Seattle man allegedly drives Porsche at worker, punches officer at Bainbridge ferry terminal

A Seattle man in his 80s was arrested Sunday after he allegedly nearly struck a worker directing traffic outside the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal with his Porsche.

Bainbridge Island Police arrived in the afternoon after being told an orange Porsche was nearly involved in a collision, and then attempted to hit a ferry worker at the intersection of Winslow Way and Olympic Drive, according to a probable cause statement obtained by The Kitsap Sun.

The ferry worker told an officer that the driver tried to turn right from eastbound Winslow Way, ignoring posted signs that prohibit right turns at that intersection. After the worker told the driver that he could not make the turn, he accelerated toward him, according to the incident report.

Ferry worker had to push off Seattle man’s Porsche as car missed him by inches

The ferry worker claimed he had to push off the car’s hood to avoid being hit by the Porsche. A witness at the scene told officers that the vehicle missed the ferry worker by roughly a few inches.

Soon after, the driver parked in the ferry line and was approached by the Bainbridge Island Police Department (BIPD). The man ignored several orders from officers to exit his vehicle by not rolling down his window and “waved his hand dismissively” at officers.

BIPD then placed spike strips, which can puncture a car’s tires, under the Porsche so he could not leave. Ferry traffic began to move, and so did the man in his Porsche. He drove over the spike strips and drove away; however, he was stopped by traffic ahead of the toll booths.

The man then rolled his window down, which allowed a BIPD officer to open the driver’s side door, reach into the vehicle, and turn off the car. The officer was allegedly punched in the cheek by the suspect, who reportedly exclaimed, “You son of a b****,” according to the police report obtained by The Kitsap Sun.

Suspect told police he ‘just wanted to go home’

The driver was ultimately removed from the car and arrested around 4:30 p.m. The suspect was later transported to the Kitsap County Jail.

The BIPD officer’s report stated that the suspect grew more cooperative after being placed in handcuffs, and said he “just wanted to get on the ferry.” When officers asked why he didn’t obey orders to stop, the suspect said, “he believed he shouldn’t have to and just wanted to go back home to Seattle,” according to the police report.

The suspect appeared in Kitsap County Superior Court on Monday and was later released from custody pending a trial. He currently faces multiple charges, including third-degree assault, reckless driving, and refusing to comply with law enforcement and an authorized flagger.

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