Category Archives: Crime

Crime, Health and Safety

Neighbor warns about disturbing activity

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Neighbor Melissa writes to warn us about a disturbing occurrence in which a local 13-year-old was frightened by a man who was acting strangely:

She told me there was a guy circling the block gesturing and smiling at her. I was walking my dog with another neighbor, and while we were waiting a car came around the corner. The driver was cruising slowly in the middle of the road, looking right at the young woman. When I waved at him, he looked at me and waved back, then accelerated and drove away.

Both my neighbor and I thought his behavior was strange, and the young woman was fairly distraught. She said she’d seen him around the library and the gas station/convenience store on Beacon (used to be the C&C…what is it now?) and he always made her and her friends nervous.

I called the police non-emergency number & reported the incident and the license number. So did the other neighbor. The police said the plate number matched an SUV–but that’s not what this guy is driving.

Melissa adds, “Please let people know to watch out for a creepy middle aged guy cruising the ‘hood in a maroon-ish sedan-type car. Scratch that–look out for creeps in general. Tell your kids and the neighbor kids to tell an adult and/or contact the police if they’re scared. Go over the standard stranger-danger stuff.”

Crime, Other Neighborhoods

An open letter to the Seattle Police Department

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Perhaps I am being grumpy, but we have enough crime in our neighborhood already. We don’t need to take responsibility for everyone else’s. I would consider it a simple mistake, but this is not the first time I’ve seen it happen.

Hello,

I have a concern about a post on your SPDBlotter website, titled “Shooting in the Beacon Hill neighborhood.”

The shooting was on Beacon Avenue, but it was not on Beacon Hill or in any way in the Beacon Hill neighborhood. Beacon Avenue continues well-beyond Beacon Hill, all the way to Renton. But Beacon Hill itself does not extend east of MLK way (which runs through the valley east of the Hill). The shooting site was southeast of even the most southern portion of Beacon Hill.

The Seattle city map calls that neighborhood Rainier View, and the shooting was near Rainier View Elementary School.

As someone who lives on Beacon Hill, it is frustrating to see crimes listed in our neighborhood that didn’t even happen here.

We would appreciate it if you would post crimes with more precise locations, and not give us “credit” for crimes that didn’t happen in our neighborhood.

Thanks!
Wendi
Beacon Hill Blog

Update: A suspect in the above mentioned shooting was arrested yesterday in the 5600 block of Beacon Avenue South — which is Beacon Hill.

Update 2: As of April 22, the headline on the original story has been changed to “Shooting in the Rainier View neighborhood”. Thanks, SPD!

Crime

Two juveniles in custody after SWAT standoff on South Beacon Hill

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Certain kids could have found a better way of spending their spring break on South Beacon Hill this morning. Two juveniles suspected of burglarizing a house in the 8400 block of 37th Avenue South ran from police, broke into a nearby home, and then refused to come out. The SWAT team came out and surrounded the house, and eventually the youths were taken into custody around 10:30 am. KIRO has a picture of the standoff, and the P-I has a brief story as well.


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Crime

Early morning shotgun blast

The Seattle Police Department’s blotter reports:

On March 13th at 4:41 a.m., South Precinct patrol officers responded to the 1300 block of 15th Avenue S to a report of a mentally ill man starting a fire in his yard. The complainant reported that the man also had a shotgun.

Upon arriving in the area, officers reported hearing a gun shot. Officers contacted the suspect and took him into custody without incident. The suspect told officers that he accidentally dropped a shotgun shell into the fire causing it to it explode. Further investigation revealed that the spent shell was located in the chamber of the shotgun. Officers did not detect any injuries or property destruction caused by the gun shot.

The suspect was transported to Harborview Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. The shotgun was seized and placed into evidence.

Crime

Man shot twice stopped near Amazon HQ

The Seattle Times reports that around 3:45 a 42-year old man was shot twice, hit in the shoulder and the hip, somewhere in the 1200 block of 12th Ave S. He was alert and oriented when the medics took him to Harborview. Police offered no further details, however Beacon Hill Neighborhood Watch did mention that the shooter fled westbound and that the nearby school was briefly locked down.

Update: The Rainier Valley Post has a number of differing details on the story: the victim was dropped off at the PacMed with gunshot wounds, not shot there. Also, while known, the victim would not divulge the name of the shooter, planning to “take care of it” himself.

Update 2: Seattle911 has even more details, along with the possibility that the shooting may have occurred in the 5500 block of South Avon Street, and that the school locked-down was Rainier View Elementary.

Update 3: KIRO 7 reports that “eyewitness saw a person lying on the sidewalk near 67th Avenue South and South Bangor Street with a gunshot wound,” and KOMO 4 mentioned that the victim may be linked to one or more of three shootings that occurred across the south end this afternoon.

Crime

Valentine’s Day robbery

SPDBlotter reports:

On Saturday, February 14th at approximately 8:02 p.m. officers responded to a 911 call of an armed robbery of a clothing store in the 2500 block of 15th Avenue South. After robbing the store, the two male suspects fled the scene on foot and remain at large. Nobody was injured during the robbery and no shots were fired. An SPD K-9 unit responded and conducted an unsuccessful track. Suspect #1 is described as a black male, late teens to early 20’s, 5′7″ tall, 160 lbs., short black hair and wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and a red,white, and black scarf over his face. Suspect #2 is described as a black male, late teens to early 20’s, 6′1″ tall, 180 lbs., short black hair and wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and a black doo-rag over his face. Both suspects were wearing gloves. One suspect was armed with a silver handgun and the other with a black handgun. It is unknown at this time what was taken during the robbery. Anyone with information about these suspects or their whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Seattle Police immediately.

Crime

Drug dealing bus driver busted (updated)

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The P-I’s Seattle 911 blog details the arrest this morning of a Metro bus driver caught dealing drugs from his bus by undercover police officers near South Leo Street and Beacon Avenue South, where the route 42 bus runs briefly on Beacon Hill.

More information is available in Seattle 911‘s original report.

Update: The bus driver is also accused of dealing crack out of his South Beacon Hill home. Details here.

Crime

Parked vehicle damaged by gunfire

At about 4 o’clock yesterday afternoon, police responded to a report of two shots fired in the 9600 block of 41st Avenue S. The back window of a parked car had been shot out. A red Nissan 4-door car was seen speeding away northbound on 41st. The victim reported that the suspects appeared to be two Latino men between the ages of 18-20, possibly persons he had previously had an altercation with 3 years ago.


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More details in the original report at the SPDBlotter.

Crime

Theft ring busted — go get yer stuff!

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The Seattle P-I, may they live forever, reports that Seattle police broke up a large theft ring recently, and now they want to reunite a lot of theft victims with their stuff.

The ring used burglaries, car prowls, and car thefts to acquire their ill-gotten goods. Most of the Seattle crimes occurred in the North and West Precincts, but the police say that anyone who reported a theft or burglary before December 11 should drop in to their local precinct to view photos of the recovered items. For us, that’s the South Precinct at 3001 South Myrtle Street. You can also call 206-684-4381 and leave your name, case number and a description of the stolen item.

The P-I has also posted pictures of the recovered items.