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Assault Suspect Attempts to Swim to Freedom

Just another day at the office for the Seattle Police Harbor Patrol.  At approximately 3:21 p.m. officers responded to a 911 call of two people being assaulted by an adult male suspect.  Preliminary investigation indicates that an unknown adult male suspect came up behind two people in Green Lake Park, a 16 year old female and a 19 year old male, and knocked them to the ground.  The suspect then continued on.  When responding officers attempted to contact the suspect he threw his sleeping bag at them and ran away.  The suspect then jumped into Green Lake and swam out to the center of the lake.

Both victims were transported to an area hospital by their father for treatment of their non-life-threatening injuries.  The 19 year old male victim sustained a broken finger in the assault.  It is unknown what injuries the female victim sustained.

SPD Harbor units have responded to the scene.  Harbor officers contacted the suspect out near the middle of the lake and made numerous attempts to get the suspect to grab a life jacket they had thrown to him.  The suspect refused to comply or cooperate with officers and swam over to a buoy and refused to let go of it.

After over two hours of obstructing officers’ attempts to get him into custody, at 5:48 p.m. the suspect was arrested without further incident.

This remains an active and on-going investigation.