Woman fights off man who tried to break into her house, Alki Beach community discusses crime
Council meets to discuss crime and safety in Alki Beach community
Residents are still concerned about a violent crash that occurred last week, that sent a woman and her car into Elliott Bay. Some residents don't believe the streets are safe due to lack of speed bumps and patrols.
SEATTLE - A violent crash plunged a woman and her car into Elliot Bay on July 16. She was in serious condition as of this week, and police say a driver speeding down Alki Avenue in West Seattle was to blame.
Residents are still concerned about that crash and other crime, and want to see something done. Members of the Alki Beach community met with Seattle Police for an update on the state of crime and safety in the community Thursday evening.
They feel that some of the streets near the beach are not safe due to a lack of speed bumps, speed cameras and patrols.
Surveillance video shows crash that sent car flying into Puget Sound waters, critically injuring woman
Surveillance video obtained by FOX 13 Seattle captures the moment a crash sent a car flying into Elliott Bay on Sunday, critically injuring a woman.
We also talked with one woman was recently assaulted by a stranger at her door July 11 and no longer feels safe in her own home.
"He started coming in, trying to come in the doorway," said Monique Emmons, a West Seattle resident. "I’m just like full panic."
Her child was in the bathtub when the stranger, who had been pacing the neighborhood and sitting in a nearby doorway, tried to push through the door. She screamed and kept him out.
"I kept yelling, 'I'm dead serious. I have a kid in here'," said Emmons. "I screamed so loud he was leaving and turned around to throw the can at me."
The can hit her in the leg, leaving a bruise. When officers responded, he was gone. Emmons and others at the Alki Community Council Meeting believe a lack of available officers and patrols could be to blame for upticks in crime and violent crashes like the recent incident caught on camera July 16th. A woman was critically injured and the force of the crash sent her vehicle into the waters of Puget Sound.
"In the middle it’s Alki speedway and God be with you if you want to cross that street," said one of the participants in the Thursday meeting.
>> Car plunges into Elliott Bay with driver still inside
"I’d walked there 15 minutes beforehand, they could have taken 12 people into the Sound," said a meeting participant.
A police lieutenant serving as a guest speaker told residents that it's still unclear what charges the at-fault driver might face, and what toxicology reports show.
"It has to go through the state lab for us to get that information," she said.
She says year-to-date in most of West Seattle, the only crimes that are up are homicides and motor vehicle thefts, with six this year compared to one last year, but she said Alki is an "outlier" with two compared to zero in 2022.
"We’re also seeing that robberies and aggravated assaults have been trending up as well," she said.
Thought her bruise has since faded, Emmons says a lack of sense of safety remains.
"I don’t care about the physical wounds, it’s about being violated essentially," said Emmons.
Police also talked about the Atlantic Street Boat Landing, where there have been several shootings. She says there have been several discussions on how to close off the boat landing.