Sammamish Police Blotter: DUI Suspect Tased, Mailbox Bombed

March 15

Obstructing an Officer; physical control: A Sammamish police officer approached a Honda Pilot that was parked in East Sammamish Park at 10:18 p.m. The driver of the car, a Kirkland resident, had bloodshot, watery eyes and refused to roll his window down to talk to the officer. The officer noticed the man begin to squeeze and release the steering wheel and to take deep breaths, which he took to indicate the man was preparing to fight. When the man finally rolled his window down, the officer smelled alcohol and asked for his identification, as he was violating city code designating that the parks are closed after dark. At this point, another officer arrived for backup; the man repeatedly refused to comply with the officers’ commands to get out of the car, telling officers “you have no right to open my door!” when they opened the driver’s side door.

The officers advised him he was being investigated for Physical Control and that he needed to exit the vehicle or he would be tased. The man finally did exit the vehicle and stand facing the car, but refused to spread his legs or allow his hands to be brought behind his head. The officer tased the subject, and still he refused to put his hands behind his back, saying he couldn’t because he was being tased. The officer told him to put his hands behind his back as soon as the taser stopped, but when the officer stopped the taser, the man still did not do as told and tried to stand up again. The officer started the taser again and the subject still resisted putting his hands behind him and told police he had just soiled himself. After the second tasing, the man complied with officers’ command and was placed under arrest. Eastside Fire & Rescue also was called to the scene; after booking, the man was transferred to the hospital for a possible anxiety attack.

*Editor’s note: Physical control refers to Washington State code which makes it an offense to be in physical control of a vehicle with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit, but indicates the car is not being driven at the time of the arrest. 

Business License Violation: Police responded to a report of suspicious activity in a white van with Indiana license plates near the Bank of America parking lot on the 500 block of 228th Ave NE. Police had previously received reports of the van being associated with three black men soliciting within the city. Police informed the men, who range in age from early 20s to 50 years old, that if they planned to ask for donations for a cause (redacted from police reports) or leaving fliers for their cleaning supplies, they would need to apply for a City of Sammamish Peddler’s license. One of the men told police when asked about prior contact with law enforcement that he had served 11 years for murder while he was a gang member in Chicago. One of the other men also had Chicago identification, and the third is from Summerville.

Mail theft: a resident of the 24300 block of NE 16th Place reported to police that her mailbox, along 244th AVE NE appeared to have been tampered with and some junk mail envelopes were left open and empty in the box.

March 18

Stolen mail recovered: A resident of the 24000 block of NE 25th called police to report that when she went to check her mail, she discovered that her newspaper box was stuffed full of mail, all of it from various addresses in the Sammamish and Maple Valley areas.

March 21

Larceny: A resident of the 1500 block of 211 Ave NE called police to report that a number of items, including an air compressor, pressure washers, bows and bow cases, had been stolen from a shed that was inadvertently left unlocked. The items were worth approximately $3,000.

March 22

Vandalism: At about 3 p.m., police were dispatched to the intersection of E. Lake Sammamish Parkway NE and Inglewood Hill Road. A Sammamish resident reported that the day before someone in a dark blue 2005 Subaru Impreza had attempted to cut in front of his Jeep Cherokee, and when he could not, followed him and pulled alongside his vehicle, throwing a handful of miscellaneous coins at it. The man contacted a passerby who said she had reported the Impreza to police for reckless driving. The driver of the Cherokee told the officer that he had reported the damage to his insurance company, and that he would like police to talk with the driver about what he had done, and mostly hoped for an apology. Police contacted the driver of the Impreza, a 20-year old man at his mother’s house, but the man refused to acknowledge what he had done or apologize.

Mailbox bombing: A resident of the 21,500 block of SE 13th Place reported to police that their neighbor had heard a large “boom.” He went outside and didn’t see anyone or any vehicles, but saw smoke coming from his mailbox. Apparently a firework had gone off in the mailbox. The mailbox was not damaged and only one piece of mail was partially burned.