UPDATE: Officer stabbed in the hand after detaining tagging suspect at Delridge/Henderson, police say

(First 2 photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)

7:38 PM: You’ll want to avoid the Delridge/Henderson area, which is reported to be blocked right now for a police investigation, including westward to 20th SW [map]. An “assault with weapons” SFD dispatch is on the way too, for a Seattle Police officer reported to have a knife wound to the hand. More to come.

7:50 PM: We just talked with police at the scene. They tell us the officer who is hurt had just detained a suspected tagger allegedly caught in the act. The suspect, they say, became uncooperative and stabbed the officer in the hand. Not life-threatening – the officer is being taken to the hospital now. Delridge is open but Henderson is blocked just to the west. The suspect is in custody.

(Photo by Tim Durkan)

10:10 PM: We just went over to verify that investigators have cleared the scene and reopened the road, which they have. We hope to find out more tomorrow about the officer’s condition and the suspect’s status.

35 Replies to "UPDATE: Officer stabbed in the hand after detaining tagging suspect at Delridge/Henderson, police say"

  • South Delridge resident February 4, 2018 (7:48 pm)

    Just drove by on 20th. Big police presence … we live a few blocks down and can hear medics etc on the way 

  • floppy February 4, 2018 (8:05 pm)

    wow, why was he not shot by the police officer?

    • WSB February 4, 2018 (8:11 pm)

      Details are few. This all unfolded very fast – we at first heard a call for backup (but not why), then that a suspect was in custody and everybody can slow down, THEN came word that the officer was hurt, at which time we rolled out.

    • Chuck February 4, 2018 (10:17 pm)

      Dumbest thing I’ve ever read on the blog. Congrats, Floppy. Here’s your sign. 

      • foppy February 5, 2018 (9:18 am)

        what if the officer died? who would be the dummy then?  FOOL!

  • sgs February 4, 2018 (8:22 pm)

    I am so thankful for the officers who deal with this on a daily basis.  What a job.  Hope the officer heals quickly and fully.

  • Kersti Muul February 4, 2018 (8:47 pm)

    Tagging v. Assaulting an officer.

    Made their life 1000x worse 

    😔

    • Urban Gypsy February 5, 2018 (9:45 am)

      Exactly.   I mean how stupid do these guys think we and the rest of society, including our police officers, are?  Hey young people, make wise decisions.  When you do something wrong, don’t do something wrong again to try make up for the first wrong and screw the rest of your life up.  It just never works.  Grow up and accept the consequences!

      • Michael February 5, 2018 (4:33 pm)

        Maybe I missed something but how do you know the age of the suspect?

  • BH February 4, 2018 (9:14 pm)

    Speaking as someone who has a relative who  fought with and injured a police officer (said relative now serving sentence for such)  I am sure the tagger and their family is glad the officer kept control of the situation without resorting to deadly force.     I’m also grateful for the officer’s and SPD’s efforts and hope the officer’s injury is minor and will heal rapidly. 

    if you live in an area where tagging is a problem –  don’t encourage it by putting up 6 foot tall cedar fences like that –  they are practically begging to be tagged.    Instead use chainlink, wood-frame-with-metal-mesh or a design that alternates the cedar slats on opposite sides of the supporting posts.   Or plant a hedge.   

     

    • KD February 4, 2018 (10:04 pm)

      Or how about this concept.. the homeowner put up whatever beautiful cedar fence they wish and the tagger and any other thuggie be the ones TO ADAPT!!! I’m not trying to be snarky, and I know you are speaking to reality, but let’s have the innocent well behaving citizens go about and have the brats be told what to do. Let’s not advisory dictate how we all should put up ugly alternatives. The reality is to be good and behave. Don’t give in. 

    • Calires February 4, 2018 (10:32 pm)

      I’m also glad the officer didn’t use deadly force on someone who is probably young and temporarily stupid. I was there in my younger years with drugs and it was mainly being white and female that allowed me to avoid being arrested the couple of times I was caught doing something stupid.  That said, the plea to homeowners to not tempt taggers with a wood fence is like telling women not to wear short skirts so as not to entice a rapist.  If a blank wall or short skirt easily tempts someone into a crime, the issue is with that person and they should be away from society until they get those impulses under control.

