Suspect in stabbing death of Metro bus driver in Seattle charged with murder

UPDATE (12/23, 4:44 p.m.): The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) charged the suspect accused of fatally stabbing a King County Metro bus driver in Seattle last week with murder Wednesday.

Richard Sitzlack, 53, was charged with first-degree murder with a deadly weapon enhancement and second-degree and third-degree assault Monday in the stabbing of driver Shawn Yim, the KCPAO announced in a statement emailed to members of the media, including KIRO Newsradio. The court set bail at $5 million at the KCPAO’s request.

“Transit drivers are dedicated public servants who provide a critical service to the people of King County, and this kind of violence is unacceptable,” King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said as part of the office’s statement. “Shawn Yim’s death is heartbreaking, and he will not be forgotten. We want clear accountability at each step of the court process.”

Sitzlack is expected to remain in jail on the bail, the court statement reads. He’s next expected in court for his arraignment hearing on the morning of Jan. 6, 2025, where he will enter his initial plea.

Seattle stabbing suspect arrested Saturday

Officers with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) arrested Sitzlack just after 4 a.m. Saturday after a driver on Metro’s E Line contacted bus dispatchers and said he believed stabbing suspect Richard Sitzlack was on his bus.

Two patrol officers who were on detail met the bus near 3rd Ave. S. and S. Main St., in Pioneer Square.

That’s when police say the driver got out of the bus and frantically waved at the officers to let them know a man who matched the description and photos released of Sitzlack was asleep in the back of his coach.

“Patrol officers recognized that Sitzlack appeared to be sleeping in the back of the bus,” SPD Detective Eric Munoz said.  “They kept eyes on him until additional patrol officers arrived.”

The two patrol officers waited for backup units to arrive before making the arrest.  A Tactical Response Team boarded the bus and then approached the sleeping suspect.

In a video released by the SPD, officers can be heard asking other bus passengers to move out of the way as they approached the suspect.

They then can be heard on the video shouting at him to drop two bags he was carrying and to walk backwards toward them:

“Hey you, the one in the green hoodie, looking at us!  Come over here with your hands up! You’re not free to go!  Come on out!  Hey, drop your bags right there.  Turn around for me.  Walk backwards slowly toward me.  Put your hands behind your back.”

The video then shows officer hand-cuffing the suspect and leading him off the bus.

On Thursday, the Seattle Police Homicide Unit released a bulletin with Richard Sitzlack’s photos and a description, including the fact that he is six-feet-five-inches tall and weighs 195 pounds.  But Munoz said his size was not an issue.

Sitzlack gave up without a fight.

“His size didn’t really come into play,” Munoz said.  “Officers were able to board the bus.  As they were boarding and approaching the individual, Richard, he started to wake up and once he woke up and saw the police officers, they gave him verbal commands to walk toward them and to be taken into custody. At that point he was arrested without incident.”

The tactical team took him into custody at 4:51 a.m. for investigation of murder.

“We take into consideration all avenues of escape,” Munoz said. “The Metro coach was surrounded by the officers.  That’s why they paused and waited for additional officers to arrive in the area, so that we could safely and efficiently form a police contact and arrest team.”

Officers transported Sitzlack to Seattle Police Headquarters where he was interviewed by homicide detectives.

“This is hardly a victory lap,” Detective Munoz said. “At the beginning of all this, the very horrific, senseless and tragic killing of Shawn Yim is the most important thing that we care about.  The family and his loved ones, our hearts go out to them.   So I would consider this good police work but it doesn’t take away the fact that we’ve lost a human life, a very beloved member of our community.

Sitzlack’s previous previous arrest in a homicide investigation

On Thursday, KCPAO officials said Sitzlack was previously arrested in November 2023 in connection with a fatal stabbing homicide investigation. However, attorneys said because SPD investigators did not send the case to prosecutors for a rush file charging decision, Sitzlack was released after 72 hours in line with court rules.

