Police say a vigilante is painting lines, leaving notes

SEATTLE — Police are investigating after a person left a threatening note on a woman's windshield in North Seattle, advising her to "put a bullet in [her] face." They are also trying to figure out if it's the same person who painted his or her own unofficial parking lines along a one block stretch of Whitman Avenue in North Seattle.

The note that the woman reported to police read: "Please do everyone a favor on this block, either learn how to park your car like a normal human being or put a bullet in your face you worthless piece of [expletive]. Go [expletive] yourself and have a bad day. Sincerely, Everyone."

"That's out of hand," neighbor Willie Bishop said. "That's a threat…I would be concerned if that was on my window.”

Bishop said he's repainted some markings right in front of his house but doesn't know who painted parking spots up and down the street.

Police said the woman had been sick for a few days and left her car parked outside of the lines. When she finally went back to it, she found the note.

Sarah Ventola says parking is tough to find, but the note is shocking.

"To know someone would make that kind of threat over a parking place-- it's ridiculous," she said. "It's scary."

KIRO 7 discovered it was the second note that woman received. She told police she had gotten another angry note in the summer.

Two other women who parked on this block told KIRO 7 they also got angry messages in the past year.

One woman said she was parked close to the red paint signaling a driveway was close by but was not blocking the driveway. She said she got a nasty note on her windshield in capital letters. The other woman said she was parked completely normally and within the lines, but received a note calling her an “entitled [expletive].”

Both were too scared of retaliation to go on camera.

KIRO 7 asked Seattle Police who the person might be.

“We dont know if this person has mental health issues or if there's something more sinister going on here,” Detective Renee Witt said.

The Seattle Department of Transportation said it's illegal to paint anything but the markings by your driveway.

Officials said they'll be going out to remove the parking spot marking all along that entire block.

KIRO