Seattle's Alaska Junction got an unexpected dose of high drama Thursday afternoon when SWAT officers moved in on a building along Fauntleroy Way SW, shutting down parts of the busy corridor and nearby alleys while police focused on a spot just south of SW Alaska Street.
Neighbors reported a heavy police presence, with both marked and unmarked vehicles stacking up along Fauntleroy and some businesses hustling customers inside before locking their doors.
As reported by West Seattle Blog, “SWAT officers are reported to be after someone in a Fauntleroy Way building just south of Alaska” while the area was being held and details were still coming in. A commenter on the site said the alley behind Maris and a nearby pet-food shop was blocked at both ends and that the Les Schwab alley onto Fauntleroy was closed, leaving cars stuck in a garage. The commenter added there were “lots of marked and unmarked police vehicles on Fauntleroy” and that the pet shop was still letting customers in, then locking the doors behind them.
Police context
Seattle police in recent weeks have brought out SWAT teams for barricade situations and high-risk warrant work. The department's public blotter describes a seven-hour SWAT standoff in SODO on May 19, with negotiators on scene, a security perimeter set up, and a warrant ultimately used to make an arrest, according to the Seattle Police Department blotter.
As of Thursday afternoon, police had not posted any formal account of the Fauntleroy response on the department's blotter or main news feed, per the SPD blotter.
Local impact
People in the Alaska Junction area said the operation briefly snarled traffic on Fauntleroy Way SW and made it tougher to get to nearby businesses. According to the commenter on West Seattle Blog, shoppers were allowed into the pet-food store to ride out the police activity inside while staff kept the doors locked for safety.
For now, that post remains one of the only contemporaneous, on-the-ground descriptions of the scene while official details stay scarce.
This story will be updated if the Seattle Police Department or other officials release more information. In the meantime, residents and drivers around Fauntleroy and the Alaska Junction should be ready for intermittent traffic slowdowns and alley closures while officers finish their work in the area.
