MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Woman assaulted in bathroom at King County Courthouse

Jul 29, 2021, 1:18 PM | Updated: Jul 30, 2021, 2:41 pm

Third Avenue entrance, King County Courthouse, washington murderers...

King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle. (Dyer Oxley, KIRO Radio)

(Dyer Oxley, KIRO Radio)

A suspect is in custody following a report of an assault on a female employee inside the King County Courthouse in downtown Seattle on Thursday morning.

The victim went into a bathroom where she was then said to have been attacked by a man already inside.

As she screamed for help and fought with the man, another court employee helped subdue the suspect.

Seattle police say the 35-year-old suspect is under State Department of Corrections supervision, and will be booked into jail later Thursday. It is believed that the suspect entered the downtown courthouse through a guarded entrance where people are screened.

The woman, who works at the courthouse, is not seriously hurt. She is currently home and recovering.

King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, whose office is in the downtown Seattle court complex, is requesting that the buildings be shut down to everyone, “except employees and people with necessary business.”

In a letter addressed to King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, Dunn says workers, jurors, and the public have “endured strings of attacks in this area.”

“This fear is understandable and is absolutely unacceptable,” Dunn writes.

Councilmember Dunn is calling for City Hall Park next to the court buildings to be shut down and to address the dangers posed by the encampment that’s set up in the park.

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Woman assaulted in bathroom at King County Courthouse