      • Fitz February 17, 2018 (10:20 pm)

        No, but if the cop shot that punk in the knee, maybe he/she would think about that pain next time they felt the urge to spray point on walls we all look at.

    • Seattlite February 4, 2018 (10:41 pm)

      BH —- That’s not how it works. Criminals don’t control a property owner’s choice of fence. Criminals are cowards and honest, hard-working citizens are the brave ones who choose to live their lives to the fullest despite the criminals. A BIG SHOUT OUT and THANK YOU to SPD for catching the criminal.  I hope that the police officer’s hand heals quickly.

    • Nick February 5, 2018 (6:55 am)

      I’ll put up what ever I want on my property that I worked for and pay taxes on. Some punk doing graffiti doesn’t get to decide what I do. This comment is rediculous glad the police got him and it shows what kind low life individuals are doing this as most are gang members as I see sur 13 and. VLS alot that isn’t some tag it’s gangs. 

  • dsa February 4, 2018 (9:23 pm)

    I am so thankful it appears from the report so far the officer is okay.  The tagger really screwed up.

  • Jissy February 4, 2018 (9:31 pm)

    So grateful the officer’s injuires aren’t  life-threatening!    And I hope this is the “SMOKEZ” tagger – that a$$hat has gotten my building fence 3 or 4 times.  And on so many concrete walls in WC it’s disgusting.   Hope to find out — I’ll submit a petition for restitution just to add some accountability and sting.    So tired of these POS’s.

    • WSB February 4, 2018 (9:36 pm)

      Same tag is on the Do Not Enter barricade at our nearby two-arterial intersection. I tried to report it via the city website the other day and the reporting system hung up on the final page, so I have to try again. Anyway, sorry, no details yet on what tag was allegedly in progress in this case.

  • T February 4, 2018 (10:11 pm)

    Glad SPD got a tagger! Hope they arrest more soon. 

  • Also resident 04 February 4, 2018 (10:43 pm)

    I’m sorry the officer was sad.  I appreciate the restraint and that this didn’t result in use of deadly force.

  • Lil Wash February 5, 2018 (12:00 am)

    I live down the street from where this happened and I drive by this fence every day. They have had problems with taggers since the new fence went up. You can’t really see the front in the picture but there was a gang tag (or 3) up there earlier this week of 13 Locos. The taggers are also not shy. I saw them tagging last week in daylight as the cop in front of me drove by. I feel horrible for the homeowner that has to deal with this and the police officer that was injured.

  • BH February 5, 2018 (1:15 am)

    I haven’t had to clean graffiti off of a fence in years in part because I  removed or modified fences as I described above – I’ve taken other actions too – yes in a perfect world people would respect each other and their property but obviously,  its doesn’t always happen.   A  3 or 4′ chainlink fence is still preferable to a cedar fence of any quality plastered with gang tags.      If a non-graffiti-magnet fence or a hedge had been there,  would this incident have happened?   Would the property owner’s  home currently be in the middle of a gang territory / PR war ? No guarantees in life of course but the odds would have been much less I suspect.   

    • KM February 5, 2018 (7:57 am)

      If the police didn’t show up, would this incident have happened? And if the tagger had no arms, would this incident have happened? If all the printmakers in the world hadn’t made paint, would this incident have happened?        

      • CAM February 5, 2018 (8:39 am)

        KD, Calires, Seattlite, and KM – I don’t particularly agree with BH either but your argument isn’t that great. Someone who commits a crime is responsible for their actions and the outcomes of their actions but when it comes to property crimes, people have some responsibility to take reasonable care and caution with their belongings. Leaving your car parked on the side of the road, unlocked, and filled with valuables does not make it ok for a thief to steal your stuff but it is something that a person should know to be more cautious of. You can’t store your personal effects on your front lawn for weeks on end and then cry foul when one of those items goes missing. 

        To compare tagging to sexual assault in terms of the cultural reaction to them is unreasonable given that only one of those crimes results in that kind of global victim blaming. Please don’t apply the theory of rape culture to unrelated types of crimes. The whole reason rape culture is such a problem and so well known is because of the uniqueness of the cultural reaction to sexual assault. 

  • Jeannie February 5, 2018 (3:56 am)

    Taggers are a-sholes. And their tags are hideous. If they’re going to vandalize property, at least show some artistry, fools! 

