United Airlines flight 2091 heading to Seattle from Chicago O’Hare International Airport was set to take off just around 1:30 p.m. CDT (10:30 a.m. PDT).

The Chicago Fire Department and medical personnel met the plane as a precaution.

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The Airbus 320 had to be towed back to the gate where all 148 passengers and five crewmembers were able to safely get off the plane.

All arrival flights to O’Hare were halted around 45 minutes due to the incident.

The passengers were put on another Airbus 320 plane and that flight left O’Hare just before 7:30 p.m. CDT (4:30 p.m. PDT).

The plane arrived at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) just after 9:30 p.m. PDT.

Phillips said around 12:30 p.m., a man pulled up in a white car, got out, and stole two black containers and a tan military duffel bag from the truck.

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“It hits harder because this is not stuff, I can replace,” she said. “This just really made me mad and sad and disappointed in the people in Tacoma for allowing this theft to happen.”

Surveillance video captured the entire thing on camera. The video shows a white car pulling up next to the U-Haul. The person checks the front seat and then heads to the back of the truck, grabs a tan duffel, and puts it in the car.

The man returns to the U-Haul truck and grabs a black container with a yellow lid and also puts it in the trunk. He starts to drive off but stops again to grab another black container and puts that in the backseat.

The video shows him driving off with Phillips’ things inside.

“The totes were filled with thousands of hard-copy family photos of us, me and my sisters growing up, those aren’t digitized anywhere,” she said. “There was a tan military duffel bag with wheels, tons of straps but inside of it was just sentimental photos and pictures.”

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Phillips said they were gone for less than five minutes when the thief swooped in.

“We didn’t leave long spaces away from the U-Haul where it was unwatched, so it really was a crime of opportunity for him,” she said.

Phillips, an army veteran, said inside the duffel bag were photos and trinkets of all the places she’s been.

“He probably thought there was military gear in it which that can fetch for a high price, Unfortunately for him it was not, it was just pictures that don’t mean a lot to him but mean a lot to us,” she said.

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Phillips said her phone number is written on the yellow lids of the black containers.

Phillips filed a report with Tacoma Police who are investigating. If you have any information, call the Tacoma Police Department.

KIRO 7 News spoke with the victim, Chris Blea, about the attack.

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“I was shocked. I was stunned,” she said.

Blea said she was talking with her friend on the light rail while they were traveling to watch the Seattle Reign play when a woman hit her with a Gatorade bottle with no warning near the Capital Hill light rail station.

“She took a Gatorade bottle and just hit you like a bat upside the head,” Blea said a passenger told her. “My head hit the bar behind us. It was just boom. I was like what just happened.”

King County deputies say they’re searching for this woman who assaulted a passenger with no warning on the Sound Transit light rail on April 21. The victim tells me she suffered a concussion after the attack. Crime Stoppers is offering $1,000 for info (206) 255-8065. pic.twitter.com/ymDLeiaT0B

— Louie Tran (@louie_tran) May 26, 2024

“I ended up with a concussion, whiplash. When I went to the doctor, I had fluid in my ear,” Blea added.

Blea said she believes in the light rail system but has become more hesitant to ride it since the attack.

“I’m a little bit leery still to get back on the light rail,” she shared. “I want to believe it was a one-off. I have to believe it’s going to be safe.”

“I want us to work together as a community. I want us to find this person. I want her to be brought to justice. I do think we need to work together as a community to make sure our city remains safe,” she added.

There have been a number of violent incidents on light rail over the past year, including a 37-year-old man who was stabbed to death a couple of weeks ago.

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This year, there have been 44 assaults on the light rail, the agency told KIRO 7 News.

“Without minimizing how serious any attack is, light rail is still very safe, serving more than 2 million passengers each month,” said a spokesperson for Sound Transit.

Officials told KIRO 7 News that they currently have 500 security staff members to keep passengers safe, including a new team of Public Safety and Security Field Activity Specialists that’s available 24 hours a day for seven days a week, which has decreased their average response time to incidents by more than half, from 10 minutes to five minutes.

Crime Stoppers is offering $1,000 to anyone who has information that can lead to an arrest and charge.

“It’s (safety) extremely important. You expect to feel safe when you’re out and about in public and especially on a communal rail like that,” said Jim Fuda, director for Crime Stoppers of the Puget Sound. “We are a community, and we are only as strong as our citizens. Let’s keep our neighborhood safe. Let’s report things to the police if you feel something is not right, and it makes it safer for everybody.”

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Body camera footage captured the entire incident.

Last July 9, Snohomish County deputies said they received a call about a man with a knife near the intersection of Second Street and Cedar Avenue in Sultan.

LAWSUIT:

According to the lawsuit, Marcus Whybark, now 45, had a mental health episode, possibly due to withdrawals of alcohol.

Whybark has a history of struggling with alcohol and drugs, Whybark’s attorney wrote in the lawsuit but was sober that day.

He became confused, disoriented, and anxious as he worried about the safety of his house, the attorneys wrote.

His significant other was inside the house.

Whybark picked up a knife from inside his home and walked out front, while his significant other sat inside her blue Ford Ranger truck parked in front of Whybark’s home.

Around 6:40 p.m., a neighbor on a bicycle, who knows Whybark, asked if Whybark was alright after he saw him with a knife.

Both had a “brief physical tussle,” the lawsuit said, but Whybark did not injure the man.

The neighbor later called 911 to report the interaction.

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Snohomish County deputy Kenneth Frederickson first arrived at the scene.

In body camera footage, Frederickson told Whybark to talk with him and to step away from the knife.

Frederickson is heard in the video saying the knife is on the ground.

Moments later, Deputy Carl Whalen pulls up to the scene and begins demanding Whybark to “Put it down,” and “Get on the ground.”

At this moment, body camera captured the sound of something being dropped.

