The following are selected reports from the Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct. They represent the officers’ accounts of the events described.
Backyard Prowl
Just after 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, police responded to a burglary at a house in the 3400 block of 12th Avenue West.
The homeowner told police her car — which was parked in her backyard — was prowled overnight. A shed was broken into as well.
The victim said the burglary occurred sometime between 9:30 p.m. the previous night and 7:30 a.m. that morning, and $600 worth of items were taken.
Stolen Keys
At approximately 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 16, the owner of a restaurant in the 100 block of Republican Street called 911 to report a burglary that occurred overnight.
He told responding officers that sometime between 11:30 p.m. the previous night and noon that day, someone removed an exterior lockbox, which contained the key to the front door.
The suspect got the key out and went inside, stealing several bottles of alcohol in a wicker basket, a set of interior keys was taken and the register was jammed closed so the victim couldn’t open it.
He estimated it would cost him about $200 to replace the locks.
Failed Burglary
Shortly after 8 p.m. on Nov. 20, police responded to an attempted burglary at a house in the 1200 block of Warren Avenue North.
The homeowner said the incident occurred during the day when the house was empty, between 8:10 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. She said her landscaping company had been on site during the day but she didn’t believe any of the workers were involved in the burglary.
When the victim returned home from work just before 5 p.m., she found fresh pry marks on a basement door, but the door was still shut and she didn’t believe anybody entered the house.
The suspect did cut a lockbox off of an exterior wall and took it.
Signs of a Break In
Just before 1 p.m. on Nov. 22, police responded to a possible burglary at a condominium in the 600 block of West Mercer Street.
The assistant building manager reported that some of the residents had noticed some unusual signs that there may have been a burglar in their midst.
The first sign was that the electric garage door seemed to be malfunctioning the previous night. One resident reported that the door partially opened, then stopped, then started working normally at about 11:30 p.m. She said she didn’t see anybody in the garage when she parked, but someone could have been hiding.
Another resident reported that her toolbox had been opened, but didn’t think anything was missing. She also reported her electric bike had been moved, and there was a wood saw left next to it, but the lock wasn’t cut or damaged.
Responding police gave the assistant building manager and residents some security tips for the building. They also took a look at the garage door and found no signs of tampering.
Intruders
Just after 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 20, police responded to a burglary in progress at a restaurant in the 300 block of Harrison Street.
A member of the building’s overnight security staff found two suspects in the kitchen. He asked the suspects how they got in and they stated they’d used a door. The suspects yelled at the security guard, using derogatory language and calling him a “rent-a-cop.”
Once the suspects heard the security officer speak into his radio, stating there were intruders in the building, the suspects ran out the back kitchen door, climbed over a fence and ran away. While making their exit one of the suspects threw a wine bottle at the security guard.
Responding police looked around the area for the suspects, but didn’t find them. They found some evidence inside the kitchen, including wine bottles with possible fingerprints.