Seattle police arrested a man on the Ballard Bridge on Tuesday after witnesses reported someone climbing over the pedestrian gate, turning an ordinary afternoon commute into something closer to a crime drama. Officers say the man first tried to pass himself off with a fake name, but a mobile fingerprint reader told a different story. Police report recovering methamphetamine and a meth pipe from him and say he was already wanted by state authorities on a second-degree murder warrant. He was booked into the South Correctional Entity jail in Des Moines.
According to a post by the Seattle Police Department, patrol officers located the man on the pedestrian walkway and initially found that the false name he provided matched a felony arrest warrant for assault. The department's post states that the Washington State Department of Corrections had him wanted on a second-degree murder warrant and that he had previously absconded from house arrest, according to the police report.
Booked Into Regional Jail
Seattle police booked the suspect into the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) in Des Moines, the regional jail that serves several south King County cities. The SCORE website lists the facility and its lobby location at 20817 17th Avenue South, where detainees from participating jurisdictions are processed.
What Police Say Officers Recovered
The department's post says officers found a meth pipe and a quantity of methamphetamine on the suspect, and that he "attempted to flee while in handcuffs" before being restrained. Police also described the man as having "escaped community custody" after absconding from house arrest, and detectives will coordinate with prosecutors and the DOC regarding the outstanding murder warrant.
Legal Note
Under Washington law, murder in the second degree is described in RCW 9A.32.050 and is a class A felony. Separate statutes covering escape and related supervision violations are found in chapter 9A.76 RCW.
