Seattle mayoral candidate almost shot as criminals open fire during attempt to steal car parts near his home

Seattle mayoral candidate Lance Randall was nearly shot at his home on Saturday after armed thieves were caught in the act stealing catalytic converters from his neighbor's car.

Randall, who is running to replace Mayor Jenny Durkan, went to check on a disturbance outside his bedroom window in Rainier Valley early Saturday morning. It was then that he was nearly shot after witnessing two armed thieves attempting to steal a catalytic converter from his neighbor’s vehicle. The parts are valued at about $1,000 give the cost of the metal.

The thieves fired multiple shots after they found Randall witnessing the crime. Seattle police officers responded to the candidate’s 911 call and found five shell casings, including bullets in the vehicle that was Randall took shelter behind, KOMO News reported.

If elected mayor, Randall hopes to turn around the lawlessness in Seattle, including a strong emphasis on reestablishing public safety. "The city is not safe," Randall said. "It's getting bad, to the point where not only are they stealing catalytic converters, they will shoot at people."

"There's been horrible things, but this was just a catalytic converter and all I was doing was standing there and watching and you take a shot? Yeah, we got to do better," he continued.

According to data from the Seattle Police Department, police have received 514 incident reports of catalytic converter thefts, with the number tripling over the last several months. The city has been plagued with skyrocketing crime, including a record-breaking number of homicides. The Democrat controlled City Council has passed budget measured to defund the police.

During an appearance on The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI Tuesday, Randall said he hopes to turn the city's criminal climate around and stressed the dire need to re-establish public safety in the city.

However, Randall's website outlines plans to "reallocate funding within the police department to provide opportunities for experts in mental health, drug counseling, de-escalation techniques and crime prevention to accompany police officers on calls where special assistance is needed."

Crime has worsened to record-breaking levels in the city as a result of anti-police rhetoric and Seattle City Council defunding the police by more than $50 million. Over 200 Seattle police officers have quit the force since 2020 and the city is currently on track to lose hundreds more by the end of 2021.

This incident is just one of the many examples of criminal activity riddling the once peaceful Emerald City. On Friday, there were reports of shots fired at Alki Beach, a popular tourist and family area in Seattle. The shooting happened in broad-daylight around 6 pm outside of the West Seattle Brewery, right on the main avenue.

On Monday night, a homicide occurred at Alki Beach within close proximity to the incident that occurred on Friday.

According to the Seattle Police Department (SPD), four people were shot after two groups got into an argument. One individual was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering a fatal gunshot wound to the head. Two other victims were transported by ambulance to the hospital and are in stable but serious conditions. Another victim was transported to the hospital in a personal vehicle.

SPD Interim Chief Adrian Diaz said, "this has been an extremely deadly month for us" during an early morning press briefing Tuesday and called to "get guns off the streets."

Diaz's comments calling for gun control were heavily criticized on social media Tuesday after citizens stressed the dire need for personal protection as 911 response times' and violent crimes spike in the city.

Monday night's homicide was the ninth murder this month in Seattle, averaging a murder every three days in the city.

Alki Beach was also the site of criminal activity back in May after a TikTok party on the beach turned lawless. There were strong arm robberies, assaults, and individuals on top of police vehicles.

Criminal lawlessness hasn't just hit West Seattle and Alki Beach, the entire city has been affected with crime as progressive policies continue to fail citizens.

The Post Millennial previously reported that Courthouse Park in Downtown Seattle has become so dangerous that Seattle PD is now required to protect Seattle Fire with a "Rescue Task Force" when responding to life-threatening emergencies at the homeless encampment.

In the past few weeks alone, there have been multiple homicides at Courthouse Park, which includes the horrific killing of a dog after its 67-year-old owner was attacked by a homeless man. Due to Seattle's catch-and-release policies, the alleged dog killer was released from jail just one day later.