Criminal charges have been dropped against three men accused of assaulting a police officer outside the BalMar in December, our news partner The Seattle Times is reporting. According to the Times, “charges against the men were dismissed after Haynes ‘through his attorney, asserted a Fifth Amendment right not to testify,’ prosecutors said.” The felony charges for third-degree assault of a police officer can be refiled against the men if Haynes becomes available to testify. The paper has confirmed with the police department that Officer Garth Haynes has been reassigned and is currently being investigated for stomping on the head of one of the men while he was handcuffed on the ground, which was caught on a police cruiser’s dashboard cam.
You can watch the video and read more on this case in this Seattle Times article.
The guys who got involved when they saw a drunk guy shoving a girl around should never have been arrested in the first place. If it hadn’t turned out that the drunk guy was a cop, they never would have been. This will turn into one of those “We’ll drop the charges if you promise not to sue us.” cases.
1- the cop didn’t touch the girl.
2- the skank was trying to steal his coat. i think he deserves a pat on the back for actually resisting the urge to smash her face in after she stole his coat, especially since he was drunk.
the meatheat ordinance doesn’t reach this far…
…too bad, it’s a cash crop…
Guest – were you there and have some special info that no one else has? Or are you just trolling? ‘Cause most of the evidence points to this cop being an absolute raving moron. Then there’s the small matter of his pleading the fifth. Hm. Wonder what that indicates?
Let’s see, women steals from cop, gets caught, friends jump cop, get caught, cop retaliates for getting ass kicked by friends, he gets caught.
What they need to do is charge all of them with being drunk and stupid and then shut down BalMar like they do to clubs around they city that attract trouble.
I wasn’t there, but I heard a different story, that the girl picked up the pile of coats belonging to her friends and the cops jacket was in the pile. The cop charged outside and grabbed her, then claimed she stole his jacket. She tried to explain the mistake but since she and her friend had earlier rejected drunko’s advances he wasn’t having it.
I tend to believe the girl’s story more than the cop in this case. He was drunk. He attacked a guy lying on the ground in handcuffs. The girl does not have a record of stealing coats from bars, but the cop does have a record of complaints against him.
I hate cops.
The cop deserves a medal for not assaulting a woman? I recognize that the abuse of power in the SPD has become common, but your reasoning is perverse.
And why should we accept or care about your belief that the woman is a “skank?” I didn’t see her described as such in the Seattle Times story.
The whole deal is dubious. Both sides have their own version. He said she said. I wouldn’t believe the girl anymore than the cop. They all were drinking, a regular booze fueled altercation.
Ever been to BM at night? Yup, hipsters and skanks are a common sight.
Look at all the cop-hating apologists giving the skank a free pass. Lets see how you feel when someone trys to snake your coat.
SPG- How many times have you “accidentally” grabbed an armfull of coats that didn’t belong to you?
guest, Since I go to parties and other social functions at homes and even bars where a lot of people come together, I have in fact picked up the wrong coat on more than one occasion as our group is getting ready to leave. I’ve realized the mistake right away and put it back down, but it does happen fairly often when a lot of people get together and all take off their coats.
Trolling on my Internets? Never.