Followup: $350,000 bail for West Seattle bus-robberies suspect

(WSB photo from Monday night, near California/Raymond)
In a jailhouse courtroom, a King County Superior Court judge has just set bail at $350,000 for the 19-year-old man accused of robbing people on board a RapidRide bus north of Morgan Junction last night until passengers fought back, with one grabbing his gun and others sitting on him until police arrived. (Here’s our Monday night coverage.) The suspect waived his right to be present for the hearing, but a woman identifying herself as his mother cried out in the courtroom, “No! That’s not my son!” and told reporters (including WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand) afterward that she apologizes to Metro and the passengers, that her son is not like that, and she doesn’t understand what happened.

5:38 PM UPDATE: A statement from Metro, via spokesperson Jeff Switzer:

We’re cooperating with Seattle Police in this ongoing investigation. When the fight erupted, our driver followed longstanding procedures designed to keep our riders as safe as possible during a serious incident – he hit his emergency alarm, pulled over the bus and opened the doors to let passengers escape. We’re extremely relieved no one was seriously injured.

The suspect is due back in court next Monday morning.

rocky raccoon November 26, 2013 (3:18 pm)

Right, mom, he’s always been such a good boy.

Bus_rider November 26, 2013 (3:35 pm)

Do you have a picture and a name and address of the accused?

WSB November 26, 2013 (3:42 pm)

With very rare exceptions, we do not publish photos/names – in stories or comments – until people are charged. He is not charged. There would be no photo available even if he were, as (a) as noted above, he did not appear in the courtroom and (b) he has no record in this state so far as I have found (if someone has done time in state prison, the prison system might have a mugshot that can be made available to media, but there are no mugshots available otherwise). First thing this morning, I asked Metro about any video from the bus; at this point, that will proceed through public disclosure channels, which are not instant. Court documents list a Beacon Hill address for him. – TR

marty November 26, 2013 (4:03 pm)

Go to KIRO news (kiro.com) for the name, I saw it there..

Bus_rider November 26, 2013 (4:45 pm)

Thanks for requesting the video on the bus. I did see a name posted on another major media (TV) outlet. I just don’t want to run into him on the bus. I agree with your policy about not posting names until the person is charged as some cases might not have fully developed yet.

Diane November 26, 2013 (5:17 pm)

komo4 tv news just did long story on this; interviewed my friend Christina Darragh, who owns Eco Beauty Salonspa, and Zippy Dogs; and komo named, showed photos of this kid, and the kid’s mom

John November 26, 2013 (6:19 pm)

If he’s found guilty let’s keep him in prison for a long time!

JayDee November 26, 2013 (6:20 pm)

I know that you needed to say alleged gunman in your earlier story, but it’s hard to say that he wasn’t the gunman in fact given that he was caught in the act by brave citizens. Plus if he was wearing a nylon stocking over his head, he’d be hard to confuse with another person.
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I know teenagers make bad decisions, but this one was a whopper. Gee, there sure are a lot of smartphones on buses, but there are cameras on the ceiling, and in this case courageous passengers. Kicking out the patrol car window added $$$ to the bail. Hopefully he gets time to think about it until he has matured into his 30s.

Tony November 26, 2013 (6:47 pm)

rocky, I doubt her position is one of “it wasn’t him” due to her apology to the victims, but rather something more along the lines of “I’m not sure why he did this and this does not match the value system in which he was raised.”

That being said, I’m not mind reader and could be way off.

zipline November 26, 2013 (6:52 pm)

The suspect may be 19 but he will be tried as an adult.

WestSide45 November 26, 2013 (6:52 pm)

He may age into his thirties but it’s doubtful he will mature.

WSPS November 26, 2013 (8:40 pm)

He will be out on the streets much sooner than You think.

carlton November 26, 2013 (9:14 pm)

Everytime I ride the bus, nine out of ten people are face planted gazing into their devices not even knowing who’s around them. Smartphones aren’t cheap and thieves know this. If you play with your device wide in the open they are already are casing you out. It doesn’t make you look cool playing with your expensive gadgets in front of me. In fact, you’re pissing people off who can’t afford them.

McGruff November 26, 2013 (10:34 pm)

I watched the video of the news story on the KOMO website. I feel for the mother, but after looking at the pix of the perp (which I assume KOMO got from his Facebook page), she was either clueless or in serious denial about her son. All you have to do is look at the pix: kid w/tats, kid ‘throwing’ gang signs, kid posing with a fistful of money, and it is clear he’s into the ‘thug life’, or at the least a serious ‘gangsta’ wannabe.
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This was no ‘youthful indiscretion’. Tagging or maybe some petty shoplifting is a youthful indiscretion. Sticking a gun in people’s faces on a crowded bus and robbing them of their cel phones is a whole ‘nother song to dance to. Who the hell did he think he was, Jesse James?
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Make an example of him; lock him up for the max term, and that may dissuade at least a few from following his example.

