The King County Sheriff’s Department reports that a 22-year old Burien man was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday morning (Jan. 26th) around 1am while walking near Chelsea Park when two men approached him, brandished a gun to his chest and stole his cell phone.
According to Sgt. John Urquhart, both suspects then ran away, but were chased by the victim. When they saw this the suspects popped off a few shots at him, which generated several “shots fired” calls to 911.
The victim didn’t give up though – police say that he caught up with the two men in Chelsea Park (at SW 136th and 8th Ave SW) and starting fighting with the unarmed one. But the one with the gun pistol-whipped the victim on the back of the head. The fight ended when both fighters got tired and the two suspects “ran’ off again.
One deputy looking for the ‘shots fired” call found the victim staggering down the street with head lacerations. A K-9 unit tracked one of the suspects to the park nearby, and also found the gun that was used hidden under a garbage can along with the stolen cell phone.
The victim, a Burien man, was treated and released.
The captured suspect, a Seattle man, age 19, was taken to the hospital and stitched up before being booked in jail for investigation of Robbery.
The second suspect was not located.
UPDATE TUES. 1/5/10: The 15-year old girl who was fatally shot on New Year’s Eve in Burien has been identified as Mikarah Nasabreo Sanders by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Sanders was shot in the head by her 16-year old former boyfriend around 9:30pm on Thursday, Dec. 31st at an apartment complex in the 12400 block of Ambaum Blvd. SW.
She later died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
The shooter, who also shot himself in an apparent suicide attempt, is still under police supervision at Harborview while he recovers.
Authorities say that he’ll likely will be charged with murder for this crime, and is expected to be charged as an adult.
PREVIOUSLY:
The King County Sheriff’s Department released more information on the double shooting that happened Thursday night (Dec. 31st), and here’s the latest, as of 1:45pm Jan. 1st:
King County Deputies responded to a double shooting last night at an apartment complex located at 12445 Ambaum Blvd SW.
When deputies arrived at 9.30 PM they found a juvenile male and a juvenile female both suffering gunshot wounds.
The female later died from her wounds and the male is being treated in hospital for what appears to be a serious but non life threatening gunshot wound.
At this time detectives are continuing their inquiries.
The preliminary investigation indicates the juvenile male shot the female and likely shot himself; however, detectives have not had the opportunity to interview him.
He is under police guard at hospital while the investigation continues.
PREVIOUSLY:
KING-TV reports that a “double shooting” happened Thursday night (Dec. 31st) around 9:30pm at an apartment complex located at SW 124th and Ambaum Blvd.
One of the victims, a teenage girl, died last night from her injuries; a 16-year-old boy was severely injured. Both were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
The shooter remains at large, and no description has been released. As of 10:30am Friday (Jan. 1st), reports are that the gunman was actually the 16-year old boy; we’re still awaiting word back from police on this and will update as soon as we learn more.
“We are currently guarding the male half at Harborview,” said Burien Police Chief Scott Kimerer Friday morning. “I am not sure if the reports have the complete story but I have nothing else right now.”
According to police, the two victims were found in separate apartments, and reports are that an argument apparently led to the shootings.
We’ll post more info as we get it, so stay tuned.
According to numerous witnesses, two separate crime incidents resulted in shots fired and tires slashed on at least six cars near Burien’s Three Tree Point neighborhood over the last week.
Here are details as relayed to us by neighbors:
- On Sunday, Oct. 11th, shots were fired during an incident where one neighbor allegedly assaulted guests of another neighbor’s residence. No one was injured, and apparently only minor injuries resulted from the assault. At least eight King County Sheriff’s Department officers responded, along with one helicopter, pictured (photos courtesy Dane Johnson) and, according to witnesses, they were heavily armed as they searched the neighborhood for the suspect. The assaulting individual was apprehended and taken to jail. Officers have been called to the residence multiple times in the past, and reports are that actions are being taken to get the renters evicted from this property. Here are two postings from the Three Tree Point Yahoo Group:
“16XXX Maplewild, it’s a rental that was recently foreclosed on … one of the individuals living there is often under the influence, easily agitated and violent when provoked.”
