On Saturday, we reported on a disturbance at 44th and Latona late Friday night. Today, we called the police to get more information:
At approximately 1 am Saturday morning, neighbors around 4338 Latona Ave reported hearing shots fired from inside 4338 Latona and a fight in the street. When the police arrived on the scene, people were fleeing in the house.
However, the residents of the house said that no shots had been fired. Instead, they asserted that they were having a party with friends when party-crashers, unknown to anyone at the house, showed up. When they were refused entry, a fight ensued and they then fled. One man was hurt and treated by the fire department.
As the residents could not offer an description or information regarding the assailants, that’s all she wrote.
Now you know what we know.
Party guests from this house regularly litter the neighborhood with cups and beer cans, park blocking driveways, urinate on adjacent property, etc.
Last summer, two men who were guests at this house broke into the house at the SE corner of 44th and Thackeray in the middle of the night and vandalized it. (The house was under construction at the time.) I think they did apologize to the owner later on.
I’m not sure if this is the right place to make a note of this, but an acquaintance of mine is offering a reward of $250 for his “lost” black shoulder bag wtih computer, missing from the Washington Mutual parking lot Monday April 27th at 2:30. It really is important to him and he needs the contents back. If you know of anything, call Carl at 525-6778. Thanks!
The owner, since June 2007, appears to be:
http://www5.kingcounty.gov/kcgisreports/property_report.aspx?PIN=3131201420
Per recording document: 20070615002861 the owner appears to be a developer based in Olympia.
http://www.theolympian.com/112/story/713639.html
Perhaps the owner will need to sell his Wallingford holding(s).
The owner appears to be a developer in the center of the “Olympia’s hot button issue”
http://depts.washington.edu/staterel/wordpress/?p=278
From my experience living across the street from a “party house”, the only option you have is continuous pressure. ANY noise at all after 10 PM is a violation of the law. Call the landlord EVERY TIME. Call 911 EVERY TIME. If the landlord has a property management company handling the rental, call them EVERY TIME. If it’s 3 AM, call the landlord at 3 AM. And make sure all your neighbors call too. Don’t just call about noise, either; call about littering, apparent drunk-driving, vandalism, urinating, car-blocking, ANYTHING. Make the sumbitches feel unwanted. Eventually you can get them out of there.
There were definitely shots fired. Thank god they didn’t hit anyone randomly. The undergraduate boys who live there likely wouldn’t admit it because they are terrified of getting into trouble. The shots woke me up, and were certainly the reason behind numerous police calls.
LOTS of people were pouring out of the house, yelling and running into the street. A fight had broken out on the stairs, and it moved to the street, where at least half a dozen young men pummeled someone on the ground, gang-style. That’s when it became really scary, really disturbing. They could have beated the young man to death. That young man is alright, thank goodness.
It was pretty obvious which group of guys didn’t belong at the party. But it would have been tricky to identify them in the dark, except for a few pieces of clothing that stood out.
We called 911 twice—the second time because everyone had cleared out, and the beaten man in the street still wasn’t moving. The dispatcher assured us the police were coming ASAP, and they arrived right then.
The police responded as quickly as they could. It was clear they were waiting for backup, and they came in force. In the end, there were at least 10 of them (at least 5 police cars and a fire engine). Most parked a block away at first, and walked to the house in a group with flashlights. At least one had a gun drawn, and it looked like bulletproof vests were involved. I am sure this is standard procedure when responding to a man-down, shots fired 911 call. Again, very scary.
The boy in the street was helped into the house by his friends. He came out later and the police looked at his wounds.
The boys who live there were clearly scared at this party gone out of control. They have had large, loud parties before, but nothing like this. They always post notes on all the neighbors’ doors the day of their parties, as a heads up.
The neighbors have been tolerant.
But those days are over.
There was also a huge party on 5th Ave NE… I was driving home at about 1am on Saturday morning and as we drove down 5th from 45th, we saw more action on that street than we’d ever seen. Tons of people and they’d turned the area under the freeway where 5th curves into 42nd (that creepy area) into a parking lot. Lots of cars parked drunkily (or so it seemed) all the way down to 40th.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the folks at the party on 5th (not sure which house it was) made their way up to Latona/43rd party.
In my experience, the police will only respond if guns are involved. They don’t respond to noise ordinance violations or loud parties otherwise. There are a few of these party houses on my block, and they are nothing but a nuisance.
Persistence is key, but I would direct my focus on the landlord and not the police. Take photos of the litter, vandalism, etc left over after the parties. Even when the landlord wants to get rid of them, it can still be tricky finding a way to do so quickly and legally.
If nothing else the owner of that eyesore is guilty of horrible taste.