Cait November 26, 2013 (11:38 pm)

Is there nothing a bus driver can do if someone with a stocking over their face boards the bus? I realize that people cover their faces for various reasons (religious dress, face masks for germs, etc) but it seems like a stocking over the face is a completely different thing and should have been a warning.

I don’t know what else I would have done as the driver (or as a passenger even) but it seems odd to me that he boarded the bus this way.

Alphonse November 27, 2013 (12:20 am)

I lived in NYC in the early – mid 1980’s, before it was the gentrified city it is now. If you rode the subway or walked in certain areas you knew to keep your guard up and that’s never left me. I am amazed at the complete bubble that most people are in when in public these days. I’ve always felt that Seattle was quite safe compared to other large U.S. cities I’ve lived in, but reading the coverage and comments on this story, I’m wondering how far we are from a Bernie Goetz incident.

Eric November 27, 2013 (4:56 am)

All this for a cell phone and maybe some street cred since the mother said that he “fell” into the wrong crowd. This is a mistake that is going to haunt him for literally years.

Rick November 27, 2013 (6:51 am)

We should bow down to the thugs? Idiots

Azimuth November 27, 2013 (7:51 am)

Geez Carlton, with that attitude no wonder 9 out of 10 riders don’t want to talk to you.

AG November 27, 2013 (9:02 am)

To the mom: I’m sorry it took this level of crime for you to find out that your son has clearly left the track onto which you attempted to steer him. Now that you know, please don’t make excuses for him – he needs you to be his mom now more than ever, if he has any hope of getting back on track. It can happen if the parent(s) are there and hold firm about their expectations. I veered off course for a few years and made it back to a successful adulthood because I had parents who tolerated no less.

wscommuter November 27, 2013 (10:17 am)

WSPS, you’re mistaken. The prosecutor can charge a separate offense of Robbery 1 for each person robbed, and a firearm enhancement for each of those offenses. Sounds like there were at least three victims. And for the firearm enhancements, there is no opportunity to earn “good time” in prison which might reduce his time of incarceration (in WA, prisoners who behave well can get up to one-third of their time reduced, but none at all for firearm time imposed). This guy is going away for a decade or more. Perhaps a lot more.

Notadouche November 27, 2013 (12:44 pm)

Carlton your mistaken if you think it’s wrong to enjoy our gadgets on the bus. I work long days, and look forward to relaxing and enjoying the entertainment my smartphone provides. I’m pretty sure your the only one getting jealous/ angry about people being on their smartphones. I mean according to you, 90% of us are on them. So who’s left to get mad? Poor, old , jealous haters like you. I’m not going to change my lifestyle to accommodate a thief, and neither should anyone else.

Diane November 27, 2013 (1:16 pm)

KIRO 7 tv news at noon had interview of (Joshua? perhaps) talking about gun in his face and jumping this kid
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and they interviewed the mom in her home, who seemed to clearly know this kid gets into trouble and travels with a gun; mom said she asked him if he had a gun on him when he went out that eve, talked about frisking him; then said that the gun was not loaded (as if that really matters) and that her kid may have been trying to get some money because his car just broke down or some such excuse
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we have so many lost youth in our community, in our city, in our area; we REALLY need to do better for these kids; it’s systemic, generational; we (all of us) need to take actions to help youth break the chain of poverty, gang culture, etc; if he goes to prison for long time, he will certainly learn from other hard core criminals how to do even worse when he gets out, back on the street; the US culture of lock-em-up, without any real rehab, and without real methods to prevent youth from getting started in crime; this culture really needs to change

Alki Resident November 27, 2013 (2:33 pm)

@ Diane- It starts at home.

Bus rider November 27, 2013 (4:29 pm)

And hence that’s why we need a caring, supportive community as a safety net.

However having said that, a part of me is so fed up with violence and other crimes I’m just spitting mad! I agree with notadouche and think I have a right to relax a little with my phone when getting on the bus. We should not have to let go of the assumption that we are safe around our community and on the bus. I don’t want to curtail my life so that I’m locked in my house or constantly looking over my shoulder for an assailant. What do others think? I’m going to write to Harrell and maybe somebody at King county now to insist on improvements.

WSB November 27, 2013 (4:38 pm)

BR – one tip, our area’s King County Councilmember Joe McDermott chairs the Transportation Committee of the county council. And of course at the top, Metro answers to King County Executive Dow Constantine, also a West Seattleite, fwiw. – TR