Deputy Whalen approached Whybark right before he was tased.

Whybark’s dog later ran out of his truck and barked at a deputy.

A deputy dropped his taser, pulled out his gun, and shot and killed the dog, the video captured.

Whybark then walks over to his significant other’s truck and gets on top of the bed cover of the vehicle.

The Sultan man is seen covering his head with both of his hands as deputies fired multiple shots at him.

“Both officers had their service weapons and less lethal weapons available if Mr. Whybark attempted to do anything threatening or harmful. But instead of proceeding calmly, deliberately and thinkingly, Defendant Whalen did the exact opposite. He immediately jumped out of his patrol car. He then aggressively, unnecessarily, and unreasonably escalated the situation by drawing his taser and marching towards Mr. Whybark at a rapid clip, pointing his weapon at Mr. Whybark while simultaneously shouting commands even though he knew (or should have known) that the person he was shouting at was mentally confused,” the attorneys added.

The lawsuit indicates Whybark is looking for compensation for his physical pain, psychological trauma, emotional distress, disability, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life and to cover his medical bills.

KIRO 7 News reached out to the law firm representing Whybark.

We’re still waiting to hear back.

A Sultan man has filed a lawsuit after two Snohomish County deputies shot him and killed his dog in 2023. Body camera footage captured the incident. (Image courtesy of KIRO 7)

FAMILY:

KIRO 7 News stopped by Whybark’s home to see if he would be willing to talk about the lawsuit. We were told he was not available.

However, we spoke with his son.

“I came home. I saw the footage, and it literally looked like they’re playing airsoft with him. Shooting toy guns with him, but they’re real,” Lukus Whybark shared.

“Pretty teared up because that’s my dad. I broke down. I couldn’t live without him. It was terrible,” he said.

Whybark said he doesn’t believe the deputies should go to jail, but said he believes they should face consequences.

“I think they should definitely not be on the force anymore because that wasn’t right. I mean he had his hands on his head before they even fired the first shot,” he said.

Nikki Bolter, Marcus Whybark’s sister, told KIRO 7 News, “I know my brother loved that dog, but to do it in front of his house where he does have two children.” She added, “I know it had some big impact on them.”

“They didn’t protect and serve my brother. They might have thought they’re protecting other people and themselves from my brother. They didn’t protect him,” she added.

“It’s brutal. He can’t even walk into a store. He breaks down all the time. He cannot even hear loud noises without thinking someone is after him,” he said.

SNOHOMISH COUNTY:

KIRO 7 News reached out to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office.

We’re still waiting for a statement.

A spokesperson for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said they can’t talk because their deputies are involved in the case, but said both deputies are still working for the office and an internal investigation is still underway.

She said the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team (SMART) is leading the case.

We reached out to a team’s leader and we’re still waiting to hear back.

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Alleged threats

KIRO 7 News spoke with Pedro Rios about the alleged incidents Tuesday.

“I was indefinitely afraid,” he said.

Rios and his fiancé own a condo in Bothell on Waynita Way Northeast, which has been in the family for more than 15 years.

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He said his neighbor, who we are not naming because he has not been formally charged, left the empty boxes of ammo last November.

KIRO 7 News saw surveillance video that captured a man leaving the boxes near his front door.

“My fiancé said, ‘Oh my God. Those are boxes of bullets,'” he said. “We seen him place the boxes neatly in front of our front door. And then he pulls out his camera and he turns around and he starts filming our bedroom through our bedroom window.”

Rios said his neighbor has taken multiple pictures and videos of their bedroom window, scratched their door and damaged their property throughout the past months.

“We’ve had to cover our kitchen window because he would look through our kitchen window,” he said.

Rios said he called police and filed a protection order against his neighbor in January, but the alleged threats continued.

The family purchased a second surveillance video for protection, Rios told KIRO 7 News.

Court documents

KIRO 7 News requested court documents from the City Prosecutor’s Office.

Documentation showed Rios’ neighbor was ordered to surrender all of his firearms in January.

Bothell police discovered the neighbor had purchased four firearms; however, documents indicated the neighbor only surrendered his concealed pistol license.

Bothell detectives said no guns were turned over by the neighbor as of January.

Rios said the judge gave his neighbor multiple warnings to surrender all of his firearms. But as of May, he has not received a confirmation that police had retrieved his weapons, Rios added.

Rios said the neighbor continued to threaten his family for months.

“He would also yell racial slurs knowing we’re home,” he said. “I was afraid that I would not be able to protect her (fiancé) if I were not home and she got home before me.”

“It scared us. It scared my fiancé. It made us feel uncomfortable to the point we didn’t want to go outside if we saw his van parked out there,” he added. “We would stay home. We felt like we were caged in our own home and not safe at all.”

KIRO 7 News reached out to Bothell police to get more details. A spokesperson said the case has been handed over to the City Prosecutor’s Office to review its probable cause.

However, police officials confirmed the neighbor was arrested in March in violation of the protection order.

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Court documents also indicated a judge had signed off on an amended protection order, filed by Rios, indicating his neighbor posed as a credible threat, and ordered his neighbor to not harass, follow, monitor or have contact with Rios.

“We’re more afraid than ever knowing he still has his weapons,” he said.

Neighbor

KIRO 7 News knocked on the neighbor’s door to get his side of the story. No one answered.

We also called him, however, the neighbor said he did not want to talk on camera or share a statement.

We spoke with a nearby neighbor who said she was familiar with the alleged incidents. She shared a photo of a document that she said was written by the neighbor explaining his side and calling Rios and his fiancé “liars.”

According to court documents, the neighbor also filed for a protection order against Rios in December of 2023, accusing Rios of stalking him.

The document also requested Rios to surrender all firearms.

The neighbor wrote, “Pedro Rios has on multiple occasions come at me in a way that clearly intended to threat me.”

