Following up on Wednesday’s arrests in High Point in connection with a fight on the shoulder of the east end of the West Seattle Bridge:
Hearings were held for three of the suspects today. Bail was set at $225,000 each for two men, 18 and 20; a juvenile-court judge ruled that a 17-year-old boy should remain in detention. The fourth person taken into custody yesterday, 19, was not booked into jail. Probable-cause documents include more information on what police found out:
(At 2:19 pm Wednesday), officers were dispatched to an accident scene where the parties involved were fighting. This was happening westbound on the West Seattle Bridge just off the exit ramp from southbound I-5. Witnesses said 4 guys (were) beating up another and trying to throw him off the bridge. Vehicles involved were a silver car and a red car. …
(At 2:22 pm), complainant advised that the red car sped past him onto Fauntleroy SW from the bridge. The victim tried to follow the suspects throughout West Seattle but lost them at 36 SW and SW Snoqualmie. The victim gave the suspect-vehicle plate … The victim advised he was standing by at that location.
Police say the victim had a bloody face, possible broken nose, and badly chipped front tooth.
SFD was called to treat him and suggested he go to Harborview, but he declined. The victim told police – picking up the report – “that he was stopped at a red light on S. McClellan and 23 Ave (S) when he was rear-ended by the suspect vehicle, a red 4 door Ford.
(The victim) said the driver got out and they agreed to pull over out of traffic to exchange information. (The victim) said he pulled over but the suspect driver (later identified as the 18-year-old), sped off without exchanging information for the accident. The victim said he then followed them so he could get the plate of the suspect vehicle … he went west onto the West Seattle Bridge and saw the suspect vehicle pulled over just past the gore point between S/B I-5 off ramp and the Columbian Way off ramp. He said the right front tire was damaged from the accident and was smoking. (The victim) said he pulled in front of the suspect car and got out to contact (the 18-year-old, who) got out and he asked (him) why he sped off. (The victim said the 18-year-old suspect) then punched him in the face and tried to run back to his car. (The victim) said he grabbed a hold of (the suspect) to prevent him from getting away. While they were struggling on the very busy freeway bridge, (the 18-year-old) yelled at his friends in his car, “Get the shotgun”!”
At that point, the victim told police, the 20-year-old and 17-year-old suspects got out of the car and opened the trunk. The victim told police he was afraid he was going to be shot, so he punched the 18-year-old in the face and broke away. The report continues, “He said he wanted to get to the trunk and prevent them from getting the shotgun on him. (The victim said the 20-year-old suspect) was pulling the shotgun from the trunk and (he) was able to grab it as well (and) was fighting for control over the gun with (the 18-year-old suspect) when he was kicked and punched in the head from behind by (the other two).
A struggle for control of the gun ensued, and the four scuffled near the guardrail, almost falling off the bridge, the victim said, adding that, the report says, “at one point during the struggle, (the 20-year-old suspect) maneuvered the barrel of the shotgun pointed right at (the victim’s) face (and he said) he heard the ‘click’ of the trigger but the gun did not fire.” The report says the scuffle ensued, and that the 17-year-old suspect kicked the victim in the face before the 20-year-old suspect grabbed the shotgun, ran back to the red car, put it in the trunk, and sped off west on the bridge. The victim followed them to get the plate.
The probable-cause documents don’t explain how they traced the car to the 6000 block of High Point Drive – mentioning just “an area check.” Nor do they go into detail about the two-hour span between arrests, involving the SWAT team; the police report lists more than 30 officers having been involved in the response. According to the “last-known address” section of the probable-cause documents, the 17-year-old lives at the address where the arrests were made; the 20-year-old and 18-year-old live at separate addresses in South Delridge. The charging deadline for all three is next Monday.
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