(Friday afternoon photo by Christopher Boffoli)
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has just announced that 22-year-old Marcus Combs is now charged with first-degree assault in connection with last Friday’s stabbing of a 40-year-old woman who was walking with her 9-year-old. Court documents we obtained and reported on Monday said he stabbed her 15 times in the head and body after attacking her and pushing her down along a High Point street. But as disclosed in a Seattle Housing Authority update on Monday, the victim was doing well enough to leave the hospital over the weekend and is recovering at home. Combs is scheduled for arraignment on May 12th; if found guilty on this charge, he could be sentenced to up to 14 years in prison. The High Point Neighborhood Association is sponsoring a community meeting tomorrow night at HP Neighborhood Center to discuss the incident and other issues, and is also working to find out if there is anything the community can do collectively to help the victim’s family. ADDED 3:24 PM: Transcription, from the charging documents, of exactly how it’s alleged the Friday afternoon attack went down – read on:
(April 23 at approximately 3:34 pm) (Victim) was walking southbound on Lanham Place SW with her 9-year-old daughter.to get her other children from day care. Her daughter told her at least twice that a man was following them, but (victim) dismissed it as just another person walking down the street. Suddenly and without warning the male attacked. He grabbed (victim) from behind, and she turned her head to try and see who was grabbing her. When she did, she saw a knife coming toward her throat, and she dropped to the ground to avoid being stabbed. The suspect stood over her holding her scarf in one hand, and stabbing her repeatedly with the other hand. Multiple times (she) saw the knife blade coming toward her thraot, and used her arms, hands and legs to attempt to deflect the knife away from her throat. During this assault she sustained 15 stabbing and cutting wounds to her head and chest, as well as defensive wounds to her hands and arms. (She) was treated at the scene by Seattle Fire, and transported to (Harborview Medical Center) for further treatment and evaluation. At least seven of those wounds required multiple stitches to close. Her 9-year-old daughter witnessed the attack from her mother’s side and was screaming for someone to help her. Numerous people were in the immediate area yelling at the suspect to stop, but only (Witness A) came to her aid.
(Witness A) was arriving home by car and was just a few houses away, when she heard a woman screaming. She saw (victim) on the ground, and the suspect standing over her. She initially thought that he was punching and kicking the victim but as she got closer she could see that the suspect had a knife and was stabbing (her) repeatedly. She saw numerous people standing around and yelling at him to stop, but nobody was doing anything to stop him. She heard someone yell for “Marcus” to stop. She ran to the victim’s aid and began to yell at the suspect to stop. When he did not she began striking the suspect on his back with her keys in an attempt to stop his attack. The suspect turned and looked at her briefly, and then continued his assault on (the victim) (Witness A) continued to yell at him to stop and for somebody else to help, while continuing to strike him with her keys. The suspect stopped his attack as suddenly as he had initiated it, and casually walked away eastbound on SW Graham. (Witness A) got back in her car and followed the suspect to (6300 block 29th SW residence) where she watched him go inside. Along the way she called 911 from her cell phone and gave information as to the suspect’s location. She also saw several people following the suspect on foot and told them to get in her car so that the suspect could not attack him. Since several witnesses were watching the suspect’s house, (Witness A) went back to the victim’s location to see how she was. She advised Officers at the scene that she witnessed the assault, saw where the suspect went, and could identify him. She described the suspect as an Afrian American male, 20 to 25 years of age, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with white lining, white T-shirt, brown sweatpants, and white shoes.
Officers arriving …. were told by several witnesses that the suspect had gone inside this residence and had not come out. Officers surrounded the address and observed blood on the door handle to his residence. As officers were surrounding the address, the suspect walked out of the house. Officers asked the suspect if his name was Marcus and he said yes. Officers observed blood and small cuts on the suspect’s hands, and he was wearing a white T-shirt and brown pants. Officer Emery placed the suspect under arrest and identified him as Marcus Combs … Spontaneously and without any questions from Officer Emery during the arrest, Combs stated aloud, “The knife? It is on the kitchen table.” Officers asked if there was anyone else inside the residence, and he said there was a female inside. Officers made exigent entry to check for potential additional victims of Combs. They found no other occupants, but did note a bloody knife and a hooded sweatshirt matching the witness description in plain view.
Officer Rees picked (Witness A) up at the crime scene and transported her to the arrest scene to conduct a show-up. Officers brought Combs into view and (Witness A0 identified him as the suspect in the assault. She noted that she recognized his face and his clothing except that he was no longer wearing the sweatshirt.
Detective … applied for and was granted a search warrant for the suspect’s residence. The SPD CSI Unit executed the warrant and processed the evidence and the crime scene. They recovered the bloody knife and two sweatshirts from Combs’ residence.
In addition to (Witness A) there were 14 other witnesses to this assault that came forward and identified themselves to officers.
That is the full transcription of the reason for the charges; there is nothing about a potential motive.
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