WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: HVAC system theft alert; assault/robbery suspect arrested;

Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

HVAC SYSTEMS TARGETED: The West Seattle Junction Association is circulating this alert to businesses; we’re republishing it with permission:



… Seattle Fish had their refrigerator/HVAC system vandalized over the weekend. Someone had punctured it to drain the oil and relieve pressure. The would-be thief must have been scared off, as they not did take the system.

Last night, however, these thieves returned and broke into the back area of CenturyLink and stole two units. If your system is exposed, especially at street level, please take warning. There are thieves targeting these systems for scrap metal. We have alerted our security patrols to pay extra attention in the alleys. Please protect your property.

Seattle Fish Company and the CenturyLink facility are both on the west side of the 4400 block of California SW.

ASSAULT/ROBBERY SUSPECT ARRESTED: A 42-year-old man is in jail, accused in a shoplift-turned-robbery at Jefferson Square Safeway late last night. We requested and obtained the report narrative from police. It says police were called after 11 pm and told a man had thrown an employee into a shelf, hit a customer, took items, and left the store. Employees told them it began with the man yelling and causing a disturbance in the store. When confronted, he hit the person who confronted him “three times in his head with a toy guitar” (who the confronter was is not clear because of redactions). Earlier, officers were told, the suspect was seen “stuffing his backpack with stolen food products and merchandise”; he was reported to have become upset and lashed out when seeing an employee “recording him.” Nobody wanted/needed medical attention after all this, but the recordings helped police recognize the suspect from a different call, and they arrested him after spotting him walking near 35th/Avalon a half-hour later. The report says he was wearing the same clothes as during the store incident – and that officers also found the “toy guitar” as well as items stolen from Safeway.

TIRES SLASHED: This is from an anonymous reader:

I live at California and Hinds. I routinely park my car on 42nd. This morning two of my tires were slashed and the hood of my car scratched by a sharp object. As was another vehicle in the same block.

This happened around 11 pm last night 01/29/25. If anyone saw anything or knows of who may have committed this crime please contact the Seattle Police, two incident reports have been made.

I am beyond sickened that someone would do this. Destroying someone’s property with malicious and violent intent is a crime. Doing it in such an aggressive manner shows that it was done premeditated … let people know to be on the lookout for suspicious behavior, and Tesla drivers, no matter what your political leanings are, turn on your Sentry Modes.

We have a followup question out to confirm whether that means their vandalized car is a Tesla and if they know whether the other one was. (UPDATE: Yes, they say, both targeted cars are Teslas.)

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37 Replies to "WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: HVAC system theft alert; assault/robbery suspect arrested; Tesla tires slashed"

 

The thieves are not stealing the HVAC units for scrap metal, they are stealing the units for the specialty metal they contain to sell as scrap. In addition the refrigerant can be used in the meth making process, someone’s making some money breaking the law and it’s quite obvious who.

 

Had a similar issue last year, and after fixing things up, I made sure to check all the drainage and gutter stuff too since poor drainage was causing problems around the HVAC pad. Found https://emersonproservices.com/gutters-drainage-dallas/ really helpful—they handled the gutter and drainage fixes fast, and no more pooling water or shifting around the unit.