“This guy has serious problems and is clearly very comfortable with intimidation and bullying,” he added.

KIRO 7 News asked Rios about his neighbor’s protection order. He said he is aware and believes his neighbor is retaliating due to his protection order he had filed.

We asked the City Prosecutor’s Office about its next steps on the case. A spokesperson said he is working to gather those details for us.

“William Tell overture, circus, big top what you expect to hear at the circus, Count Dracula organs, and then there’s one more I don’t remember the name of,” Michael Deibert, who lives in the complex next to the Walgreens on Pacific and 84th, said. “I could have my headphones on music playing and I can hear that through the walls over my headphones.”

Walgreens sent KIRO 7 a statement about the loud music it plays at these locations: “The safety of our patients, customers, and team members is our priority. This Walgreens participates in a program designed to discourage loitering by playing music at select times.”

KIRO 7 spoke to some of the people staying in an encampment behind one of the Walgreens locations. The people staying there said they have no intention of leaving.

“They play Beethoven all day,” one of the men said. “Just block it out.”

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A 7-11 is also using the same strategy to keep transients away. However, neighbors say the noise is more of a nuisance to them.

“All day long! It goes throughout the night,” Alicia Ratterree said. “I know what it’s for and I don’t necessarily stand for that.”

The City of Tacoma sent KIRO 7 more than a dozen noise complaints that have been filed between the three locations. So far, only one has been issued a citation by the Neighborhood and Community Code Enforcement.

Tacoma Police said citations like this do not fall under police jurisdiction and are typically issued by code enforcement. TPD said they are actively working on a resolution for these complaints because callers are being put through a revolving door without any tangible solutions or changes.

“We’re exploring the option of moving, but we’ve been talking about it for the last year between having to deal with the music, the transients,” Deibert said.

KIRO 7 is still waiting to hear back from 7-11 for comment.

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Police arrested a woman for allegedly smashing 56 windows from Broadway to Market along ‘Antique Row.’ She was booked on charges of Malicious Mischief and Resisting Arrest.

“It happens from time to time but not on this magnitude,” said Alan Gorsuch at Sanford and Son Antiques.

Gorsuch’s shop is one of the 16 businesses hit around 3 a.m. on Saturday.

He says it’s going to cost upwards of $15,000 to fix seven of their damaged windows.

“It’s expensive, again. I replaced that one twice and now this will be the third time,” Gorsuch explained.

He says the most frustrating part is that it keeps on happening.

“It’s getting worse because nothing’s done about it. And we don’t have and police presence in Downtown Tacoma anymore and these people know that so they do whatever they want to do,” Gorsuch added.

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More from Antique Row in Tacoma

It’s a heartbreaking sight for Mitch Barstead, who’s the owner of Mecca Mercantile.

“Ruining people’s businesses that are trying to make money and we have enough obstacles on a daily basis to deal with this,” he said.

Barstead told KIRO 7 that the suspect struck 12 windows at his shop. He said the city offered to board it up at a cost.

“I said, well don’t touch my windows then. I’m not paying the city to board my windows up. We already have enough expenses with things,” Barstead said.

Just a few shops down, surveillance video captured the same woman destroying the storefront at Big Dawg Barbershop.

“This one’s more of the Picasso of the broken ones. We have this crack wrapped around the corner all around the Big Dawg,” owner Alex Verchereau explained.

Verchereau’s shop windows have several cracks and holes that need to be repaired.

“Hopefully the rain doesn’t seep through and maybe we can get a window maybe in the next 6 months,” he said.

Verchereau said it’s hard to see so much destruction in such a short amount of time.

“It was disheartening because we put a lot of effort into our business and unfortunately it seems like we don’t get the respect back from the community or some people in the community,” he said.

He hopes the City of Tacoma can do more to protect these small businesses.

“Maybe we can have some sort of security that’s you know 24/7 or at least through the late nights,” Verchereau said.

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“I poured everything that my company had earned in its first 4 years into purchasing this,” Olive Teague said.

After years of hard work and savings, Teague was excited to start a new journey inside their biggest investment.

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“It had everything I needed to operate my business, my entire office, all of my paperwork,” they said.

Teague decided to move their entire life into this RV in December to have better mobility for their small business. But that dream quickly came to an end when it was stolen after just nine days.

“It was a huge loss,” they said.

Until about five months later on May 9, when they got a call more than 100 miles away from Aberdeen police.

“I knew immediately that it was this. I was in immediate panic attack mode,” Teague said.

The RV was finally found, but not how they last left it.

“It was very clearly had been lived in for quite some time,” Teague said.

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It clearly damaged from the inside and out. They found it filled to the ceiling with junk.

“Literally up to the ceilings. There were dirty pots and pans that had been used months ago in the sink. Open wet cat food open on the carpet down here,” Teague added.

Now with an extra 1,300 miles on the odometer and a punched-out ignition, Teague’s poor RV needed a jump.

The Aberdeen officer decided to get some help. But for Teague, it was the last person they would expect to see.

“I’m pulling things out of the back, and I turn around and who do I see in my front seat?” they said.

It was the man accused of stealing their RV in the front seat, trying to hotwire their car.

“I was so shocked at what I was witnessing that I think that if I had not recorded the video then, I don’t think I would believe it now,” Teague said.

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The man who allegedly took Teague’s home away was bringing it back to life.

There’s still a lot of work left to be done, but Teague is just happy to get back on the road.

“I would rather have my rig cursed or not. I’m ecstatic that it’s home. I never thought that I’d see it again,” Teague said.

If you’d like to help Teague rebuild their RV, you can donate to the GoFundMe.

“I have countless teachers who are just trying to make a living, losing their jobs,” TJ, a Yelm student, said.

Their show of solidarity came as at least 120 teachers were given the pink slip this week. That’s more than a third of the district’s 350 teachers.

