The King County Sheriff’s Office is reporting about a recent incident in White Center where a deputy was punched in the face by a disgruntled driver:

An average of thirty-eight times every hour, a King County Sheriff’s deputy is dispatched to a call or initiates some contact to make our communities better. Most, but not all, calls for service end without incident. Deputies never know which outcome their call will have. Uncertainty is the only certainty in patrol.

On December 26, 2020, a King County deputy serving White Center stopped a Chevrolet pickup because its license plates belonged on a different car. Traffic stops are something we do sixty times a day. Oftentimes, a motorist may not know their plates have been ‘switched’. On this Saturday, the truck’s driver refused to share an explanation or his name. He repeatedly looked at the deputy’s firearm and threatened to hit him ‘in the face with his hammer’. Moments later he punched our deputy in the eye.

It took multiple deputies, a Taser deployment and two pairs of handcuffs to eventually secure the suspect. For the fourth time in 2020 he was booked into the King County Jail. As I type these words he remains held without bail for felony assault.

Less than 0.1% of our calls end with a punch. The challenge for us all is predicating which call that 0.1% may be Saturday’s call won’t slow us down. From White Center to Skykomish, our 700+ commissioned members will serve with courage and certainty knowing their work makes us all safer.

Photos courtesy King County Sheriff’s Office