An off-duty officer with the Edmonds Police Department was arrested Monday after allegedly pointing a gun at a driver during a road rage incident in Lynnwood, according to court documents.
At about 1:16 p.m. Monday, Lynnwood officers responded to a report of a female driver flashing a pistol at a driver on 196th Street Southwest and 44th Avenue West.
When officers arrived, they found the suspect vehicle, a silver 2015 Subaru Forester. The officers activated their lights, stopped the car and arrested Melinda McClements Leen.
According to the Edmonds Police Department, Officer Leen is a 3-year veteran of the department.
According to the court documents, the victim was exiting Interstate 5 when the driver of the Subaru cut him off, almost hitting the median and nearly pushing him off the road.
The victim told police, “I didn’t see no blinker, I really wasn’t looking to my left.” The victim said the female driver looked at him and he raised both hands in a state of confusion.
The victim then said Leen raised her hands in a similar fashion. She then “reaches under either her chair or her side door and grabs a pistol and puts it up to the window.”
According to court documents, Leen then pointed the pistol at him.
“I couldn’t do anything because I was stuck, there was cars in front of me, behind me, I just sat there. I literally put my hands up, I was like, well this is it, this is it,” he told police.
Officers arrested Leen on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and booked her into the Snohomish County Jail.
Statement from Edmonds Police Chief Michelle Bennett:
On December 2nd, I was made aware of the arrest of one of our officers, a 3-year veteran of the department. We take this matter very seriously and are cooperating fully with the investigation, which is being conducted by the Lynnwood Police Department. Our internal affairs investigation process has already begun, and the officer has been placed on administrative leave. We will not be releasing information related to the allegations, as those details are held by the Lynnwood Police Department as part of their investigation.
Statement from the Lynnwood Police Department:
On December 2, around 3 PM our officers responded to a call in the area of 196th and 44th Ave. When they arrived, they learned that a male and female were involved in a road rage incident where the female pulled out a firearm and displayed it. Officers arrested her on assault 2 charges and learned she was an off-duty officer with Edmonds Police Department. She was booked into the Snohomish County Jail. For any additional information, please submit a PDR with case number 2024-40789. This is an active and on-going investigation.