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“I’m extremely worried about next year,” Melissa, a local parent, said.

The concern from parents and students is not lost on Superintendent Chris Woods. It’s his first year in the role. His board is now faced with a substantial shortfall for next fall.

“When you have to make up $15 million everything is on the table, unfortunately. And so, we’re going to have to make some really hard decisions in the coming days,” Woods said.

He said state funding alone, isn’t enough to cover Yelm’s budget.

Woods said two failed levies forced the school board’s hand when the money they planned for was voted down at the ballot box.

KIRO 7 asked Woods about the board’s confidence in the levy, which failed.

“No, I don’t believe it was a misstep at all. I think every district goes into levy season with the idea that it’s gonna pass,” Woods said.

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The local teacher’s union disagrees, saying the board should have planned ahead, asking them to protect their teachers.

“They are basic education for our students in this community. And what are those classes going to look like? That is scary,” Tasha Johnson, a teacher and co-president of the Yelm Education Association, said. “We were told that cuts were going to happen. That they would be deep. But we were not given specifics. We were not given numbers. We were not given programs.”

Johnson said currently, many of the cuts don’t make sense.

“One example at one of our elementary schools, all the first, third and fourth teams were cut. How are you going to run an elementary school with six teachers?” Johnson said.

Parents have been eager to voice their concerns too.

“Our education out here is going to crumble,” Melissa said.

Woods said that more cuts could be on the table. He also added that some of the teachers who were given notice could be re-hired in the future when budget talks are complete.

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“This is not a reflection of their value as a person or their value as an employee to the district,” Woods said about the cuts. “I want them to know how much they mean to us.”

He said the district plans to put another levy on the ballot next February.

The teacher was told she would not be allowed to return to her teaching position after it was revealed that they had a same-sex partner.

Early Monday morning, as kids were dropped off at school, a number of parents gathered holding hands in a circle at one of the entryways to the church.

The group recited prayers and sang hymns and tried to show some level of unity regarding the issue of Karen Pala, whose contract is not being renewed.

Previous coverage on teacher: Catholic school teacher loses job because of her alleged sexual orientation

The parents are praying and hoping for peace and understanding.

But they also admit that it has been a tough time since kindergarten teacher Karen Pala told them she was being forced out after the church found out Pala was engaged to a woman.

Parents on both sides of the issue linked hands – and joined together, but opinions remain split.

Pilar Griffin was part of the group and gave her take on the teacher being told she would not be back.

“When we teachers sign a contract we already know what are the teachings of the Catholic church, so we understand if you are not following those teachings. There is no covenant,” said Griffin.

Lawyers for Pala said she will appeal the decision by St. Luke’s Father Brad to get rid of her over the same-sex relationship.

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That appeal would be made to the archbishop, and some parents are already lobbying for her to return, including Michael Spadea, a parent with children at the Catholic school.

“Our ask is that archbishop reinstate her as a teacher and that going forward these decisions are not made on the basis of sexual orientation,” Spadea said.

Whitney Hicks, also a Saint Luke’s parent, stood with Spadea and echoed his sentiments.

“She’s a beloved teacher at our school. She has done so much for our community. I think this is absolutely awful.”

KIRO 7 obtained a letter from Father Brad which said:

“Part of the pastor’s role is to determine whether a minister’s public life might not be in alignment with Church teaching,” defending the dismissal of Pala.

Hicks does not agree.

“Those covenants are written broadly. Each parish interprets them differently. If you go to other parishes, like in Seattle, you’ll find support for the LGBTQ community – this is one priest operating with authority,” said Hicks.

While the situation appears to still be divisive – Pride flags adorn some fences right across from the school, showing where some residents stand. The prayer circle Monday morning was meant to foster peace and provide an example for students and parents concerned over losing a teacher.

Lara Bain is involved with a parent group that formed after discovering that Pala would not return.

The group is called LUKE, and she says the values of many in the community are simple: “We believe in love, unity, kindness and equality — we support inclusivity.”

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More on local crime: Man arrested after allegedly using online ads to visit Seattle homes, commit robberies

As of 9:15 a.m., the roads are reopened.

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.@SeattlePD activity on 6th Ave at Cherry St blocking all SB and EB lanes. Use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/lFcrLn6P88

— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) May 12, 2024

Now the search is on for his killers.

We are learning that the 37-year-old victim was a chef at Harry’s Fine Foods on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. After getting word of the chef’s death, the owners of Harry’s Fine Foods shut down on what would have been a busy Mother’s Day. The owners plan to be closed tomorrow, too.

That’s just how deeply this tragedy is being felt here. A bouquet of flowers and a sign, all indications that this was no ordinary Mother’s Day at this small neighborhood restaurant.

“Any time that that happens it’s always a real person,” said Eedie DeRoest.

The 37-year-old chef at Harry’s Fine Foods mattered to DeRoest. He was her coworker for the month and a half she has worked here.

She was asked how she was doing.

“I mean, I don’t know,” she said, sadness in her voice. “I don’t pretend I knew him very well, you know. I’m sorry for his family and friends. I can only imagine.”

Eyewitnesses say about a half mile away at the Capitol Hill Light Rail station, he got into an altercation with two men that quickly turned violent. Seattle police say he was stabbed multiple times. Good Samaritans tried to stop the bleeding, but he later died at Harborview Medical Center.

His death is hitting Seattle’s close-knit restaurant community hard.

“We’re all connected, somehow,” said Shea Bigger, a local bar server. “We all have mutual friends. So, it does, you know, you feel it.”

In a statement, Sound Transit insists the light rail system is safe. There have been 3.4 million riders on light rail and just 47 assaults through February. But in its 15-year-life, three riders have died here, two of them since January.

“It was going to be a big day,” said DeRoest. “We were all trying to get like ‘eat your wheaties, you know. It’s going to be a big day.’”

