UPDATE: Police response at California/Dawson

7:32 PM: If you’ve been noticing the police report on California south of The Junction – here’s how it’s played out over police radio: First there was a report of a man “covered in blood” with a possible stab wound near California/Lander. Police couldn’t find anyone. Then reoprts started coming in about a man “covered in blood” possibly carrying a pistol, in The Junction, Police have just caught up with a man who they believe is the person reported in both calls – and they say he’s covered in feces, not blood. They have taken him into custody at California/Dawson, though it’s not clear if any crime has been committed – one witness is reported to have told police the man dropped “the gun” near where police caught up with him.

7:37 PM: Our photographer says police at the scene (by Rite Aid) confirm the aforementioned circumstances. No gun found so far. What happens to him next, we haven’t yet heard.

9 Replies to "UPDATE: Police response at California/Dawson"

  • Jackson Phibes September 1, 2024 (8:04 pm)

    So glad these people are allowed to live out their best lives, suffering from addiction and mental illness, on the public streets of Seattle, the undisputed very best place for them.

    • K September 2, 2024 (7:45 am)

      Tell all your friends and neighbors to vote “yes” when funding levies, zoning changes, or plans appear for mental health services, housing, and treatment facilities.  Everything that keeps folks with mental health and substance use disorders off the streets requires resources, and we will continue to see incidents like this as long as people push back against programs to help these folks.  

    • WS Res September 2, 2024 (9:37 am)

      If you haven’t already, you should listen to the “Lost Patients” podcast that KUOW did earlier this year. It’s a very detailed walk through how things got to be this way.

  • OneTimeCharley September 1, 2024 (8:52 pm)

    Disgusting. Baker act. He is a threat to others. Next.

    • Oh Seattle September 2, 2024 (1:37 pm)

      If he lived in Florida, then it would be an option. But considering that the Baker Act is a state law, in another state, not much chance for that to happen.

      • wsres September 2, 2024 (4:07 pm)

        We actually have a form of the Baker Act in WA state:

        • Washington state: The Involuntary Treatment Act in Washington states that a petitioner must prove an individual cannot care for their basic needs on their own or has lost control of their actions — which often overlaps with substance abuse impairment. The likelihood of the individual harming themselves or their property is also often grounds for involuntary commitment.
        • OneTimeCharley September 2, 2024 (5:47 pm)

          Thank you for letting me know. I will use the more Washington appropriate Involuntary Treatment Act when I bring it up at the upcoming neighborhood safety meeting. The result is the same. My feelings are the same. Processing this sort of thing for intake shouldn’t be anything other than rote at this point. Next.

  • flimflam September 2, 2024 (8:39 am)

    “Covered in feces, not blood” is one of the strangest phrases I’ve read in a long time. Jeez.

    • response September 3, 2024 (4:39 pm)

      it is not surprising that SPD cannot recruit officers!

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