A City Light security guard thought she was being friendly when she said hello to a transient she recognized from her patrol. But he returned the greeting by hitting her on top of the head, causing a three-day headache.

Depressed by the recent death of a family member, a man stood in the middle of Harbor Avenue early Tuesday, telling his girlfriend that he "wanted to get hurt." Passengers in a passing car were happy to oblige: After the man flipped them off and yelled, they turned the car around, got out, and beat him up. The man was taken to Harborview for an involuntary commitment.

Joy-riders in 4-wheel drive and off-road vehicles have ruined $5,000 worth of freshly planted conifer trees and other plants in the West Duwamish Greenbelt at Highland Park Way SW and West Marginal Way. This is an ongoing problem that likely occurs at night, when workers aren't present.

Hatchet aloft, an unstable Alki resident chased two women in his apartment complex after they told him to quit looking into their windows. The women were able to run from the man, lock their doors and call 911. A nearby resident saw the altercation and followed the suspect and used his cell phone to keep operators apprised of the man's flight toward Admiral Way. Officers arrested the man in an alley and booked him into King County Jail for investigation of assault. They also discovered that the suspect had entered one of the apartment units, turned the stove on "high," and left an item on the burner.

A South Park woman was surprised to receive an early morning call from officers on Monday morning. They asked about her car (which she thought was parked in the driveway.) But it wasn't-it had been stolen and set ablaze in the 500 block of S. Concord.

As a woman walked near 7th and Roxbury Wednesday afternoon, a red low-rider with dark windows pulled up alongside her. Two women and a man jumped out, grabbed her backpack and I-Pod and drove off. A King County deputy told the Seattle officer investigating the case that a similar robbery had occurred 20 minutes earlier just south of Roxbury and that the suspect descriptions seemed similar: two Hispanic males, a Hispanic female, and a short, Caucasian female with "very blonde hair."

On 12th SW, a man was shot in the bicep after he accused the shooter of "leering" at his girlfriend. The suspect claims he pulled out a weapon because he feared he was going to be assaulted. Officers searched the suspect's house and recovered several firearms. The suspect was booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault.

Thursday afternoon, near 16th and Cambridge, a woman was robbed of a $400 necklace by three black females in a grey Honda 4-door sedan.

Burglaries by block: 3200 California SW, 4100 45th SW, 7600 8th SW, 5200 1st S, 3200 16th SW, 6600 Corson S, 3800 Delridge Way SW, 500 S. Cloverdale, 3000 Avalon Way SW

Ten domestic violence incidents were reported in greater West Seattle last week.