DeRoest says the owners made the right decision to close on Mother’s Day, even on a potentially big revenue day. Her coworker’s death is a stark reminder of life’s uncertainty.

“It’s just you never know what’s going to happen,” she said.

Sound Transit insists these deadly attacks are rare. Still, they plan to increase security at the Capitol Hill station to make riders feel safer.

There are cameras throughout the light rail system, so Seattle police probably have some idea of what these suspects look like.

But anyone with information that could help catch the culprits is asked to call 911.

• Follow this link to read additional stories from KIRO 7

Seattle Department of Transportation reported that a collision on Aurora Ave North at North 141st Street is blocking all Northbound and Southbound lanes.

According to Seattle Police Department (SPD), shortly after 4pm one vehicle collided with a light pole.

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The driver was able to get out of the car, and no arrests or injuries were reported.

According to the Seattle City Light outage map, 772 people are currently out of power in that area.

Seattle Fire Department (SFD) reported that firefighters on scene are reporting no active fire.

According to SFD, they have reduced the fire and aid response and are turning the scene over to Seattle City Light.

Drivers are asked to use alternate routes.

Crews are responding to reports of an electrical transformer fire with wires down in the 14200 block of Aurora Ave N. Please avoid the area.

— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) May 5, 2024

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Almost 4,000 without power in South Seattle

According to Seattle City Light, almost 4,000 customers are currently experiencing power outages in the Rainier Valley area.

The cause is still being investigated, and no restoration time has been determined.

Visit the Seattle City Light webpage for a map of the outages and more information.

Crews are responding to outages in the Rainier Valley area affecting approx. 3,600 customers. The cause is under investigation, and an estimated time of restoration is yet to be determined. Follow along on our outage map at: https://t.co/ijUJXHhsDH pic.twitter.com/qas1qkm00E

— Seattle City Light (@SEACityLight) May 6, 2024

Seattle Police estimate that 200 partygoers were at a rooftop party when calls of gunfire were made to 911.

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The victim was identified as a 22-year-old man and was found in an elevator by building staff, according to police.

Seattle Fire transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.

More local crime: 15-year-old skateboarder allegedly hit by car on purpose

No suspects have been identified and investigators are asking if anyone has information about this incident, to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

Airlift goats

Several agencies, including the National Park Service, The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service and local tribes translocated 325 mountain goats to increase the animals’ population in northern Washington and to remove the non-native animals from the Peninsula that were destroying endemic plants.

Several agencies and local tribes translocated 325 mountain goats to increase the animals’ population in northern Washington and to remove the non-native animals from the Peninsula that were destroying endemic plants. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

Planning for the project began in 2014, said Patti Happe, a retired wildlife branch chief of Olympic National Park, and translocation efforts started in 2018.

The last of the four operations ended in 2020.

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A total of 381 mountain goats were captured in the Peninsula, Happe said, 325 were released in the North Cascades, 16 were taken to local zoos, while the remaining ones died.

Some goats died due to health issues, she said.

A total of 381 mountain goats were captured in the Peninsula, 325 were released in the North Cascades, 16 were taken to local zoos, while the remaining ones died. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

A number of the goats airlifted to the North Cascades were 10 years old, she said, and successfully reproduced in their new environment.

According to Dylan Collins, assistant wildlife biologist with The Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources Department, the average life span of a wild goat is around 10-12 years.

KIRO 7 News asked Happe how much money was used to fund the efforts.

She did not provide an answer.

Happe said she did not believe the efforts were a failure because the agency’s main goal at the time was to remove the non-native animals, which were harming the environment, and to give the goat population in the North Cascades a jumpstart.

KIRO 7 News reached out to the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to get more details.

“Fewer than 3,000 mountain goats likely reside in Washington currently, the majority of those in the Cascade Mountains from the Canadian border south to around Mount Adams,” the agency said.

A spokesperson for the agency said the recent decline is in the North Cascades is likely due to more severe winters and especially winters that are preceded by severe drought.

“In general, climate change is impacting alpine and montane environments, and species like mountain goats that inhabit these landscapes, more rapidly than other ecosystems,” a spokesperson added.

KIRO 7 News also reached out to the Stillaguamish Tribe, which is also tracking the mountain goats. We’re still waiting to talk with a biologist.

Biologists with The Tulalip Tribes have been tracking 115 of the airlifted mountain goats through their GPS collar technology. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

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Tracking goats by the Tulalip Tribes

Biologists with The Tulalip Tribes have been tracking 115 of the airlifted mountain goats through their GPS collar technology.

Only three goats have been found as of Tuesday, Collins told KIRO 7 News.

“I think our goats in the North Cascades are definitely in trouble,” he said. “We’re very concerned about the steady decline of goats that we had been observing.”

The goats were initially placed in the Peninsula to increase hunting opportunities in the area, Collins said, however, the population of the non-native animals began skyrocketing.

“There are a lot of endemic plants on the Olympic Peninsula meaning that they occur nowhere else in the world so they’re pretty rare and they’re also not adapted to having that intense grazing effect that the goats are having there. And the goat population there really grew significantly more than anybody was expecting,” he said.

The goats were initially placed in the Peninsula to increase hunting opportunities in the area, however, the population of the non-native animals began skyrocketing. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

Collins told KIRO 7 News that native mountain goats in the North Cascades have been steadily decreasing for more than a decade.

“In the 60s and 70s, there were some severe overharvesting of mountain goats throughout the state and that caused a lot of our populations to crash and even today, some of those populations haven’t recovered,” he said.

“In the 1940s, there were over 80 goats detected there, and last year, we only counted four. We haven’t counted more than 10 in the last couple of years,” he described White Chuck Mountain in the North Cascades.

The Tulalip Tribes’ main goal was to restore the native animals’ population in the treaty area of Tulalip, but the results were not promising, Collins said.

