By Tim Clifford

Axe Attack
On Oct. 21 at an apartment complex located on the 3000 block of Avalon Way S.W. a maintenance worker was attacked by a man with an axe.

The victim called police shortly after the incident at 5:30 p.m. and told dispatch that he would wait for the officers in the alley behind the apartment complex.
The victim explained to police that he was performing his maintenance duties for the complex when he noticed the suspect, a transient male with dread locks, was picking through a trash can in the parking lot. The victim recognized the suspect from another trash can related incident weeks before during which the suspect had pulled a knife on the victim.

The victim decided to approach the suspect and ask him to leave again. As soon as they began talking the suspect became extremely agitated and reached into his backpack where he was keeping an axe. The suspect then began swinging the axe at the victim, the first blow being narrowly blocked and deflected. The victim ducked to avoid a second swing at which point the suspect hopped onto a bicycle with another unknown man and pedaled away.

When the victim described the suspect to the responding officers they immediately noted that the description fit that of a 25 year old transient male with a history of aggressive behavior in the area. A neighborhood canvass check for the suspect yielded no results. The victim told officers he could positively ID the suspect if he saw him again. The suspect remains at large.

Retaliation on Alki
Police were dispatched to the 10200 block of Maplewood Pl. S.W. shortly before 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 19 with what was at first thought to be shots fired at a BMW in a road rage incident. When the officers arrived they found a blue BMW with damage on every side and all of the windows blown out. They were informed by the 4 male victims, all 18 years old and scratched and bruised on their faces and hands, that the damage and injuries were caused by pipes, sticks and an angry group of young men and women.

The victims explained that earlier that night they had been at an establishment on the 2600 block of California Ave. S.W. when they got into a heated altercation with 3 mixed race males (possibly Cambodian) and 3 Asian females. The victims had seen this group arrive in tan sedan from the early 2000’s and decided to egg that car with eggs that they just so happened to keep in their BMW before they drove away from this scene. After the egging the victims decided to cruise along Alki.

While driving around on Alki beach the victims spotted the group whose car they had just egged. This group, which had picked up numbers by this time, spotted the victims, shouted “hey, that’s them” and jumped into multiple cars to chase them down. One of the suspects was driving a large truck which they used to ram the back of the victim’s car multiple times during the chase. The pursuit ended once the victims ran into a dead end at the Maplewood Pl. S.W. address.

The suspects surrounded the victim’s car, turning the victims into the proverbial “fish in a barrel”, and began smashing the sides and windows with pipes, sticks, rocks and other blunt objects. Once the windows had all been smashed in the suspects began bashing the victims as well. The victims sustained injuries all over their bodies as the suspects jabbed at the victims with the sticks and pipes. Eventually the suspects got into their cars and drove off at which point the victims called police.

During the investigation it was determined that one of the victims needed to be taken to Highline Medical Center immediately due to his head injury. The suspects remain unidentified and at large.

Crimes reported between Oct.16 and Oct.24

Burglaries by block: 3000 block of 60 Ave. S.W., 2600 block of S.W. Andover St., 4400 block of 35 Ave. S.W., 4700 block of 42 Ave. S.W., 5900 block of 49 Ave. S.W., 600 block of S. Riverside Dr., 7800 block of 8 Ave. S., 800 block of S. Thistle St., 7900 block of 14 Ave. S.W., 8100 block of Delridge WY S.W., 8800 block of 20 Ave. S.W., 1000 block of S. Director St., 9400 block of 35 Ave. S.W.

Car prowls by block: 3800 block of Delridge WY S.W., 6700 block of 16 Ave. S.W., 2800 block of S. Thistle St., 8000 block of Fauntleroy WY S.W. (2 reported), 9000 block of 8 Ave. S.W., 8800 block of 8 Ave. S.W., 9000 block of 16 Ave. S.W., 9200 block of 25 Ave. S.W., 2500 block of S.W. Barton St., 2600 block of S.W. Barton St. (2 reported)

Car thefts by block: 2700 block of Walnut Ave. S.W., 3800 block of 44 Ave. S.W., 4700 block of 36 Ave. S.W., 5900 block of Delridge WY S.W., 6500 block of 37 Ave. S.W., 8100 block of 41 Ave. S.W., 7900 block of 20 Ave. S.W., 8400 block of Delridge WY S.W., 500 block of S.Donovan St., 9400 block of 8 Ave. S.W.