“FYI, last night’s ( ~ 11:00 – 1:00) police activity in the 16500 block of Maplewild SW was due to a neighborhood incident where one of the neighbors assaulted guests of another neighbor’s residence ending with gunshots being fired. No one was shot and I believe only minor injuries resulted from the assault. At least 8 officers responded and they were heavily armed as they searched the neighborhood. The assaulting individual was being taken to jail. This is not the first time this has happened w/ this individual. Officers have been called to the residence (a rental at 16XXX Maplewild) multiple times in the past. Actions are being taken to get the renters evicted from this property.”
- On Thursday, Oct. 8th, six cars had their tires slashed on the north end of Maplewild after midnight. No suspects were seen, but a police report was taken. Here’s a posting from the Three Tree Point Yahoo Group:
“I don’t know if anyone knew what happened on the north end of Maplewild last week (Thursday night Oct. 8th), but six cars (that we know of) had their tires slashed. Ours had 7 stabs in it and was parked in front of our garage. The police came and did a report, but we all know how far that will go. It was after midnight on Thursday because we had been out to the airport before that. It was certainly a waste for everyone involved, I was out of town so I don’t know if it was in the three tree group or not. Just letting people know how they have to be so careful with their property, and never ever leave anything valuable in their car.”
(Photos by Dane Johnson)
According to Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Department, a 41 year-old woman shot her 55 year-old boyfriend at least twice with a handgun around 10:30pm last night (Oct. 1st) in the 800 block of SW 117th, which is in the newly-annexed area.
The male victim was taken to Harborview Hospital in Seattle with non life- threatening injuries.
The couple live with the man’s brother and the woman’s 15 year-old son, both of whom were home at the time of the shooting.
The son called 911 and everyone except the female suspect made their way out of the house as deputies arrived.
The woman refused to come out of the house or communicate with deputies for over three hours. Eventually the Sheriff’s SWAT Team entered the residence and took the woman into custody just before 2am.
The female suspect was booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Assault in the First Degree. A small caliber handgun was recovered inside the house.
The King County Sheriff’s Department is asking for the public’s help in finding a white, 1990s-model 4-door BMW 5 Series car (see included reference photos of a similar vehicle) driven by the suspects in a shooting that left an 18 year-old man dead on Wednesday night.
As we previously reported, the incident occurred about 11:30pm on Wednesday, June 24th. The victim was in the back seat of a car that was southbound on Military Road South. Four friends were with him in the car. A second vehicle began following the victim’s car but turned off at South 140th. As it did, several rounds were fired and the man was hit.
The men drove straight to Highline Medical Center in Burien, and the victim collapsed in the entrance to the Emergency Room. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The dead man is believed to be from California and was in the area visiting relatives.
If anyone recognizes the vehicle or has information on the shooting they are asked to call the King County Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311 (24 hours) or 911.
According to the King County Sheriff’s Department, an 18 year-old man was shot in SeaTac last night around 11:30pm, and subsequently died at Burien’s Highline Medical Center.
The victim was riding in the back seat of a car that was southbound on Military Road South. Four friends were with him in the car. A second vehicle began following the victim’s car but turned off at South 140th; as it did, several rounds were fired and the male victim was hit.
The men drove straight to Highline Medical Center and the man collapsed in the entrance to the Emergency Room. He was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
The dead man is believed to be from California and was in the area visiting relatives.
All the people in the victim’s car were male and in their late teens or early 20s.
There is no description of the suspect vehicle, and no apparent motive for the shooting.
The King County Sheriff’s Office announced Sunday that they have arrested the fourth and final suspect in last week’s brazen shooting in SeaTac, with all alleged shooters now in custody.
The 21 year-old Kent man showed up at the jail Saturday night (April 11th) accompanied by his lawyer.
