(WSB photo, September 12)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The driver accused of trying repeatedly to run down a pedestrian in West Seattle – until an off-duty police captain intervened – is charged with felony assault.

The incident happened almost three weeks ago, across from the north end of Lincoln Park. We first reported on it shortly after it happened. The next day, SPD’s preliminary summary mentioned “an off-duty officer” had stopped the driver, and two days later, SPD revealed the officer was actually an off-duty, newly promoted captain who was days away from taking over as commander of the South Precinct.

At the time, all we knew about the status of the suspect, 29-year-old Eric V. Sloboda, was that he had been released from the King County Jail after less than two days. We learned later that the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had argued for $100,000 bail, but a judge granted personal recognizance. Five days after the incident, KCPAO charged Sloboda with second-degree assault, a felony. He didn’t show up for his arraignment days later, and a warrant was issued, but public information about his current status is limited – he may be undergoing mental-health evaluation/treatment, as public records show his summons was sent to Western State Hospital (which told us they are not allowed to either confirm or deny whether any particular person is there). The charging document says he appeared to be “in crisis” at the time of the incident and his subsequent arrest blocks away.

The narrative in the charging document also has a bit more information about the case than previously disclosed. The person Sloboda allegedly tried to run over was arriving for his job at a nearby taco truck and, the narrative says, was standing on the sidewalk on the east side of Fauntleroy Way SW when, as described by a witness, this happened:

As (Sloboda’s) Prius entered the intersection, it veered wide and drove up onto the East sidewalk and drove straight at the victim, causing the victim to move out of the way. The Prius then made a circle and drove onto the sidewalk again attempting to hit the victim a second time but missed again. The witness stated the Prius then drove around his vehicle and again onto the sidewalk and aimed right toward the victim but he jumped out of the way again.

That’s when Capt. Heidi Tuttle, a West Seattle resident who was off-duty and driving her personal SUV, saw what was happening and took action, the charging documents continue:

The witness reported that it appeared like the Prius was circling around for a fourth attempt to run over the victim when the black Toyota 4Runner rammed the passenger side of the Prius disabling it. The suspect then exited his vehicle, screamed at the SPD Captain, and then ran North on Fauntleroy Way SW.

Patrol officers caught up with him shortly thereafter.

That all unfolded on a Friday afternoon. On the following Monday, the SPD media team identified Capt. Tuttle in an SPD Blotter post with more on what she did.

It brought back memories, she told us in a subsequent interview, of an incident years ago in which she chased a kidnapping suspect from Westwood, “rammed him all the way down Myers Way.” She noted that “the minute you decide to take action, you’re on duty … You just want to make people safe.” It’s a matter of “duty of care,” she continued, saying she felt “comfortable taking action because I’ve had so many years on the street.” (23, to be exact.) In a moment like the situation on Fauntleroy Way, she said, “everything slows down to the point where you can remember every bit of training.”

There’s a lot of it when it comes to vehicles, she said: “PIT training, pinning, ramming.” But her interests go beyond the mechanics of the job. “Many of us joined to make changes. I joined to be part of the solution.”

Her decision to become an officer almost three decades ago was something of a surprise twist; she says she came from a family of firefighters and was expected to become one. Instead, she went into police work, and “I could never in my life choose a different job.”

She’s served in a variety of roles at SPD and is most excited that new-ish Chief Shon Barnes has indicated she’ll get to stay in this one for a while; she says he’s pledged to keep precinct commanders in their roles longer, so they and their communities can truly build a relationship. She says he’s rolling out “massive change” but with a sense of “calm.”

Meantime, she’s adjusting to her own massive change – leading a precinct of more than 100 people. But the work comes down to a more personal level, including the case that’s bringing her a new round of attention; she says she’s always been interested in restorative work – “I care so much about the victim – and the offender.”

2:17 AM: Police are in the 4400 block of California SW, where a person was found dead early today outside a business building on the west side of the street. SFD medics were summoned but they told dispatch the person “was an obvious DOA” and they canceled the response quickly. There’s been no word on the circumstances or whether it’s considered suspicious; we’ll be following up later this morning.

11:43 AM: Though they’re not releasing other details, SPD tells us the report title indicates that this is a suspected case of death by suicide. It’s now up to the Medical Examiner to determine the cause and identify the victim.

If you’re having thoughts of self-harm, the 988 hotline is available 24/7.