on the northern tippy-tip-tip of the hill next to I-90 in recent months.

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The Seattle Weekly pursues the Kino Gomez story further: Did Kino Gomez flee to die?