The shooting that precipitated these arrests occurred about 4pm on Tuesday, April 7th when a 2000 Cadillac was ambushed as it waited at a red light at South 188th and International Blvd. At least 20 rounds were fired into the car from an AK-47-type rifle as the gunman stood near the sidewalk. The driver was critically injured and the front seat passenger sustained serious injuries from several gunshot wounds.
The driver remains at Harborview, clinging to life.
The first to be arrested was the getaway driver, age 20 from Seattle. He was hit by a pistol round-to-the-groin as the car left the scene. Detectives believe he was shot accidently by one of the other persons in the car. He was released from Harborview and booked into jail on April 9th.
Another suspect was arrested in Burien on April 10th. He is a 21 year-old SeaTac man.
A 21 year-old Seattle man was arrested in central Idaho, also on April 10th. He is awaiting extradition.
Charges for all four are expected next week. In the meantime, bail was set at $2,000,000 each for Attempted Murder.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
- Three Out Of Four SeaTac Shooters Arrested, One In Burien
- VIDEO: Security Cam Footage From SeaTac Shooting
The Seattle P-I is reporting about an impending lawsuit against the Highline School District over what the mother of a deceased boy alleges as a flourishing “handgun trade” at Highline High School.
Here are some snippets from the story, which you can read in full here:
The mother of a 17-year-old Seattle boy shot to death by his stepbrother has filed suit against the shooter’s family and the Highline School District, where she alleges school officials negligently allowed a handgun trade to “flourish” — a charge attorneys for the district strenuously deny.
In court papers, Lucero’s suit follows the gun used to kill her son and argues that those who failed to stop its movement — including Tautua-Jantoc — should be held responsible for Michael Miller’s death.
According to police reports filed following the shooting, Tautua-Jantoc took a Glock pistol from his father’s collection of weapons some time prior to the shooting. Thomas Baisch, an attorney for Lucero, now contends that the boy kept the gun at Highline High School for weeks before he traded it for the gun that killed Michael Miller.
Highline School District attorney Jerry Moberg disputed Baisch’s claim, saying he’s seen no evidence to support either the allegation that Tautua-Jantoc acquired the gun at the school or that school officials allowed a gun trade to “flourish.”
The King County Sheriff’s Department released the above video Wednesday, which was taken from a security camera near the intersection of International Blvd. and South 188th Street in SeaTac, where a Tuesday shooting injured two, one critically.
Police are looking for help in identifying the suspects in the silver Ford Taurus, which can be seen about :20 seconds in.
Here are details directly from the Sheriff’s office:
The Sheriff’s Office is looking for any witnesses to yesterday’s shooting in SeaTac. Two men were wounded, one critically. In addition, a possible suspect was shot in the groin, and the circumstances surrounding that injury remain unclear.
A video is attached that shows the immediate aftermath of the shooting. The video starts just after about 20 rounds were fired from an AK-47 or similar rifle into a stopped car occupied by four people, include a 2 year-old boy.
About 8 seconds into the video the victim’s Cadillac can be seen trying to force its way through congested traffic after the shots were fired.
Then the suspect’s Ford Taurus comes into clear view as three suspects clamber back into the car and it flees northbound on International Blvd.
Detectives would like to speak with anyone who was stuck in traffic and may be able to identify the suspects.
Witnesses are asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at (206) 296-3311.
Barry L. Saunders, 21, is wanted in connection with the deadly Southcenter shooting Nov. 22nd.
According to KOMO News, the public is being asked to help find the suspect in last weekend’s fatal shooting at Tukwila’s Southcenter Mall.
Mike Murphy of the Tukwila Police said an arrest warrant has been issued for Barry L. Sanders, 21, for the fatal shooting of a teenager as well as the wounding of another on Saturday Nov. 22nd.
Police say that Saunders may still be armed, and anyone who sees, knows him or knows where he is should call 911 immediately.
Tips may also be called in to Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.
