Police said a driver was held at gunpoint after stopping near crash debris on Harbor Avenue Southwest.
WEST SEATTLE, WA — A pre-dawn crash near Alki Avenue turned into an armed carjacking Friday when suspects fled a wrecked vehicle, confronted passing drivers and stole a van at gunpoint, Seattle police said.
The robbery is under investigation after police found a crash scene near Harbor Avenue Southwest and a driver reported that a man pointed a handgun at his head. No injuries were reported, but the stolen vehicle remained a focus of the case after police entered it into a national stolen-vehicle database.
The first reports came just before 4 a.m. Friday in the 1000 block of Harbor Avenue Southwest, near the waterfront corridor between Alki Beach and the West Seattle Bridge. Police radio traffic first described a driver hitting a parked vehicle. Within minutes, more reports came in that a person at or near the crash scene had carjacked another driver and fled. Resident Steve Humphrey, who has lived on Alki Avenue for nearly 28 years, said he woke to a loud crash and stepped outside to see a badly damaged car in the road. “When we first moved here, this was a beautiful, peaceful place,” Humphrey said. “Soon as it turns dark, it’s another story.”
Humphrey said the force of the crash pushed a neighbor’s pickup into his yard and against a tree, leaving both vehicles totaled. He said he then saw four people climb from the wreckage and begin moving items between vehicles. He said one person tried to take a sedan and pointed a pistol at its driver, who drove away. The suspects then turned to a van behind that car, he said. Police later said the victim had been traveling north on Alki Avenue Southwest when he slowed to get around debris from what appeared to be a crash. The driver told officers he stopped because he thought someone running toward him might have been hurt.
According to the police narrative, the driver said a man reached through an open front window with a black handgun, pointed it at his head and ordered him out of the vehicle. The suspect also demanded passwords to the victim’s cellphones before leaving in the stolen vehicle, police said. The vehicle was described in early reports as a gray Chrysler Pacifica. Police said it was last seen heading south on Harbor Avenue Southwest toward the West Seattle Bridge. At least one caller reported hearing possible gunshots, but police said they found no evidence of gunfire and no witnesses who could confirm shots had been fired.
The carjacking happened on the first night of new summer safety hours around Alki Beach Park and the Don Armeni Boat Ramp area, a stretch that draws large crowds during warmer months. Those changes shortened park hours in parts of the waterfront corridor, with Alki Beach closing at 10:30 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. Humphrey said the residential areas between the parks can still draw people after closures are enforced nearby. He said he has seen violence from his home before, including a fatal shooting on Alki Avenue in June 2024. “You’re kind of getting used to this,” Humphrey said, describing the unease he and some neighbors feel after late-night disturbances.
Police said officers had limited clothing descriptions for the suspects. The report did not say whether any arrests had been made. Investigators also found a Toyota sedan in the area that had been stolen in a separate South Seattle carjacking earlier that night, though the connection between that vehicle and the Harbor Avenue case was not immediately clear. Police said the stolen van had no tracking device available. The absence of a tracker and limited suspect descriptions could complicate the early search, leaving investigators to rely on witness accounts, nearby cameras, vehicle records and any evidence recovered from the crash scene.
The case adds to public safety concerns around the Alki waterfront as the city moves into the busier late spring and summer season. Humphrey said he stayed on the phone with 911 while the suspects were still nearby, but he said they left before officers arrived. He also said he later spoke with the van driver and confirmed the victim believed a pistol had been pointed at him. “Sadly, the police did not show up until they had all left,” Humphrey said. “And I don’t know whether they were apprehended or they got clean away. We haven’t heard.”
Seattle police had not announced arrests in the Harbor Avenue carjacking as of Monday. The stolen vehicle was listed in national records, and the investigation remained open as officers worked to identify the suspects and determine whether the crash was tied to other vehicle thefts or carjackings that night.
Author note: Last updated May 5, 2026.