Possible break-in on 30th Avenue S.W.

At 7 p.m. on Tues., Jan. 3, police were dispatched to a possible burglary at a residence located on the 7700 block of 30th Avenue S.W. The victim said she came to check on her deceased father’s home. When she opened the door, she heard the security alarm sounding. She went to the back of the house and saw the door had been forced open and a ladder was propped by the awning. Officers searched the property but could not find any individuals on site or find any other damage. They could not locate any fingerprints or other evidence. There were not items confirmed missing from the home.

Assault on employees on 42nd Avenue S.W.

At 11:30 a.m. on Sat., Dec. 31, customers inside a store located on the 4500 block of 42nd Avenue S.W. called police to say an employee was holding a man down on the ground outside. Officers arrived and learned that the store’s co-manager was alerted by a number of customers that someone was harassing shoppers. When she asked the man to leave the store, he started cursing at her. She tried to corral him towards the store exit, but he swung at her and hit her arm. Another employee observed the incident and soon got involved in trying to get the suspect to leave. The suspect hit the other employee in the head with a full can of beer. The suspect told officers that he was buying beer and minding his own business, when the employees assaulted him. He was taken to the SW Precinct to be booked for a misdemeanor assault.

Robber takes driver’s cell phone and wallet

A professional driver dropped off his last fare for the night on the 9400 block of Delridge Way S.W., just before midnight on Sat., Dec. 31. He parked nearby to smoke a cigarette and make a phone call. Then a man in his mid-30s approached. The driver described him as about 5’ 6” tall, weighing about 150 lbs and wearing a black hoody and blue jeans. The man entered the vehicle and had a gun, which he held to the driver’s ribs, demanding all money. The victim emptied his wallet and gave his cell phone to the suspect. The suspect then fled on foot toward White Center. The victim drove home to Kent and called 911. He was told that he could not be helped until he returned to Seattle. Later, the victim’s mother received a call from her son’s phone. The suspect offered to meet the victim and sell him the phone back for $30. The victim reported the call to the S.W. Precinct.

Night clerk runs from robber

The night time clerk at a business located on the 9200 block 35th Avenue S.W. usually locks the doors and lets customers know to knock if they need service. He wanted to be safe due to past problems at this location. Around 2 a.m. on Sat., Dec. 31, he was cleaning the floors and saw a man standing at the door with his face covered up and a gun in his hand. The suspect pointed a gun at the clerk and ordered him to open the door. The victim ran into a room behind the corner. The suspect fired a shot at the store, before taking off. An officer parked nearby heard the shot and drove to the store to check on the clerk. He searched the area and found a witness who saw someone running in the area after the shot was fired. A K9 unit came to the scene but could not find the suspect. The police are still investigating the crime.