On October 18th at 11:15 P.M., officers responded to a weapons call at South Washington Street and 2nd Ave S. The victim reported that a man had pointed a handgun at him during a verbal dispute and driven away in a white Chevy Silverado pickup truck with Texas plates. While responding to the call, officers spotted the suspect vehicle getting onto the freeway on 4th Ave S near Edgar Martinez Drive. They followed the vehicle onto N/B I-5 and were finally able to execute a high risk stop on the N 45th Street with the assistance of other West Precinct officers. They arrested the suspect and recovered a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the glove compartment.
Further investigation at the original scene revealed that the victim, a man in his 20’s, had approached the suspect’s girlfriend, a female in her 20’s, in the parking lot across from a nightclub. A the time, he was accompanied by one or two of his friends, also males in their 20s. The woman told him that she was not interested. The exact wording of her response is in dispute. According to the victim, she used a racial slur. During the resulting argument, the suspect went to his vehicle which was parked nearby and retrieved the handgun. He pointed it at the victim’s feet and indicated that he shoot if the group did not leave him and his girlfriend alone. The suspect and his girlfriend then left in their vehicle.
After being advised of his Miranda rights, the suspect admitted getting the pistol out of his truck and displaying it. He stated that he was in imminent fear of assault from the victim and his companions–a group of up to four individuals–and displayed the pistol so that he and his girlfriend could leave the area safely, which he did as soon as he could. His girlfriend verified his version of events. Officers were not able to contact anyone else form the victim’s group at the scene, as they had all left the area before officers could arrive.
The suspect does not have a valid concealed weapons permit. The officers booked him into King County Jail for the concealed weapons violation and for brandishing a handgun.
