Sleeping suspect arrested

Stopping to take a nap was a big mistake for a suspected car prowler in West Seattle. The man slipped into a vehicle to close his eyes around 5:30 a.m. on Fri., March 17, allowing police officers an ideal opportunity to capture and apprehend him. A witness had called 911 to report a suspicious man lurking near a black sedan and silver pickup truck near 61st Ave. S.W. and S.W. Admiral Way. When officers arrived on the scene, they found the suspect asleep in the driver’s seat of the truck. When the man awoke, he told officers that he had permission to sleep in the vehicle—but he couldn’t tell them the name of the truck’s owner, when asked. The vehicle was parked right in front of the registered owner’s home. Officers rang the doorbell and spoke with the resident, who told police that he did own the silver pickup but had not given anyone permission to enter or sleep in his vehicle. Officers arrested the suspect and found he was also carrying someone’s tax forms, which had been stolen in another car prowl earlier that morning. Police contacted victim of the earlier prowl to return the tax records and booked the 40-year-old car prowler into the King County Jail for theft.

Teens Arrested, Gun Recovered After Patrol Officer Hears Gunfire

Two teens were arrested early Fri., March 17 after a patrol officer heard gunshots on a West Seattle street. Officer Carl Woodward was driving near Fauntleroy Way S.W. and S.W. Edmunds Street when shots sounded. The gun was fired from a black Dodge Avenger down the block. The driver tried to flee, speeding away, but the officer followed and was finally able to stop and detain the female driver and male passenger, both 17 years old. They claimed not to have any weapons—but officers saw a gun on the floor of the car and arrested both teens for discharging a firearm. The male suspect was later discovered to be a convicted felon—and unable to legally possess firearms. Police were not able to find any victims or damage from the shooting. They did recovered shell casings from where the teens had been parked at the time of the incident.
Both teens were booked into the King County Youth Service Center. The Dodge, which belongs to the female driver’s father, was seized to be searched for gang detectives.

Handgun recovered after police called to West Seattle Park

Police arrested a felon and recovered a handgun from an SUV on Thurs., March 16. Around 12:30 p.m. on Wed., March 8, officers received a report of four people flashing guns inside a blue Chevrolet Tahoe at Hamilton Viewpoint Park on the 1100 block of California Ave. S.W. Officers spoke to the 23-year-old driver and spotted a gun under the driver’s seat. They then arrested the driver, since he was a convicted felon and unable to legally possess guns. The officers later served a warrant on the vehicle to recover the gun. Police are currently investigating a possible connection between the incident and gun violence in the South Park neighborhood. Officers identified and released the three other passengers in the vehicle and booked the driver into the King County Jail for unlawful possession of a firearm.