By Tim Clifford

Salaam Alaikum
For one West Seattle man July 23 proved to be a rough day with a capital “R”. Police first learned of the man’s troubles when they received multiple calls from residents near 16th Ave. S.W. and S.W. Myrtle St. concerning a man screaming in the middle of the street.

When police arrived they spoke with the man and encountered a bit of a language barrier since he is originally from India and primarily speaks Arabic. Eventually he managed to explain to them that earlier that afternoon he and a friend had been walking in a nearby park when he heard a man yelling out “Salaam Alaikum” from a distant house window repeatedly. A short time afterward the victim and this friend parted ways and that was when he realized someone had begun following him.

The suspect eventually caught up to the victim and held him at gun point, demanding he hand over everything. While he was being robbed he realized this was the same person who had been shouting out “Salaam Alaikum” earlier. He began pleading with the suspect to at least leave him his ID since he is not from this country and needs it. The suspect returned his wallet emptied of cash and cards and took his cell phone.
After the mugging the victim attempted to follow the suspect for a short while at which point the suspect fired one shot at him to scare him away.

When the victim eventually returned home he found all of his belongings on the street. In a completely unrelated turn of events the person he was staying with had decided to kick him out of the house. The victim tried to get back in the house to call police and found it locked. At that point he began going from home to home knocking on doors so he could use a phone.

At one home supposedly when he knocked and told the neighbor he had been robbed they answered the door with a gun and told him to go away. That is when the victim took to screaming for help in the middle of the street.

Police assisted the victim in getting in touch with a friend for a place to stay. No description of the mugger was available. The suspect remains at large at this time.

Trusted salesman
Police are currently trying to get in touch with a real estate agent who was caught on video surveillance stealing medications from a home that is for sale on the 2600 block of 46 Ave. S.W.

On July 28 police were contacted by the husband and wife home owners who explained that they had been on vacation for the last week. Their home is currently on the market and they had given their real estate agent permission to show the home while they were away. The video surveillance system inside the house is keyed to activate whenever it detects motion.

When reviewing the footage they saw that on July 26 a heavy-set man appearing to be in his 50’s with sandy colored hair entered their home with a key and began sifting through their cabinets. At one point in the footage they see him considering whether or not to take the dog medication that is in their kitchen next to the kibble. Eventually he makes his way to the master bathroom where he is captured on video taking multiple pill bottles from the cabinet.

While leaving the bathroom the suspect can be seen spotting the video camera and inspecting whether it is on or not and assessing which direction its line of sight is capturing. Before leaving the home, with the pills in hand, the suspect leaves his business card with his office and cell phone number on it in the front entry way.
The couple did not know who this man was until they saw that on his business card he is another agent with a real estate company located on the 4500 block of California Ave. S.W.

Police contacted this real estate agency, confirmed he worked for them, and eventually got the suspect on the phone. He refused to come in or cooperate with them. After perusing the real estate company’s website they found his online profile with a picture which matched the person on the surveillance footage. They also contacted and informed his supervisor of the offense and explained how he had responded to their call.

The couple’s real estate agent contacted the police and informed them that each time the key is used by a real estate agent they must electronically log into the box containing it. Because of this he informed the officers that he had a log listing showing that the suspect had logged in to access the keys shortly before the incident. This log was emailed to police. The suspect remains at large.

Crimes reported between July 24 and Aug. 1

Burglaries by block: 1900 block of 41 Ave. S.W., 2600 block of 46 Ave. S.W., 3000 block of 49 Ave. S.W., 6500 block of 30 Ave. S.W., 4000 block of S.W. Donovan St., 9000 block of 39 Ave. S.W., 9000 block of 36 Ave. S.W., 9200 block of 15 Ave. S.W., 800 block of S. Kenyon St., 10000 block of 31 Ave. S.W.

Car prowls by block: 1900 block of 46 Ave. S.W., 2200 block of 46 Ave. S.W., 44 Ave. S.W./ S.W. Othello St., 2500 block of S.W. Trenton St., 9000 block of 15 Ave. S.W., 1000 block of S. Henderson St., 3600 block of S.W. 112 St.

Car thefts by block: Bonair Pl. S.W./ 53 Ave. S.W., 2600 block of California Ave. S.W., 4000 block of 45 Ave. S.W., 5600 block of 49 Ave. S.W., 5900 block of California Ave. S.W.