Sheriff assists on Highway 2

 

December 4, 2014



Sometimes duty has no jurisdiction.

On Friday, November 14, Sheriff Mark Howie was traveling home with his wife Debb from a Washington Sheriff and Police Chief Conference in Chelan, when he helped apprehend a disturbed and violent man.

It was a rainy morning, and the Howies were headed westbound on Highway 2 in Sultan when traffic slowed to 5 mph. Soon enough, Howie would discover what was causing the disruption.

A man in his mid to late 20s, looking disheveled and bloodied, was going from car to car in both lanes of traffic, reaching into windows or pounding on them. His eyes were wild, according to Howie’s description, and his behavior, erratic.

“I knew at this point that he was violent and unpredictable. He displayed the type of behavior of people I have seen on drugs to include PCP, methamphetamine, bath salts, hash, or other illicit mind altering chemicals,” Howie said in a report submitted to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office. “In these situations it is very dangerous for one law enforcement officer to approach on their own.”

Howie had pulled over and was observing the man when two Snohomish deputy vehicles came down the road with their lights flashing. He followed them, activating his own lights, and pulled up behind them. He identified himself and then stepped up to assist.

The officers surrounded the man in the middle of the highway. When one deputy commanded the man to stop, he turned to the deputy and lowered himself into a menacing stance.

“He appeared deranged,” Howie said.

The man ignored the deputy’s many requests, frequently lunging at the officers and growling. The deputies grabbed the man from each side and struggled to pull him to the ground while he fought them. When they finally had him lowered to the ground, Howie dove on the man’s legs.

"He pulled his leg free at one point,” Howie said, “and kicked me at least 10 times on my shoulders and back area and once on the back of the head with his foot and shoe.”

A firefighter was on scene and stepped up to assist. He held the man’s newly freed leg. The fireman was only able to hold onto the leg for about 15 seconds and then Howie felt another kick to the back and neck.

“It felt like he had superhuman strength,” Howie said. “He pushed a deputy off of him and kicked his legs free two times.”

The man fought with the four officers for three to five minutes, finally stopping when they were able to get handcuffs on him.

“Those three to five minutes were exhausting,” Howie said. He sustained a sprained wrist and cuts to his hands and came home with a good story as well as the satisfaction of being in the right place at the right time to protect and serve a community, even if at that moment it wasn’t his own.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024