“It was a huge disappointment. We get texts every single time when one of our collars dies. If it doesn’t move in a certain amount of hours, it sends a mortality single. We’re steadily getting texts every day almost,” he said. “The deaths just continue to happen.”

The tribe recently lost three goats in December and January, he said.

KIRO 7 News asked Collins if his team had been able to find the dead goats to determine the reason behind the mysterious deaths.

The tribe recently lost three goats in December and January. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

“For the vast majority of the goats, we just are never going to ever get to them. They die on very rugged slopes and even with a helicopter, we won’t be able to access them,” he said.

But his team was able to find a few goats, which had different causes of death.

“There was no single cause for all of these. Some of these appear to be in pretty good health. Some of them look like their body condition deteriorated or a little bit older. One or two were predation events. But by the time we got there, it was impossible to tell if they died from natural causes or just simply scavenged on by something like a bear afterwards,” he said.

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While it’s not clear what’s causing the mysterious deaths, Collins said there are several possible factors to consider, including climate change, disturbance from humans and habitat loss.

KIRO 7 News asked Collins if he believes the efforts were a failure.

“I don’t think it’s a failure. We’ve been able to learn a lot from this and being able to combine the mortality data that we have with our translocated goats in addition to what we’re seeing on the decline of our counts on the native goats on our helicopter survey, I think those are validating each other and we’re missing huge numbers of goats and this is a big issue, whether the goat was native or translocated from the Olympics,” he answered.

A team has spotted more goats in the area than in the past, adding that many goats have naturally recolonized the area. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

South Cascades

Collins told KIRO 7 News his team has seen contrasting data near Mt. St. Helens where mountain goats are doing fairly well.

His team has spotted more goats in the area than in the past, adding that many goats have naturally recolonized the area.

“There are some insights we need to gain from areas like that with what the goats are doing well and figure out what exactly is going on in that landscape and how we can replicate that in the North Cascades,” he shared.

New technology

The Tulalip Tribes, along with other tribes, are planning to use new technology to help track the remaining mountain goats.

Biologists will use camera traps, which capture movements in the wild, along with thermal imaging.

The new technology may uncover some missing data, Collins said.

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“We’re trying to see if we’re missing goats on our normal helicopter survey. For example, if they’re hiding under the cover of some trees, we may miss them. However, the thermal imagery from a drone might be able to pick them up,” Collins added.

A leader with the Stillaguamish Tribe shared a document that outlined details of the tribe’s new project to monitor the goats.

The monitoring effort will focus on how climate change and other stressors have impacted the goats by using thermal imaging drones and science. This project will take place in the Mt. Baker and Snoqualmie National Forests on the western slopes of the North Cascades Range.

MONTLAKE

One attempted break-in happened at a home in Montlake, located near Boyer Avenue East and 26th Avenue East, last Wednesday at about 10 a.m., the homeowner told KIRO 7 News.

The homeowner’s wife, Danielle W., shared on social media that someone rammed a vehicle into their garage and tried to get inside, but failed since the homeowner’s vehicle was parked in the garage.

A person rammed into a homeowner’s garage in an attempt to break in. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

But that didn’t stop the suspect.

Danielle said the suspect hopped over their seven-foot fence but was later scared off by their two large dogs barking.

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Her husband was home but did not see anyone since he was working downstairs.

The total cost to repair the garage is around $5,000, the husband told KIRO 7 News.

“Be on alert. Keep an eye out for your neighbors,” Danielle wrote.

KIRO 7 News spoke with Barbara Klube, who lives near where the attempted break-in happened.

She’s lived in the neighborhood since 1991.

“It is concerning,” she shared. “This street is very busy now, and for somebody to break and drive into a garage, I mean, oh my God. I can’t imagine having your house broken into. Although this house has been broken into two years ago, I do recall that.”

“People can see them. If a car is running off the road and into the garage, people would have noticed that and heard it,” Klube said. “You expect something like that to happen at three in the morning maybe two in the morning. Not in broad daylight.”

Ashley Hanson, a neighbor, said she was shocked when she learned about her neighbor’s situation.

“Our garage is on that same busy road,” she said. “I felt shocked. This is a safe neighborhood. Usually, that stuff doesn’t happen. Especially the time of day at 10 a.m.”

“Many people go down that road and for that just to happen and no one to witness it or to come forward and say, ‘I saw some sketchy activity,’ that’s kind of scary,” she added.

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Hanson said she is not too concerned about her children walking down the street by themselves in broad daylight following the attempted break-in, but she believes more parents should talk with their children about being more aware of their surroundings, how to navigate uncomfortable situations with strangers, etc.

A sign showing support for Montlake Elementary. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

She said there are a number of families with children in the neighborhood.

“I think it increases the need for parents to have these kinds of difficult conversations with their children,” she said while adding that she believes the issue impacts everyone in the community.

“It’s not just small businesses that need to ban together, it’s literally a community problem. Community everybody, who lives here, needs to ban together and come up with something,” she added.

KIRO 7 News reached out to the Seattle Police Department to get more details about this incident, including the possible suspect. We’re still waiting for information.

SEATTLE

And another Seattle neighborhood saw a similar situation, just several days prior.

A man, who did not want us to identify him, shared a photo that captured a truck inside his condo’s garage Sunday overnight.

A man captured a photo of a truck, which was allegedly used to smash a garage gate, inside his condo’s garage. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

He said the vehicle smashed the garage gate, which left the condo’s garage gateless, leaving many families and their vehicles vulnerable.

KIRO 7 News saw the gateless garage Monday but will not disclose the location due to safety concerns.

Neighbors nearby said the incident is part of a bigger problem in the area.

“I got my two cars stolen, just nearby, just across the street here. It happens almost every day. It’s concerning to me,” said Habib Qazi, who lives near the complex.

