‘They didn’t have the evidence’: King County prosecutor explains why no felony charges in Pike Place kidnapping case

No felony charges will be filed against a man arrested for allegedly trying to kidnap a baby last week at Pike Place Market. But, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office, he could face misdemeanor charges.

King County Prosecutor Leesa Mannion joined “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio to explain why the suspect will avoid felony charges and how the Seattle Police Department (SPD) addressed the incident.

“Police know this, lawyers know this, we have to have evidence sufficient to prove every element of the crime and to establish probable cause,” Mannion responded. “Police who are very close to this investigation, who took swift action, shared with us that they did not feel that they had the evidence necessary to support felony charges. So they referred it to the Seattle City Attorney’s Office for filing consideration.

“That doesn’t in any way diminish the amount of fear this family felt, right?” Mannion continued. “I want to make sure that no one thinks that this is a value or in any way diminishes what they were going through. I appreciate how thorough SPD was in their investigation of this case. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness with which they handled their work, and also that they were really honest and transparent about what they had and what they believed they could present to lawyers present in the court.”

How the alleged kidnapping attempt unfolded at Pike Place Market

The suspect initially approached a family at Pike Place Market in the afternoon on July 9 and commented on how beautiful their child, sitting in a stroller, was. The suspect then allegedly tried to grab the stroller with the baby in it from the mother at approximately 11:30 a.m.

According to probable cause documents obtained by KIRO 7, the father and the child’s grandmother intervened until police arrived and arrested the suspect. The baby’s grandmother allegedly kicked the suspect to create space while the child’s parents got the family to safety. The suspect was arrested and held on a $100,000 bond.

KIRO co-host Ursula Reutin noted that while some people may think that, since the crime avoided felony charges, it’s just a “slap on the wrist,” she clarified that it was actually the lack of sufficient evidence that was holding SPD back.

“I was going to say, that’s a great point to make because oftentimes people will hear this case, and it’s like, ‘Wait, is this a part of the whole slap on the wrist thing?’ No, it was actually SPD saying we just don’t have enough evidence to prove this crime was a felony,” Ursula said.

“Right, they didn’t believe that they had enough evidence to present to us to support felony charges,” Mannion responded.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to Gee and Ursula on “The Gee and Ursula Show” weekday mornings from 9 am to 12 pm on KIRO Newsradio.