    And I totally agree with KD and Seattleite. And thank you, SPD. I hope the tagger gets the punishment he deserves – and I don’t mean a slap on the wrist.

  • just wondering February 5, 2018 (8:03 am)

    I’ve often wondered how taggers get to some of the places they deface! 

  • bababooey February 5, 2018 (8:42 am)

    Nobody cares about your scribbles ignorant teenager!

    • WSB February 5, 2018 (8:47 am)

      I don’t know the suspect’s age, FYI. Hoping to get more information from police at some point this morning. Graffiti vandals by the way (a) are more often adults than teenagers and (b) are generally NOT related to gangs – 80 percent non-gang, according to what the SPD Gang Unit’s leader said at a meeting we covered last fall (and we’ve heard that before, many times in our 10 years of doing this, from both SPD and KCSO). Especially if it’s a particular vandal’s personal tag, as mentioned above.

  • Kimbee February 5, 2018 (9:05 am)

    I’m glad to hear that the suspect was caught and that the officer is in good care.  Thank you SPD for pursuing the suspect. We are all frustrated and tired of the taggers. 

    What’s left of D&H Auto is inching ever closer to its demolition. It will be replaced by an apartment building with a street level office and a number of off-street parking stalls accessible from the alley. The plans also incorporate green-scape elements.  For more information type in 8854 Delridge Way SW at http://web6.seattle.gov/dpd/edms/ 

    Scanning the documents, it appears Metro have picked up on the project as part of the 120 to H-Line bus stop overhauls. The intersection being considered for a public art installation as well as part of the Metro overhaul. 

  • KW February 5, 2018 (10:12 am)

    I live up the street from this house and fence. This property is right on an open and busy corner with a lot of traffic. I understand the point of not having a fence that attracts vandalism in an area that is rife with taggers, however I personally can’t blame this property owner for wanting the large wooden fence without spacing between the slats to get some privacy from a very active corner.

    Perhaps what we could do as a community is report new tags as soon as we see them (Find It, Fix It app is a great place to start) and hey, how about volunteering to help out our fellow property owners who are affected? I’m  happy to be neighborly and spend a weekend morning scrubbing or painting a fence if someone needs help keeping up. Just throwing that out there.

     Huge thanks to SPD for being on top of this. It feels like our area has been seeing a rise in small incidences like this and while the officer’s experience is unfortunate, I’m grateful they were there for us.  Best wishes to the officer.

  • SLP February 5, 2018 (10:27 am)

    We just drove by there the other day and I commented that someone had tagged their beautiful fence. So very sad. I’m glad the officer showed restraint and I’m sorry he was injured. 

    • WSB February 5, 2018 (2:51 pm)

      Finally just got followup info on this – for anybody checking back, I’ll be writing a separate story, too much info to just tack on the end of this. Will add the link to this comment when I’m done. – TR

  • D February 5, 2018 (4:16 pm)

    Thank you to the police officer who caught him. We need more police officers like you around. Hope your recovery is speedy from the injury. 

    On a a side note:   Instead of prison time, why not shame these people caught tagging with extended public community service scraping/painting and cleaning tags off buildings as a year long requirement to community service?  It’d be a win-win situation.

    The state could also implement an system like NPLEx that tracks people buying spray paint and hand that data to police.  

  • WSB February 5, 2018 (4:38 pm)

    Followup is now live here (couple other stories broke in the meantime and pushed it back):

    https://westseattleblog.com/2018/02/crime-watch-followup-suspect-in-assault-on-police-officer-is-awaiting-trial-in-notorious-burglary-case/

  • DH February 5, 2018 (5:54 pm)

    Glad the officer is ok and that SPD is doing something about this when they can. My fence is on that alley and gets tagged regularly. Just recently I caught the tagger in the act. He didn’t even stop at first when I confronted him from my window. I wouldn’t put up a wood fence in that alley but the previous owners did and I don’t see the point in paying to downgrade the quality of my fence. I try to paint over the graffiti quickly but the rain has kept the fence wet or I’m at work when it’s dryer. It seems like some of my neighbors have given up but I refuse to let that stuff stay on my fence. 

Sorry, comment time is over.