A shooting inside Tukwila’s Westfield Southcenter Mall Saturday afternoon left one man dead and another seriously injured, the gunman still at large, and the mall locked down for a while before being evacuated.
We know you don’t read the B-Town Blog for this kind of news, but we had to post it anyways since Burien is less than five miles away.
Here are two videos related to the incident – the first taken on a cell phone by someone who walked up to and near the victim, and the second from two young women stuck in traffic trying to get to the mall:
For full coverage of this terrible incident, we recommend reading:
A Burien man was sentenced to more than 97 years in prison for shooting and killing his boss and two others more than five years ago.
Tony Smith, 29, was convicted of three counts of first degree murder for the shooting deaths of Francisco Santos-Rojas, 24, his 16-year-old nephew, Edgar Santos and Ruben Fuentes, 24.
The three were slain Jan. 3, 2003, in an SUV parked on the West Valley Highway in Kent.
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According to several news sources, a man was found shot to death in his car near SeaTac Airport early Monday morning.
The man, in his 30s, was found slumped over the wheel in a car near the intersection of International Blvd (aka Highway 99) and State Route 518 just after midnight.
The shooter remains at large.
Apaprently, SR-518 was closed down for a while as police dogs and a helicopter searched the area, causing backups for drivers headed to or from the area.
The name of the man who was killed has not been released.
Video of the story available here.
SOURCES:
Two men were seriously injured after being shot in the parking lot of Forest View Apartments Thursday night around 8:40pm.
According to King County Sgt. John Urquhart, three men were standing in the parking lot at SW 122nd Street and Ambaum Boulevard SW when a car drove by, shots were fired, and the car sped off.
Two of the three were shot before they could react, while one was able to avoid being hit. The two were taken an area hospital with serious injuries.
The victims’ names and condition are not known, the gunman remains on the loose, and a motive is not yet known.
If you know anything about this incident, please call the King County Sheriff’s office at (206) 296-3333.
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TUKWILA – Two shootings in Tukwila within about a mile of each other over the weekend left one man dead.
An 18-year-old man was fatally shot Sunday morning on North I-5 near the Boeing Access Road, Tukwila police reported. The shooting occurred around 2:30am when the man was driving northbound with friends, who were not injured.
Tukwila police said it appears the driver was specifically targeted and was not the victim of a random shooting.
His friends rushed him to Harborview Medical Center, where he died, police spokesman Mike Murphy said. As of early Sunday morning, detectives did not have a description of the suspect or that person’s vehicle.
Earlier, on Saturday evening, Tukwila police learned of shots fired less than one mile away from the fatality in the 10700 block of Beacon Avenue South. While the shooter did not hit any of the intended victims, who are teenage men from Seattle, bullets did hit their car.
Police later found the suspect’s car and the Seattle police gang unit also investigated.
Tukwila police did not say whether the two shootings were related.
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WHITE CENTER – A boy barely old enough to drive a car was sentenced to 19 years in prison Friday for the killing of White Center resident Craig Hoffman.
Jonathan Newman, 16, was the last of three teens to be sentenced for burglarizing and shooting the father of four, who was gunned down in the street near his house on 14th SW.
As the suspect who brought the gun and pulled the trigger that day, Newman was prosecuted as an adult, which resulted in the harshest punishment.
Both Newman’s and Hoffman’s relatives attended the emotional hearing at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
Newman pleaded guilty to a second-degree murder charge in April.
His two friends pleaded guilty to burglary charges and were each sentenced to two years in juvenile detention.
On Oct. 19, instead of going to school, the three teens were looking for a house to loot when they saw Hoffman drive away from his house, in the 11000 block of 14th Avenue Southwest, according to King County sheriff’s detectives.
They were ransacking the place when Hoffman unexpectedly returned, so they ran. Hoffman was chasing them when Newman turned and fired three times, striking the 46-year-old twice in the chest.
Investigators say Newman, then 15, laughed as Hoffman collapsed. He died almost instantly, his keys still dangling from the door of his home.
