Category Archives: Crime

Crime

Cars rifled through on S. Forest St.

5 Comments

Neighbor Kimberly wrote this weekend:

“Just wanted to report some weird activity on Forest near the Red Apple. For the last two nights our car parked on the street, which doesn’t lock all the way, has been searched in the middle of the night. They opened the trunk, pulled everything out of the glove box and left it, but took nothing. There was some loose change and an iPod car converter that were not touched. Last night the same thing happened to our neighbor’s car, with the same result, nothing taken.

“Seems like whoever is doing it is looking for something specific, but not finding it on our street yet!”

Any ideas what might be happening here? And has anyone else in the area noticed similar activity?

Crime

Arsonist burns cars at 14th and Nevada

An arsonist torched multiple cars on 14th Ave. S. just west of Jefferson Park early Sunday morning.

Beacon Hill Blog news partner KOMO reported yesterday:

Seattle Police spokesman Mark Jamieson said that officers and firefighters were called to the 4100 block of 14th Avenue South, just north of Nevada, around 5:15 a.m. on a report of a car fire. As they arrived, they learned of a second fire near 14th and Nevada.

As firefighters were putting those fires out, a third vehicle fire was reported on Nevada, near 16th. Jamieson said a resident with a garden hose quickly put that fire out.

Jamieson said that two other cars were targeted by the arsonist. One had burned papers inside, but it never spread beyond that. The fifth car had its doors open, was ransacked inside, but it was never ignited.

SPD’s Arson/Bomb Squad has taken over the investigation, Jamieson said. There were no injuries reported.

The KOMO report also includes photos and video.

Neighbor George V. Reilly also took some photos of the damaged vehicles. You can see them here.

Crime

Mid-Beacon burglary yesterday

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Neighbor Julie writes:

Thought I would let you guys get the word out. Our house in Mid-Beacon Hill was broken into between 8:30 and 5pm today (August 29). They got in through the alley level backyard entrance and stole a laptop, gaming consoles and other small electronics. Not sure if anyone saw anything but appreciate you guys getting the word out.

Crime

Beacon Hill resident assaulted in home-invasion robbery

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A North Beacon Hill resident reported being tied-up and pistol-whipped in a home-invasion robbery on Wednesday night.

Here’s how the Seattle Police Department reported the incident:

Preliminary investigation indicates that on August 17th at approximately 9:00 p.m. the victim was at his residence in the 2100 block of Beacon Avenue South. A female in her 20’s (suspect #4) knocked on the victim’s front door. The victim answered the door and suspect #4 asked him if she could use his phone. Shortly thereafter three male suspects forced their way through the door and began assaulting the victim in his front room.

The victim was overpowered, tied up and pistol-whipped. His house was ransacked and his wallet, a laptop computer, and prescription drugs were taken. All four suspects fled the scene and remain at large.

The only suspect descriptions available at this time are: two Hispanic males in their late 20’s, one black male in his late 20’s, and one Hispanic female in her 20’s.

If you have information, please call 911 or the Seattle Police Robbery Unit at 206-684-5535. Anonymous tips are welcome.

Crime

BBQ and car stolen at 14th and Hanford

1 Comment

Neighbor Tiffany sent us the following warning:

“I thought I would warn my fellow Beacon Hill neighbors about the recent incidents that have occurred at my house (on 14th Ave. S. and S. Hanford) in the last 3 days. First our BBQ was stolen out of our backyard (in broad daylight mind you, around 3 or 4 p.m. on Monday, 8/15), then last night (8/18) between 2–6 a.m., one of our cars was stolen from in front of our house. I have lived on Beacon Hill for the past 2+ years (my family—dad, aunts, uncles, grandparents—have lived on Beacon Hill for 40+ years) and have never had any problems like this so close together (besides two of our cars’ tires getting punctured when everyone else’s did a few months ago).

“So in an effort to warn everyone, I wanted to advise that people chain down their BBQs and set the alarms on their cars, so that no one else has to go through this.”

Crime

Neighbors help solve library purse snatching case

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Neighbor Kevin Haag posted this to the beaconhill mailing list yesterday. We are reposting with his permission:

A sad story (but with a happy ending):

At 7:30 tonight at the Beacon Hill library, I was unlocking my bike while—I found out later—in the children’s section, a young man pulled on a ski mask and snatched an elderly woman’s purse. He burst out the main doors behind me and ran northeast across Beacon Ave. Several of us chased him and at 18th and McClellan his ski mask and the purse were recovered. The young man got away, but witnesses returned to the library to offer descriptions to the police officer called in by the library staff. The purse was returned to the owner and her ID was still inside, but all of her cash was gone.

About one hour after I spoke with the officer at the library as a witness, he personally called to clarify what I had seen and informed me that everyone’s care paid off. He said that thankfully a neighbor noticed a young man acting suspiciously a few blocks away from where the purse was found, called 911 and ultimately SPD arrested the young man on a metro bus and
found the missing cash on him.

Thanks to everyone that spoke with SPD regarding the incident—especially the neighbor who happened to notice someone acting oddly on their street. I, for one, will recall this time less as a tragedy and more as a positive experience that really brought out the best in our community, including caring neighbors and a responsive police department.

Together we can proclaim that this is our community, and when you’re on Beacon Hill you will be cared for.

Thanks, Kevin!

Crime

We’ve heard this “locked out” plea before

14 Comments

Several North Beacon Hill neighbors on the beaconhill mailing list have recently had encounters with a panhandler who sounds familiar. It may be the same fellow who has been seen in the CD and previously on Beacon Hill, or someone else who is running a similar scam.

The basic interaction typically goes like this:

  • He knocks on your door and asks for a small amount of money to pay a locksmith because he is locked out of his house or his car.
  • He says he’s gay, and he’s new in the neighborhood and just moved nearby with his boyfriend. (Sometimes he gives a location that is known to be false.)
  • He usually claims to be a janitor at a nearby school or university. (It has been verified that he does not work at Beacon Hill International School as he claimed to at least one individual.)

He is African-American, about 5′ 9″, 145 pounds, and probably somewhere around 45 years old.

If it is the same person who has done this previously in the CD, he may be the well-known “Patrick” who has been telling this particular story, with variations, for at least 14 years. However, there may be more than one person who does this; the panhandler in other neighborhoods has been described with heights ranging from 5’7″ to 6’0″, and one person in the Roosevelt neighborhood last month (described as “younger-looking,” unlike Patrick) used a different name, “Clark Lewis.”

There are many reports of this activity from other neighborhoods.

There is no concrete evidence that he is casing houses or is a danger to anything other than your wallet. However, please be aware that if someone approaches you with this story, it is probably a scam.

Crime

Tires vandalized on North Beacon Hill

8 Comments

Recently quite a few North Beacon Hill neighbors on the Beacon Hill mailing list have reported finding the tires of their cars punctured. In some cases, the tires were nearly new, and more than one tire on the car was vandalized.

The vandalism seems to happen to multiple cars in the same area at the same time. If possible, consider keeping your car in a driveway or garage, or in a well-lit area. If you see any suspicious activity around cars in the neighborhood, please call 911.

Here is a map of the locations we know of where tires were recently punctured. If this has happened to you, too, please let us know in the comments.


View Punctured tire vandalism, Spring 2011 in a larger map