WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: They called police for help – then ended up in jail
On Saturday, a Gatewood resident asked us about a notable police presence near 39th/Austin. Nothing major had caught our attention on police radio, but when we went back through the archives to try to piece together what the response was for, it turned out to be a surprising story – the people arrested had actually attracted police attention by requesting help for something unrelated. We requested the report narrative today, and it verifies what we heard.
It started with a request for a “standby” around 11:45 am on Saturday (November 7). The caller wanted police to help them retrieve their stolen phone, which they said was tracking to a location near 39th/Austin. That’s where we pick up the report narrative:
While [the officer was] en route, a community member called to report a suspicious occupied vehicle in the area of Sw Austin St / Glenridge Way Sw and a female could be heard in the background telling the caller they were waiting to retrieve stolen property. The caller provided license plate WA/XXXX and described the vehicle as a green Subaru. Per WACIC records WA/XXXX had been reported as a stolen rear license plate and belonged to a silver Subaru per Department of Licensing records. (See SPD #26- 327295)
I arrived on scene at approximately 1203 hours. I observed a green Subaru station wagon parked at Sw Austin St / Glenridge Way Sw bearing license plate WA/XXXX and observed three subjects exit the vehicle. I made contact with them and they confirmed that they had called in the request for a civil stand-by. The three were identified as (redacted).
The VIN on the Subaru did not match the VIN registered to the vehicle which belonged with the stolen license plate (WA/XXXX). I checked the VIN on the green Subaru and confirmed that it belonged to a Subaru with license plate WA/XXXX; that vehicle had been reported stolen on 10/30/26. (See SPD #26-324518) Additionally, I observed that the Subaru had extensive ignition damage and was missing a majority of the ignition. The stolen vehicle record was verified.
S/XXXX stated that he had borrowed the vehicle from his friend XXXX earlier in the day after his friend refused to give them a ride. S/XXXX stated that he noticed the missing ignition and believed it was weird, so he asked XXXX and XXXX told him that it had been previously stolen but was recovered. S/XXXX chose to drive the vehicle anyway. S/XXXX stated that he used a small tool as a key to start the vehicle since the ignition was damaged.
Based on my observations of the vehicle, and S/XXXX’s statements about the vehicle’s condition and his initial beliefs about it possibly being stolen, I believe that S/XXXX reasonably would have known that the vehicle was stolen. As such I developed probable cause for a violation of RCW 9A.56.068 (Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle). S/XXXX was subsequently arrested for that violation without incident. … I located a small black pry bar on the driver floor board of the vehicle, which S/XXXX confirmed he used as the key to start it. … S/XXXX was transported to King County Jail where he was booked without incident. … The registered owner of the Subaru was notified and it was impounded at his request. XXXX and XXXX were arrested and booked for unrelated charges.
The 41-year-old man under investigation for possession of a stolen vehicle is still in jail at this hour. He has a criminal record including a plea bargain in a 2023 case that also started as possession of a stolen vehicle. According to court documents in that case, he was arrested in Burien in a stolen vehicle that he also told police he had borrowed from a friend. In 2024 he pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of vehicle prowling and was sentenced to the two months in jail he had already served. Court documents from that case also show his residence was, at least at the time, in Arbor Heights.