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WHITE CENTER – First-degree murder charges were filed Wednesday against a man accused of shooting another man to death here.
The charge was filed Wednesday in King County Superior Court against 22-year-old Durell L. Campbell.
He was arrested last Thursday and remains in jail with bail set at $2 million pending a hearing May 22 in Superior Court.
Campbell is charged with fatally shooting 22-year-old Robert Crawford on Dec. 17 after a gang-related conversation outside the Magic Lanes Bowling Alley-Casino.
According to an affidavit filed in court, Crawford made a “sarcastic, disparaging remark” to Campbell. Moments later, investigators wrote, Campbell apparently returned and fired about seven shots from a .45-caliber pistol.
Campbell was identified partly through surveillance videotapes. If convicted, he faces a standard sentencing range of 25 to 31 years in prison.
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You’d have to dig a bit to find this, so we thought we’d save you the hassle and post this very interesting Comment from an apparent nephew of Ben Laumea, the father of six who was tragically shot and killed at the MVP Sports Bar in Burien last Sunday morning:
I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY PPL JUS WANT TO DO THINGS LIKE THAT. MY UNKO WAS A GREAT MAN WITH A BIG HEART…HE WAS THE BABYY IN THE FAMILY. AND TO THE GUY WHO SHOT MY UNKO YOU BETTER BE VERY THANKFUL THAT LAW ENFORcEMENT GOT YOU 1ST……MAY YOU REST IN LOVE UNKO BEN ALWAYS IN OURS HEARTS AND ON OUR MINDS. I LOVE YOU FOREVER UNTIL THAT DAY WE MEET AGAIN. IA MANUIA LOU MAGALA. I LOVE YOU UNKO B……………………..
UPDATE (8pm 5/7/08):
Bruce Sivao “Monk” Matagi, 27, of Auburn, was charged by King County prosecutors with first-degree murder for the shooting death of Laumea.
If convicted, the sentence range is 26 to 33 years in prison.
Matagi is being held in the King County Jail on $3 million bail.
He is scheduled to be arraigned May 15 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
Investigators say Laumea was shot once in the head with an AK-47 early Sunday at the MVP Sports Bar, where he used to work.
Witnesses say he was attempting to stop Matagi, who came into the bar and started shooting at the ceiling, allegedly with an AK-47.
UPDATE 7:30am 5/6/08: Sadly, Ben Laumea, the victim of a shooting at the MVP Sports Bar early Sunday, died yesterday of injuries suffered.
According the the Bellingham Herald, King County prosecutors have filed charges in the case of a man who was shot in the head with what a witness says was an assault rifle.
Bruce Sivao Matagi is scheduled for arraignment May 15 at the Regional Justice Center in Kent on charges of attempted first-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors said Monday they would ask that bail be set at $3 million.
First reports were that Ben Laumea, a father of six, was in such bad shape that deputies initially reported him dead. Doctors at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle allegedly found that the bullet entered Laumea’s and exited the back of his skull.
He has since passed away from his injuries.
He risked his life early Sunday when a gunman burst into the bar in Burien around 1 am with an assault rifle. The gunman began firing in the crowded bar, riddling the ceiling with bullet holes as bar patrons fled for cover.
When the gunman reached the front of the bar, he got into a scuffle with Laumea, who used to work as a bouncer at the bar. That’s when Laumea took a bullet and slumped behind the bar. The shooter fled the scene and no one else was hurt.
Friends and family call him “Big Ben.”
“Big guy, Big teddy bear,” said family friend Tikeri Liousamoa.
Liousamoa says she talked to Laumea just hours before gunfire erupted.
“It’s kind of hard and see someone that day and then in five minutes, you lose them, or something bad happens to them,” she said, wiping away the tears.
Laumea worked for years at the bar in the 12800 block of Ambaum Boulevard. He wasn’t working Saturday, but jumped in to help when the gunman began firing recklessly.
