New info about suspect accused in series of Seattle stabbings revealed

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office prosecutors are releasing new information about the man arrested on suspicion of the stabbings at least five people in the Chinatown-International District (CID) of Seattle.

Police arrest documents, released by prosecutors, show the man is 37 years old and lives in South Seattle. The documents also name the suspect, but KIRO Newsradio and MyNorthwest have chosen to withhold his name until he’s charged.

The alleged stabbings happened over a 38-hour period from Thursday to Friday when police arrested the suspect at 4:09 p.m. in the 300 block of 10th Avenue South. According to police documents, a witness watched the suspect stab one victim four times in his back then walk casually down 10th Avenue before he stabbed another three victims who were standing on the south west corner of 12the Avenue South and South Jackson Street. One of the victims, according to police, suffered a laceration across his nose, while another was stabbed in the neck.

Police say they located two knives with blood on them, including a three-inch folding knife with the tip missing and a three-inch switchblade. Another knife was left inside a victim, police said.

King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney said, on Saturday, prosecutors asked a judge to hold the suspect in jail on $2 million bail and the judge granted that request. McNerthney said police are also investigating whether the suspect stabbed four other people, which would bring the total number of victim to nine.

“When we went to court it was the first opportunity that we had to say this person has got to stay held in the King County Jail and we argued there was a very serious danger to the public and he needs to be held,” McNerthney said. “His defense wanted a lower amount but the court said ‘yes’ $2 million is appropriate, so he’s in the King County Jail now.”

McNerthney added formal charges could come as soon as Thursday.

Police documents say the suspect was initially uncooperative and refused to give police his name. The documents also say the suspect has nine prior felony convictions in Washington State, including convictions for theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, attempted burglary, and robbery. Police say he also has 20 gross misdemeanor convictions.

“People who live in and travel to the Chinatown-International District deserve to feel safe and be safe and (we) will continue to do its part to bring necessary accountability,” said Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion in a statement released Saturday afternoon.

Is this being pursued as a hate crime?

There is a question whether the alleged attacker’s motivation was based on racism or if the stabbings should be considered a possible hate crime.

According to court documents sent to members of the media, the suspect is Black and all five of the victims who were stabbed Friday are white. Investigators heard him utter the phrase “Black Power” during an interview the SPD recorded.

The case has not been referred as a possible hate crime for a charging decision or for a first appearance, a statement from McNerthney sent to members of the media explains. If police get admissible evidence that show bias as a motive, they’ll send it to prosecutors for a charging decision.

Under Washington law, prosecutors can charge a hate crime when it is clear at the time of charging that race or another protected factor is a motivation for the attack, McNerthney also stated.

“A hateful or biased comment may be said during part of an investigation, but that alone is not enough to prove what’s required under the strict law requirements,” McNerthney’s statement reads. “Simply put, what may feel like a hate crime can be very different than what state law defines as a hate crime or what can be proven as a hate crime, and the difference in those scenarios can understandably feel unfair.”

A white person can be the victim of a hate crime, McNerthney added. County prosecutors have filed cases where there is evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a white victim was targeted based on the perception of their race.

Police right now are referring to the case as an “assault investigation.”

Seattle stabbings: What happened on Nov. 8

That suspect is also tied to a series of similar stabbings that began early Thursday morning, according to a department statement issued on the SPD Blotter. In all, 10 people were stabbed between Thursday morning and the mass stabbing Friday afternoon.

Members of the department responded to the intersection of 10th Avenue South and South Jackson Street for reports of five people stabbed at around 2 p.m. Friday, the SPD stated. Officers managed to detain the suspect without any additional incidents.

“Officers immediately conducted an area search and located a suspect near Pine (Street) …” SPD Deputy Chief Eric Barden said at a news conference Friday afternoon. “The suspect was arrested without incident. The weapon was recovered from within the vicinity of that suspect.”

Seattle Fire Department medics arrived on the scene and then transported four victims to Seattle’s Harborview Medical Center to be treated for serious injuries, the SPD Blotter post states. One of the victims was treated and released at the scene.

In addition, Barden reported a knife remained in one of the victims who went to Harborview.

“This is a horrific tragedy, a mass casualty event, and we have been working very hard in this area,” Barden said at his news conference.

Steve Hickey — PhotogSteve81 on social media — obtained surveillance video of the start of the Friday stabbing attacks and shared it with KIRO Newsradio.

The video published on MyNorthwest stops just before the stabbing occurred. Viewer discretion is advised.

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) reported on X about the police presence and stated at the time all lanes in the area were blocked. The road opened back to commuters later on Friday.

“There’s gonna be a lot of investigation, a lot of follow-up, a lot of witness interviews,” Barden said. “Certainly they’re going to interview the suspect up at headquarters. We are processing the scenes where these different stabbings occurred.”

The previous Seattle stabbings ahead of Friday’s incident

In its blog post, the SPD outlined the other stabbings that occurred before the suspect was arrested Friday afternoon:

• Early Thursday, a 52-year-old woman was found suffering from multiple stab wounds near 8th Avenue South and South King Street. She was transported to Harborview in serious condition.
• Just after noon Thursday, a 32-year-old man was found suffering from multiple stab wounds near 8th Avenue South and South Jackson Street. He was was transported to Harborview in serious condition.
• Around 8 p.m. Thursday, a 37-year-old man was found stabbed in the back near 8th Avenue South and South Jackson Street. The man, who suffered multiple stab wounds, was transported to Harborview.
• Just after 8:30 p.m. Thursday, a 60-year-old man was found inside his vehicle with a laceration to his hand  in the 800 block of South King Street beneath the Interstate 5 (I-5) freeway overpass. The department reported an assailant opened the driver’s side front door of the vehicle and attempted to stab the man in the chest. The man was transported to Harborview for further treatment.
• At about 1 a.m. Friday, officers responded to a reported assault near the intersection of 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street that left a 53-year-old man bleeding heavily from a neck injury. The victim was transported to Harborview in serious condition.

“This incident was apparently one individual over a 38-hour period of time committing random assaults. That is an aberration. That is not at all the norm,” Barden said Friday. “With the suspect in custody. I think we are returned to normal, and in the coming weeks, we will be, we will be better than we are now.”

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell released a statement about the stabbings Saturday expressing significant disapproval that they happened, but gratitude for first responders who were able to help.

“The stabbings in Little Saigon and the Chinatown-International District are horrific, appalling, and shouldn’t occur anywhere in our city,” Harrell said. “I am grateful for the efforts of first responders in arresting a suspect and caring for the victims of these attacks. I hope for their speedy recovery.”

Harrell added he plans on taking a “proactive approach” to make sure this doesn’t happen again.

“Every person deserves to feel and be safe, and I remain committed to using every tool available to improve the safety of Little Saigon and (the CID) for all residents, workers, and visitors,” Harrell’s statement reads. “We will continue to take a proactive approach to this ongoing challenge – increasing law enforcement resources and patrols to quickly respond to and deter illegal activities …”

Editors’ note: This story originally was published on Friday, Nov. 8. It has been updated and republished multiple times since then.

Contributing: Tom Brock and Sam Campbell, KIRO Newsradio; Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.

Luke Duecy is a reporter, editor and anchor at KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of Luke’s stories here. Follow Luke on X, or email him here.