Sleeping suspect found inside stolen car

Police responded to a report of an auto theft in West Seattle around 7 a.m. on Sun., April 2. The victim, who resided on the 3500 block of S.W. Trenton Street, said he parked his 2016 Nissan in front of his home the night before and discovered it missing in the morning. About two hours later, the victim reported that the “Nissan Connect” tracking device indicated his car was parked on the 4700 block of S.W. Dakota Street. Officers went to the spot and found a 43-year-old man inside the vehicle, asleep and under the influence of an unknown substance. The vehicle was parked, and the engine was still running. The car was also full of other stolen items, including clothing, power tools and an air compressor. The officers took the suspect into custody and booked him into the King County Jail for auto theft. The victim retrieved his vehicle after the other items were removed and placed into evidence. 

Attempted robbery on 38th Avenue S.W.

Police were dispatched to the 2700 block of 38th Avenue S.W. around 8:50 p.m. on Sat., April 1 to investigate an attempted robbery. The victim saw a man sitting in the driver’s seat of his car and demanded to know what he was doing. A struggle followed and the suspect yelled that he had a gun and would shoot. The suspect retrieved a small handgun from his pocket, and the victim let go and stepped back. The suspect then fled south, turning east on S.W. Stevens Street. The victim waited for a while and then followed the suspect. He described the man as in his late 20s, clean-shaven, with a medium build and dark hair, wearing a light shirt, dark jacket, sneakers, dark pants and a dark cap. A K-9 unit tracked for the suspect but could not find him. Officers found bullets, a screwdriver and various keys inside the car that did not belong to the victim. No fingerprints were discovered inside the vehicle.

Burglary on S.W. Othello Street

A man residing on the 700 block of S.W. Othello St. left his home around 7 a.m. on Sat., April 1 and returned at 4:30 p.m. to find the door connecting his garage to his kitchen was wide open. He then found damage to the back door— a hole burned through the screen and broken glass. Officers took a report of a number of stolen items and lifted possible fingerprints from the door. The suspects left behind a sheet of paper and a pocketknife at the house. Both items were placed into evidence.

Burglary on 36th Avenue S.W.

Around noon on Thurs., March 30, police were dispatched to the 3000 block of 36th Avenue S.W. to investigate a burglary. The victim said he woke up at 7 a.m. and walked to his basement, where he found the door to his garage was open. He went into the garage and discovered the door was open to the driveway. He then checked his vehicle and found the glove compartment was open and remote controls to the garage were missing. He did not notice any property missing from the home. Officers were able to lift fingerprints from the passenger door of the vehicle, which were entered into evidence.