Liousamoa hears the shooting may be savage payback.
“From what they said he was targeting Ben,” she said.
A bouncer recognized the gunman as a former customer who was kicked out of the bar several days earlier for fighting.
“When you hear your own people hurting each other, it’s a blow,” said Liousamoa. “Samoans, you know, we have big hearts. We were taught better than that.”
Formerly known as Mario’s, this bar has seen its share of troubles before, most notoriously in 1974 when serial killer Ted Bundy killed Brenda Ball, whom he met there.
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5/4/08 5pm UPDATE: A man was shot inside Burien’s MVP Sports Bar early Sunday morning, and police are still on the lookout for the person who pulled the trigger.
According to King County sheriff’s deputies, the victim was shot with an assault rifle inside the bar (located at 12803 Ambaum Blvd SW) just before 1am.
The victim was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he is in critical condition according to Seattle police. Earlier reports claimed that the victim had died.
The shooter fled the scene after the incident, and so far, there’s no description of the suspect.
Law enforcement officials said the incident began between midnight and 1 a.m. when the suspect came to the bar.
A bouncer recognized him as a former customer who was kicked out several days earlier for fighting, and refused to let him in.
The man left and then returned within a minute, bursting through the back door of the bar with an assault rifle in his hands, witnesses told police.
He began blazing away – mostly firing into the ceiling – as bar patrons scrambled for cover. The man worked his way across the bar to the front door, still firing away, witnesses told King County sheriff’s deputies.
As the man reached the front of the bar, he got into a scuffle with a customer who used to work as a bouncer at the bar. The gunman shot the customer, and the customer fell behind the bar.
Whilst on the scene this afternoon, we saw no evidence of gunshots, blood or other scene-of-the-crime stuff, but we did not get inside where the shooting took place.
Formerly known as Mario’s, this bar has seen its share of troubles before, most notoriously in 1974 when serial killer Ted Bundy killed Brenda Ball, whom he met there.
NEWS VIDEOS:
Here are some photos, taken around Noon today:
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WHITE CENTER – The 16-year old boy who fatally shot a White Center man during a burglary attempt last fall plead guilty this morning to second-degree murder.
Jonathan Newman was originally charged with first-degree murder in juvenile court shortly after the slaying of Craig Hoffman, 46. But the case was remanded to adult court Monday after King County prosecutors agreed to charge the boy with second-degree murder in exchange for the guilty plea.
Sentencing was scheduled for June 13. Prosecutors plan to seek a sentence of up to 23 years in prison.
Andrea Mathison, Hoffman’s sister, was in court this morning when Newman pleaded guilty. She said she was pleased the teen’s plea meant the case would not go to trial.
“He admitted what he did was wrong,” said Hoffman, of Lakewood, Pierce County. “That part is very comforting.”
According to charging papers, Newman, who was 15 at time, and two other teens saw Hoffman drive away from his home the morning of Oct. 19. Newman entered the house through an open garage and then let the other two boys in through the front door. When Hoffman returned a short time later the boys raced out of the house with stolen items in hand, court documents said.
Deputy Prosecutor Amy Montgomery said Newman shot Hoffman as the homeowner was chasing the teens off his property.
The two other teens have pleaded guilty in juvenile court and had agreed to testify against Newman.
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SEATAC – A Kent woman is in serious condition after being shot on State Route 518 while en route to the Burien area Tuesday night.
The King County Sheriff’s office says the 34-year-old woman was driving westbound on SR-518, between I-5 and SeaTac International Airport and Burien, when someone fired several shots at her car, striking her once.
At least two shots were fired from a car that drove up beside her about 10:40 p.m. She pulled off the road near the light rail station at South 154th Street and International Boulevard, where police found her. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where she was in serious condition.
Detectives had little information about the suspect but did not think the shooting was random, sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said.
The woman had no idea why someone would want to shoot her, but told police that her home in Kent had been shot up a few weeks ago, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
No arrests and no specific description of the suspect vehicle.
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