Officer recounts violent stabbing spree, crediting community with quick save
Seattle police have released body camera footage from the arrest of the suspect who allegedly stabbed multiple people in the Chinatown-International District last week. In total, 10 people were stabbed in less than 40 hours.
“If it weren’t for the community members that were following this person, I could not have told you who was the suspect,” recounts Officer David Sullivan with SPD.
Officer Sullivan was one of the first to respond and witnessed Friday’s stabbing spree. He says from a distance, it initially looked like just a random fight - until people started screaming.
“I’m hearing people screaming. I’m hearing people specifically saying he’s stabbing people,” Officer Sullivan said.
Officer Sullivan says that while he approached, a group of people, along with the suspect, started running away.
He thought, “Maybe this guy that is now being chased by these community members, maybe that’s the guy. The stabber.”
Officer Sullivan says that although the suspect tried to escape through a chainlink fence, he was able to get close enough to him to order a surrender and handcuff him with the help of several other officers.
“I could see when we handcuffed him that his hands were bloody,” Officer Sullivan said.
At the same time, Officer Sullivan heard a voice behind him pointing out another stabbing victim. He believes if community members hadn’t helped spot him, the victim might not have made it.
“That might’ve saved that victim’s life, honestly,” Officer Sullivan said.
Although Officer Sullivan will tell anyone he was just doing his job, he still thinks the randomness of this attack is truly haunting.
“I don’t know what drove his behavior, but the circumstances that he took advantage of... were a community of people that are really on life’s edge and really vulnerable,” Officer Sullivan said.
The suspect is currently being held at the King County Jail. Charges could be coming as soon as Thursday.