Qazi said the incident, involving the gateless garage, is scary because it takes away a sense of security for many people who live in the complex, but also for people who live or work nearby.

“Somebody can just go in the garage, even if I’m home, they can just come in. It doesn’t make sense. I can’t call it my home,” he said.

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While the incident has left many people concerned about their home, a place they consider their sanctuary, Qazi said he is encouraging people to speak up if they see something to protect the entire community.

Residents are concerned about the safety of their garage after smash-and-grabs. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)

“If everybody is quiet, nobody talks about it, it’s going to keep happening. Somebody has to speak up,” he said.

Hani Farrah, who also lives near the complex, said she’s concerned for people living inside the complex, who are at-risk or vulnerable, including children.

“People could be inside. There might be dogs inside. There might be children. There’s a lot of concerns there. It’s pretty messed up. I hope people in Seattle get their mental health, that’s a very big priority in Seattle, and if these people are doing these things, they have some mental health issues. They’re not concerned about their own safety and other’s safety,” she said.

KIRO 7 News reached out to the Seattle Police Department to get more details about the incident, including a possible suspect. It is still waiting for information.

A man, who lives inside the complex, told KIRO 7 the homeowners make up the condo’s board and plan to fix the garage, but details around the timing were not shared.

The crash happened just after 12:15 am at 6th Ave and South Alder in Central Tacoma, with one car t-boning another. Neighbors say it’s the third significant crash here in about half a year.

As for the latest crash, yellow markings from investigators show the path the victim’s car took – stopping only after it hit Bento Teriyaki and Sushi, leaving scratches marks in the brick. A man in the red Toyota sedan died.

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“There were people running from like blocks away to come help,” said Immanuel Satterwhite, who heard the crash and called 911.

People say the crash was so loud it woke them up.

Sumit, who lives nearby, said the impact had him thinking something had struck his home.

“Hearing too much bad sound and I’m coming running,” Sumit said. He said he saw people from a nearby smoke shop helping pull someone out of a gray Hyundai. It turns out that was the suspect’s vehicle.

But the victim in the red Toyota could not be saved.

“Other guy there, he already died,” Sumit said.

The family who owns Bento Teriyaki and Sushi says they arrived Saturday morning to find the aftermath. The owner said she spoke limited English and had KIRO 7 speak with her granddaughter, Loveleen.

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“The glass and the car parts that were just scattered around here,” Loveleen said. The car hit the wall of the restaurant that leads into the kitchen but only left superficial damage.

She said she’s grateful the damage wasn’t worse, but she is thinking about the victim.

“I just wish they would’ve been able to survive the crash,” Loveleen said.

Deadly crash in Tacoma at 6th and S. Alder.

Police say the gray Hyundai (not reported stolen) ran a red light… and T-boned the red Toyota.

Investigators believe the passenger in the victim’s car died.

Suspect will be charged with veh. homicide after he’s out of the hospital. pic.twitter.com/VDZRkEjz3k

— Deedee Sun (@DeedeeKIRO7) April 20, 2024

As for this intersection — KIRO 7 covered another deadly crash about a half block on October 29. The victim’s car ended up near 6th and South Cedar Street. In that case, it was a single-car crash.

“Everybody coming too fast, only this area I don’t know why,” Sumit said. He and Satterwhite said there was also a previous crash two weeks before that one.

Neighbors say there are plenty of lights – and even officers patrolling – but the recent crashes have them concerned.

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“This is 6th Ave. – one of the busiest streets,” Satterwhite said. “People just gotta be more responsible, definitely,” he said.

The suspect – and the driver of the victim’s car – are in the hospital. Tacoma police say as soon as the suspect is well enough to be taken to jail, he will be booked for investigation of vehicular homicide.

As of Friday, according to several host families for the students, they have been in quarantine since April 10. None of the students have tested positive for measles nor shown any symptoms since their exposure.

The organization that has brought the students to the United States tells KIRO 7 they are collaborating with the Department of Public Health on all precautions to ensure the health and safety of the kids and community.

However, where these students are quarantined isn’t ideal according to several host families that have reached out to KIRO 7 about this.

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“None of these kids have shown any symptoms. They have not been exposed in over a week. Almost two weeks now. We’re good. We would gladly welcome them into our home as many as we can take,” one parent said.

Fans told KIRO 7 News that hundreds of people were turned away at the front door of Paramount Theatre after being told they had purchased – what they initially believed to be legitimate – fake tickets through common secondary-seller websites.

Cathy Mallick purchased tickets back in December as a Christmas present for her daughter.

“We’re not inexperienced ticket buyers, and we got tricked,” she said.

#FAKETICKETS: Hundreds of fans – who purchased tickets on StubHub & Vivid Seats to watch Laufey – were turned away at the Paramount Theatre Tuesday after Paramount told them their tickets were fake. Why one victim believes other families could be at risk at 5. @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/KqqFn3z4AM

— Louie Tran (@louie_tran) April 11, 2024

Mallick said she purchased two tickets on StubHub for more than $400 on Dec. 8.

She dropped off her daughter at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Seattle to wait in line, however, her daughter texted her shortly after.

“They texted me and said, ‘Hey mom, the tickets don’t work,’” she said.

Mallick returned to the venue and spoke with the box office.

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“Don’t worry about it. It’s StubHub. They’re legit. I have the tickets. 100% guaranteed,” she described what she had told her daughter. “We bought them on StubHub. I transferred from my StubHub account to my daughter’s StubHub account. It worked fine. It showed up with the little scanner thing that goes across the bar code. Looks totally legit.”

However, they weren’t legitimate. They were fake tickets.

“They (Paramount) told me if it wasn’t Ticketmaster, they’re not real,” Mallick said.

“Those tickets were scanned 20 minutes ago,” she described what Paramount told her.

Mallick said, “They (StubHub) sent me a survey while we were getting kicked out of the theater saying how was your experience with StubHub?”

