Armed robber targets West Seattle estate sale
SEATTLE -- Police are searching for an armed robber who held up several people during a Thursday afternoon estate sale in West Seattle.
A masked, armed man stormed into a home on SW Hinds Street and Belvidere Avenue SW at 3:45 p.m., according to police. The man stole cash and jewelry from the people inside before leaving on foot.
The first report in indicated the man might have fired shots during the robbery, but officers have yet to find any evidence of that.
Chris Foss of Foss Appraisals was running the estate sale when the robber burst in.
"(He) came in telling everyone to get on the ground," Foss said. "There were three employees and probably five or six customers in the house at the time for an estate sale we were running."
Foss said the man was in and out in roughly two minutes, getting away with approximately $4,000 in jewelry and $4,000 in cash.
Victim Allison Guinn said the robber seemed to know exactly what he was after.
"I heard the guy come in, screaming and yelling, telling everyone to get down on the floor with their heads down," Guinn said.
Witnesses said the robber wore black, was stocky and looked to be in his 20s, but police have not yet released a detailed description of the man.
About an hour after the robbery, police stopped a driver near California Avenue SW and SW Hanford Street, but that man has since been released.
Nobody was injured in the robbery.
A masked, armed man stormed into a home on SW Hinds Street and Belvidere Avenue SW at 3:45 p.m., according to police. The man stole cash and jewelry from the people inside before leaving on foot.
The first report in indicated the man might have fired shots during the robbery, but officers have yet to find any evidence of that.
Chris Foss of Foss Appraisals was running the estate sale when the robber burst in.
"(He) came in telling everyone to get on the ground," Foss said. "There were three employees and probably five or six customers in the house at the time for an estate sale we were running."
Foss said the man was in and out in roughly two minutes, getting away with approximately $4,000 in jewelry and $4,000 in cash.
Victim Allison Guinn said the robber seemed to know exactly what he was after.
"I heard the guy come in, screaming and yelling, telling everyone to get down on the floor with their heads down," Guinn said.
Witnesses said the robber wore black, was stocky and looked to be in his 20s, but police have not yet released a detailed description of the man.
About an hour after the robbery, police stopped a driver near California Avenue SW and SW Hanford Street, but that man has since been released.
Nobody was injured in the robbery.
Oksy serious question folks, a man or woman at the estate sale has a concealed weapon perrmit. the robber is already totally worked up, if someone was to pull out gun and shoot at him, and miss because he is running around wild, how do you keep yourself and everyone on the ground safe from this madman??? I'm a good shot, but shooting a totally irrational wildly moving target is a tough shot at best. There is no good solution to this situation
Â
Then there is the liability of shooting at a robber and missing and possibly hitting a patron. And what if the situation escalates and he starts shooting everyone on the ground. I bet the police already have this situation outlined, but even then its a tough situation to address....
 @Ringmaster2000 The alternative is to let the robber take and possibly do whatever he wants. Many of these people are hopped up on drugs, so he might get nervous or freak out and kill someone any way. You want to take a chance on that and be a sheep who pleads with a wolf to not hurt them? That's absurd.Â
Yeah, I think we are going to see a definate surge in gun related criminal activity because of the current anti-gun related issues. The criminals know that their opportunities are at the threshold of extinction and they are going to capitalize on it while they can.......(((ahem))), pardon my capricious sarcasm.
I'm glad no one was seriously injured. Criminals look for every opportunity and will find openings where you least expect. We've got new construction in our neighborhood. We've had people by stealing and dumping at the construction sites; one of the sites is barely visible. Lockup folks and get an alarm!
I think he was caught on camera thanks to homeland
Okay, I am going to pi$$ off quite a few people but with all of the pro-gun AR fans out there - why don't you volunteer to act as guards for estate sales? Â You could have prevented this from happening. Â Just sayin'
@Smokin Bear ...I already have a job. Ones personal safety is ones OWN responsibility.
 @TreeTopFlyer  @Smokin Yeah but just think, you could be like Batman for people running estate sales. Â
 @Smokin Bear  @TreeTopFlyer Robin was rich too, since he was basically adopted by Batman.
 @NW-Economist  @TreeTopFlyer Ah...Then, you could be Robin...LOL!
 @Smokin Bear  @TreeTopFlyer Batman was rich and could do that, the rest of us have to work for a living...
Why wasn't the homeowner or anyone else but the robber armed? **facepalm** C'mon people when are you gonna WAKE UP!?!?!?
 @TreeTopFlyer I know a lot of people that write (or say) that they are armed at all times "just in case" but if I felt that it was necessary for me to carry my weapon on my person at all times I would seriously look for another place to live. There is also the matter of IF a person DID have a pistol in his/her pocket but the thief had his weapon trained on the person, could the victim get their weapon out, aim AND fire before the thief shot them?
@Furd ...Appreciated the comment. I treat my CCP just as I do a fire extinguisher...it's there if I need it whether im sitting at a stoplight waiting for the light to change or at an estate sale. My personal safety is based totally on situational awareness and preparedness. If even a few people that were sponsoring the estate sale would have been wearing a sidearm to protect their property, then this dirtbag would probably have been more inclined to "shop" somewhere else. We make it too easy for these zombies to do their "work". I've never been in a situation were I have had to draw, and I hope I never have to, but I will, ONLY in self-defense or when I see that a felony is about to occur. Also, a warning shot into the air **facepalm** will not be an option. Professional and sustained training is the best option.
@dome200q ...lol
@TreeTopFlyer Dam it!  I had to look up what you meant by facepalm. Sometimes I hate this thing.......
@Furd @TreeTopFlyer
Those are valid points especially about the time to draw, jack a round into the chamber (for those that actually understand firearm safety), aim and then, fireâ¦..
Â
Two other points forcibly brought to my attention during Nam â being able to hit what you are aiming at (youâd be appalled by how hard it is for even those wearing side-arms daily to hit what they are aiming for â like LEOâs) and even MORE importantly, being able to hit what you are aiming at while under return fire.
@TreeTopFlyer
Not everybody is keen on using a weapon to take a life, and neither are most people that say they are â although most donât know it until itâs time to kill.
@dome200q ...agreed. However when a bad guy comes at you and you just sit or stand there a sheep, who's fault is that when you get robbed? The dude just waltzed in and waltzed right out with the goods and nobody did anything. Pathetic.
@TreeTopFlyer
Maybe he did, but I saw his interview later, He fessed up to his inability to squeeze the trigger. Thatâs why it stuck with me all these years. Think it was on KING-5.Â
@dome200q ...I may be mistaken, but I think the civilian at theTacoma Mall shooting may have had his safety "on" which prevented him from pulling the trigger. Doh! But all kidding aside, yeah it's tough when you're face-to-face with a zombie and one can easily be frozen with fear and adrenaline.
@TreeTopFlyer
No arguments about being ready, but still, most *things* arenât worth taking a life over. Personal welfare and the welfare of others, yes, things no.Â
Â
My point is better illustrated by a KOMO story several years ago, the Tacoma Mall shooting. If you remember, a civilian who was carrying rushed the shooter prior to the LEOâs getting there, but once he engaged the mall shooter, he couldnât pull the trigger. He himself was shot, and put into a wheelchair.
Â
Itâs not something that everybody can do, but mouthing off that a body can like a lot of posters do, is easy.
Oh man, another criminal who must have forgotten to turn in his guns at the buyback....