5:14 PM: Thanks to everyone who has messaged us about the big police response – we saw several of the lights/siren cars heading north ourselves. We’re at the scene of an incident involving a car at 42nd and Charlestown (we’ve counted eight SPD cars so far). Someone is believed to be hurt – there’s just been a Seattle Fire Department car to come help. Still sorting out details, and will add as we find out more.
5:20 PM UPDATE: We’ve learned this started as a “help the officer” call – and it appears medics are checking out an officer. This is all unfolding just east of the old Charlestown Café. (added) Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Paulsen confirms an officer was assaulted by a suspect after a traffic stop. He says the suspect is under arrest.
6:04 PM UPDATE: New information from Capt. Paulsen – two officers were hurt; he says, “the suspect was under arrest and tried to drive off as the officer was trying to bring him out of the car. The suspect was also in possession of suspected controlled substances.” The injured officers, he says, are at Harborview Medical Center.
8:47 PM UPDATE: More details from SPD Blotter – including word that a citizen who tried to help got hurt. Read on for the narrative:
An adult male suspect assaulted an officer and a sergeant this afternoon while they attempted to prevent the suspect from fleeing the scene of a traffic stop. At approximately 4:45 p.m. a uniformed female officer on patrol observed a male suspect who was driving a black Kia run a red light on California Avenue SW at SW Charlestown Street. After running the red light the suspect almost struck the officer’s patrol car. The officer conducted a traffic stop on the suspect at 42nd Avenue SW and SW Charlestown Street. A patrol sergeant responded to the scene to back up the officer.
Upon further investigation it was discovered that the suspect had no driver’s license and no identification on his person, and provided a false identity to the officer. At one point during the stop the suspect attempted to drive away from the scene at which point the officer physically intervened to stop him. A struggle ensued between the officer and the suspect at which point the sergeant intervened.An adult male citizen who observed the altercation jumped in to assist the officers.
The suspect was eventually taken into custody.
The officer, the sergeant and the citizen were all injured in the struggle. The citizen was examined by fire department medics and released from the scene with non-life-threatening injuries. The female officer and male sergeant were also examined by medics at the scene and subsequently transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of their non-life-threatening injuries. The suspect was not injured.
After a further records check on the suspect officers verified that the suspect was wanted on an outstanding King County Sheriff’s Office felony burglary warrant. The suspect was also found to be in possession of narcotics.
The 28-year-old male suspect was transported to the Southwest Precinct for processing and will be booked into the King County Jail on the following charges: Felony Assault on an Officer (x2), Felony Assault on a citizen, Felony Possession of Narcotics, and on the Felony Burglary warrant.
12:26 AM UPDATE: The suspect is now in jail. This is his tenth jail stay this year – most for one or two days, except for two months in February/March/April, and six days in August. Several appear to relate back to a burglary case cited in the first jail booking of the year – a case with 4 counts of burglary, filed exactly one year ago today (November 14, 2011). Detailed online court documents aren’t accessible at this hour, so we won’t be able to look up the specific case till later this morning.
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