Rantz: (Update) Machete-wielding woman slashes man she confused for cop

As agitators started fires and burned a flag outside the East Precinct, a woman used a machete to attack a security guard across the street. She confused him for a Seattle police officer.

Ernanda Bendtsen, 32, spotted a security guard at 12th Ave Arts on Capitol Hill as she was driving by.

According to the Seattle Police Department, she shouted insults at the 50-year-old guard from her window, including calling him a “child molester.” It escalated from there.

(Update 09/12/20: The King County Prosecutor’s Office says Bendtsen is connected to a recent double homicide and arson. Based on her social media fan base, there’s concern that she can easily raise money to not just post bail, but skip out on future court cases. They’re hoping to raise her bail. Also note that the original court document misspelled her name as “Bendisen” and it has since been corrected.)

Woman pulls a machete on who she thought was a cop

Police say Bendtsen then pulled over and exited the vehicle with a Nerf Blaster toy gun to approach the guard. He has been identified as Wade Biller. She asked if he was police, and he said no. She didn’t seem to believe him.

Court documents say she returned to her vehicle, warning Biller “I got something for you.” That’s when she pulled out a 12-inch machete.

When she walked towards Biller, machete in hand, he ran into the building he was guarding and tried to pull the door shut. But Bendtsen was able to fight to keep the door partially open.

In the struggle, she slashed the man’s arm, leaving two five-inch wounds.

Eventually, she gave up and fled in her car, but the damage was significant. When Seattle police arrived, they found the guard “bleeding profusely” from the cuts. According to police, some of the agitators tended first aid since their goal has been to harm police officers, not security guards, and I guess they were done waging their assault on the East Precinct.

Luckily, police found Bendtsen nearby. She pulled into a gas station to change her clothes. Police spotted her and placed her under arrest.

EXCLUSIVE: Wade Biller’s recovering from a machete attack. He says lack of police enforcement on Cal Anderson Park encampment is drawing in criminals to Capitol Hill who feel emboldened to do whatever they want. Stats show assaults and burglaries also on rise. Story 6pm @komonews pic.twitter.com/o1tQ5cNZZy

— Jonathan Choe Journalist KOMO News (@choeshow) September 12, 2020

Her first appearance was Wednesday and a judge found probable cause for second-degree assault. The King County Prosecutor’s Office asked that she be held on $350,000 bail but the judge set it at $80,000. Prosecutors are asking for the bail to be raised, now that they’ve connected her to a double homicide and arson.

The guard was transported to Harborview Medical Center where he is expected to make a full recovery.

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