SEATTLE — A man claiming to be a member of law enforcement was arrested after attacking four people in Seattle on Sunday, including a police officer.
Officers were dispatched to 2200 block of Westlake Avenue in the Denny Triangle shortly before 11 a.m. for reports of a man punching three people. When a Seattle Police officer arrived at the scene, the suspect punched the officer in the face two times before being arrested.
During the attack, several bystanders jumped in to help police.
As the investigation unfolded, officers discovered that the suspect attacked three men inside a store, claimed he was a federal agent, demanded their names, and cornered and held them there.
But that wasn’t enough. He then chased an 18-year-old woman and tried to grab her when she attempted to hide, Seattle Police said.
At that point, the store manager came outside and stopped the suspect from harassing the young woman.
Once police arrived, the woman told them that she was “so traumatized by the incident that she requested information on how to get a protection order,” according to an officer’s report.
Once the 44-year-old suspect was taken into custody, he was arrested and booked into King County in place of $200,000 bail on of four counts of assault, criminal impersonation, and unlawful imprisonment for cornering the men in the store and holding them there against their will.
The officer who was punched in the face by the suspect was checked out by Seattle Fire Department medics before going to the hospital for treatment.