Bail is set at $45,000, according to the King County Jail register, for the 28-year-old man arrested in West Seattle last night for allegedly assaulting a Seattle Police officer and sergeant and the civilian who tried to help them, when a traffic stop turned into a tussle. The suspect is a Kent resident who is now in jail for the 10th time this year; he waived the right to be present in court for his bail hearing this afternoon. As we noted in an update earlier today, most of the jail stays relate to a burglary case in which he was charged one year ago today – accused of stealing from college dorm rooms elsewhere in Seattle and pawning stolen property – allegedly for money to support a heroin habit. He is under investigation for two counts of third-degree assault, one count of fourth-degree assault, and one drug charge; prosecutors have until Friday to decide on charges. We asked SPD how the officer and sergeant are doing; Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen tells us tonight that they are “sore, but OK.” More details on the incident are included in the documents from this afternoon’s bail hearing – read on:
From the police narrative presented to the court for determination of probable cause:
As police described last night, the traffic stop began after the suspect allegedly ran a red light at California/Charlestown. He was pulled over a block east on Charlestown, by the old Charlestown Café. The officer noticed the license plate on the vehicle was “obstructed”; the driver gave her his actual first name but a fake last name and said he had no ID or wallet. So she was going to cite him for driving without a license and ID, but instead of getting out of the car, he started it and tried to pull away.
The officer was able to turn off the ignition and pulled him out of the car, at which time, the report says, he started to assault her, and they both fell to the ground. A sergeant who arrived tried to pull him off her; he was able to do so with the assistance of a man who lives in the area and ran over to try to help. The report says, “The fight continued until (the suspect) was in handcuffs.” It also describes the officer’s injuries as to her elbow, knee and knuckles; the sergeant’s injuries to his shoulder; and the civilian’s injuries, to his arm and shoulder.
While those three were taken to Harborview Medical Center, the suspect was taken to the Southwest Precinct, “complain(ing) of pain to his nose and lip.” Medics were called to check him out. That’s when police say they found he’d been in possession of a bottle with six clonazepam pills, a baggie with an “unknown … substance” described as gray/brown, and $104 in cash. He continued to give a false name to officers – until one recognized him and confirmed his real name, which led them to a warrant related to the 2011 burglary case.
We just checked the jail register and the suspect is still there. We’ll continue to follow the case.
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