And Mallick wasn’t the only victim.

“They (Paramount) said 280 people were turned away tonight,” she told KIRO 7 News.

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“Now I feel like I don’t know what to trust because that was so legit. Everything along the way was StubHub, and there was no question. There was no flag.” She added, “How can we trust any reseller again. How do we check that it’s real?”

JoJo Santor also purchased tickets last December through StubHub to surprise his 14-year-old daughter, he said.

“We were a little bit in denial or shocked,” he said. “It was the first time that I experienced it with my daughter and in my entire lifetime.”

“I trust StubHub. I’ve been using that for quite a while. And never had this experience at all and I was really surprised about what had happened last night. It’s crazy,” he added.

Santor said he plans to reach out to StubHub and hopes to receive a full refund.

Mallick told KIRO 7 News that she has already reached out to StubHub about her tickets, and she’s currently waiting for an email response.

Mallick said her family lost hundreds of dollars, in addition to the tickets, after they had purchased food, gas, and clothes for the event.

“I feel like they should do better than whole because we pushed out money for the outfit, the experience, the whole dinner, all of that and then just the disappointment,” she said.

SEATTLE THEATRE GROUP

KIRO 7 News spoke with Seattle Theatre Group (STG), which owns and operates the Paramount Theatre, to learn more about the alleged incident.

“We only heard about it at the time of the performance,” said Alvin Henry, chief marketing and communications officer for STG.

Henry said more than 200 fans were impacted Tuesday night.

STG does not work with secondary sellers, he added.

“What happened last night was basically fraud,” he said. “These secondary parties or vendors or scalpers provided tickets that were not valid tickets. We do not work with StubHub. StubHub is a secondary market.”

Henry said a number of fans impacted told them they had also purchased their tickets from other secondary-seller websites, including Vivid Seats.

This is a growing issue, he stressed to KIRO 7 News, and urged that changes at the state and federal level are needed.

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“That’s why we need strong legislation at the federal and the state level so that we can protect the consumer from situations like this,” he said.

“They (people impacted) need to go back to StubHub or the secondary party and say these were fraud. I was not admitted to the performance or take it up specifically with the credit card company and challenge the charge,” he added.

Tickets for Tuesday’s show were available to the public on December 8, but were sold out that afternoon, Henry said.

SECONDARY-SELLER WEBSITES

KIRO 7 News checked out websites, including StubHub, and saw that hundreds of tickets are still being sold for the same artist later in the week. The website also indicates to customers that the company is backing every order and people can buy or sell tickets at 100% confidence.

We reached out to StubHub and Vivid Seats to understand if they will reimburse customers impacted, what measures they have in place to validate tickets before it hits the market, and their response.

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A spokesperson for Vivid Seats shared the following statement:

We are aware of the issue with a small number of fans whose expectations we were unable to meet. All of our tickets are backed by our 100% Buyer Guarantee and fans who were unable to attend a performance received a full refund, in addition to receiving a credit. In these rare instances, where our sellers are unable to meet the customer’s needs, the customer receives a full refund, and we are taking steps with the relevant sellers to prevent it from happening again.”

We are still waiting to hear back from StubHub.

KIRO 7 News also reached out to the Attorney General’s Office to see if the state is seeing similar incidents recently and in years past. We’re still waiting to hear back.

We also reached out to Laufey’s team to see if they are aware of the situation. We’re still waiting to hear back.

We’re told the discolored water has been a problem since mid-February.

“Our children now bring their own water bottles and teachers have had to dip into their own pockets to provide water for students,” said parent Kaelin Kerr.

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Kerr spoke at a school board meeting on March 28th sharing her concerns about the water at her kid’s school.

“The children can’t wash their hands after using the restroom and have to rely on hand sanitizer to clean their hands,” Kerr added.

The school says it’s coming from the taps inside the round building on the north side of the campus.

Parents tell KIRO 7 the building is decades old and wasn’t a part of the school’s recent upgrade.

“We went to wash our hands and it came out brown,” said parent Andrya Holt.

Holt is an avid member of the PTA and a mother to a first grader at the school. After cleaning out a popcorn machine on March 21st.

She said brown, rusted and murky water came out of the faucet.

Holt was immediately concerned for the kids.

“So, if there’s something in that water that they shouldn’t be drinking, what’s going to happen when one of those students is sick or ends up possibly dying. What are we going to do now?” asked Holt.

She and another parent, Emily Hasenleder, noticed the discoloration at the same time.

They tell KIRO 7 the faucets have been wrapped up ever since, so kids can’t use them.

“I’m sure those little kids want water throughout the day, and to not have that readily available, that’s definitely concerning,” said Hasenleder.

Holt and Hasenleder also noticed cases of water bottles in the classrooms.

They found out the cases were brought in by the school and another parent.

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But they say were never made aware of the problem in the first place. Parents didn’t receive an email regarding the matter until Thursday afternoon.

Tacoma Public Schools responded to KIRO 7 in a statement:

“We are aware of the concerns regarding the discolored water at Birney’s round building and want to assure everyone that we are taking this matter seriously. We’ve sent water samples to a lab for testing and we’re working closely with Tacoma Public Utilities and experts to ensure the safety of our students and staff. TPU has been conducting water flushing in the area and has expressed that Tacoma’s water meets all federal and state drinking water regulations and is safe to drink. All students, and staff have access to filtered water in the main building We are committed to providing a safe and healthy learning environment for everyone at Birney.”

Holt is concerned, saying the main building isn’t accessible without a staff member with a key.

“You want first graders and anybody who’s accessing the library to be accompanied by a staff member who has a key. So how is that supposed to work all day long when you have class that you’re supposed to teach?” Holt said.

In an email from the school to parents, water samples were taken April 1st. The district expects results in 4 to 5 weeks.

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