Why was the case not referred or why wasn’t Sitzlack later re-arrested? KCPAO said those questions are for the homicide investigator but are likely because of a self-defense claim.

Sitzlack had told officers, “he escaped from an apartment in the 5500 block of University Way Northeast and that he stabbed his roommate after the roommate tried to hit Sitzlack with an ottoman and made threats that he could throw Sitzlack out of the building. Sitzlack told police he tried to leave,” attorneys stated.

KCPAO later noted Sitzlack’s claims about the stabbing were inconsistent, which led prosecutors to ask for a probable cause hearing. However, attorneys said the self-defense claim may ultimately be what led police to not rush file the case, leading to his release.

It’s unclear what evidence that could possibly connect Sitzlack to the murder of Yim, if any, was recovered during his arrest.

“Those finer details of the investigation, we’re not going to release that information at this time,” Munoz said.  “Likely, more of that information will be provided to the media at first appearance at King County Jail.”

Detectives are also taking a close look at the bus Yim was driving when he was killed.

“That bus was transported to a secure facility.  It was searched for evidence by our crime scene investigative units and our homicide detectives.  We did process that Metro coach for an evidence search as needed for the investigation.”

ORIGINAL EDITED STORY: Detectives with the SPD are investigating the killing of a King County Metro bus driver in the University District (U-District) neighborhood Wednesday morning.

According to a post from the department’s SPD Blotter, just before 3 a.m., officers responded to reports of a stabbing near the 4100 block of University Way Northeast.

When the patrol officers arrived, they found a man who had been stabbed in the chest. Members of SPD provided medical aid until the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) arrived. The victim died at the scene.

Officers determined a passenger got into “a physical altercation” with the driver, 59, at the intersection of 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 41st Street, the SPD Blotter item states.

More crime: Arrest made in stabbing of a 14-year-old boy in Everett

According to a person who claimed to be an eyewitness to the attack, the suspect boarded a Metro bus along route 70 in the U-district. Onboard, the alleged witness said the suspect closed one window on the bus saying it was too cold. When the suspect told the bus driver to close his window, the witness claimed the driver said he needed the window open to act as a vent to prevent the bus windshield from fogging-up.

The witness said the suspect became belligerent and the driver pulled over and told the suspect to get off the bus. The witness claimed the suspect then pulled out a small can of pepper spray and sprayed the driver in the face.

“I want to say he emptied the whole spray bottle on the bus driver’s face,” the witness said, who then watched the driver open the door to the bus and stumble to the sidewalk where the suspect continued spraying him.

The witness said the driver pulled out a white cell phone and tried calling 911 but couldn’t. Next, the witness claimed the suspect grabbed the driver.

“He pulled him around the corner and took him into the alley, ” the witness said. “Once he got him in the alley, that’s it.”

The witness said the suspect fled and the driver died at the scene. SPD and King County Sheriff’s deputies conducted a K9 search for the suspect, but they were not able to locate that suspect, the SPD stated in its post.

“There are cameras on the bus and investigators have requested the footage,” Metro Transit spokesperson Elaine Porterfield said.

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Metro Transit towed the bus from the scene because it’s now part of a murder investigation. News of the tragic crime spread quickly among drivers and their families.

“There are a lot of tears around the agency today,” Porterfield said. “It’s just a tragic morning. This is vanishingly uncommon to have happened to one of our operators and people are reeling.”

If any area residents have any information about this incident, they are encouraged to call 911 or the Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000. Any and all callers are allowed to remain anonymous.

More on the deadly stabbing of a #Metrobus driver in the #Seattle U-District… @KIRONewsradio pic.twitter.com/fZeZSVAJuz

— Luke Duecy (@KIROLukeD) December 18, 2024

Contributing: Tom Brock, Frank Lenzi and James Lynch, KIRO Newsradio; KIRO 7; Julia Dallas, MyNorthwest

Editors’ note: This story originally was published early on Wednesday, Dec. 18. It has been updated and republished multiple times since then.

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.