Man charged in Metro bus stabbing pleads not guilty

The man charged by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) with fatally stabbing a King County Metro bus driver in Seattle pleaded not guilty in court Monday.

Richard Sitzlack, 53, was charged with first-degree murder with a deadly weapon enhancement and second-degree and third-degree assault 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.

Police said that Sitzlack attacked the victim with pepper spray, and the assault spilled off the bus and into a nearby alley, where police said the suspect kicked the victim and then stabbed him.

“The attack was so brutal,” KCPAO spokesperson Casey McNerthney told KIRO Newsradio hours before the scheduled arraignment. “There are also two assault charges filed for the pepper spray and also for the kick that happened before the stabbing.”

Previous coverage on the Metro bus stabbing: Suspect in stabbing death of Metro bus driver in Seattle charged with murder

Representatives from the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 587 sat inside the courtroom for the arraignment.

“Just disgust, rage, outrage,” ATU Local 587 President Greg Woodfill said in reaction to seeing the suspect. “Our members have PTSD from what they go through, mental health issues, they’re afraid to come to work. Some of them are thinking about leaving the profession.”

ATU Local 587 Vice President, Ken Price, added the victim recently shared concerns about his route.

“Shawn pulled me aside at the time and said, ‘Ken, you have to do something about this out here. It’s worse than when you drove,'” Price said.

Seattle stabbing suspect arrested

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 said 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 backward 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!” officers can be heard exclaiming in the video. “Come on out! Hey, drop your bags right there. Turn around for me. Walk backward slowly toward me. Put your hands behind your back.”

The video then showed officers hand-cuffing the suspect and leading him off the bus.

On Thursday, the SPD Homicide Unit released a bulletin with Richard Sitzlack’s photos and a description, including the fact that he is 6 feet, 5 inches tall, and weighs approximately 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.”

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Officers transported Sitzlack to SPD 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 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 a first appearance at King County Jail.”

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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.”

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.