A few of you emailed us asking about the tremendous police presence at Market St. near 15th Ave. around 11:30 last night — 10 police cars and officers armed with rifles in front of the fire station.
Detective Mark Jamieson with Seattle Police says that at 11:15 p.m. there were reports of an intoxicated male with a firearm driving in the Queen Anne neighborhood. The driver, in a white Hyundai, was seen driving across the Ballard Bridge. Police called in multiple units in a show of force when they pulled over the car on Market. One person in the vehicle was briefly detained. That person had a lawful concealed weapons permit and was not intoxicated. Det. Jamieson said another person was arrested for concealed weapons violation. The weapon was put into evidence. (Thank you everyone for the emails!)
Police make arrest with show of force
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/My-Ballard-ad-1.png")
ok, before anyone gets any crazy ideas, it wasn't me.
This happened right under my nose, but I didn't think it would turn out to be such a big deal! There were about ten police cars, but I just thought it was a slow night and they were bored.
The call was dispatched as a possible DUI driver with a handgun in their waistband. The dispatcher said that a Queen sector car (I'll bet you can guess where that sector is, and no, it's not Capitol Hill) was following the car northbound across the Ballard Bridge, asking some Boy sector units for assistance.
I looked out the window and saw them turn westbound onto Market street with lights flashing. I couldn't see where they actually stopped, but I think it was right across from the fire station. Then more police cars just kept coming!
I guess they knew that it might be a felony suspect or something, because you don't usually see that kind of response for a DUI, even one suspected of having a handgun.
Glad that nutjob is off the street!
Ew! You drive a white Hyandai?
Quite a day, yesterday. I wonder when the frogs will start falling from the sky. That one's my favorite.
Your comments are so perpetually useless. But yet you must weigh in on every post.
A++++
iawtc
Would buy from again.
White Hyundais are evil.
Where were these dumb cops and their “show of force” when they took four hours and multiple phone calls from the apt upstairs to respond to my shop being burglarized on memorial day?! The thieves were rooting around for over a half hour, plenty of time to be apprehended.
Ugh.
Show of force = let us show the public we can do something besides eat doughnuts and give tickets for going 5 mph over the limit.
Anyone know how this all started? Did someone see the gun on the driver before he got in the car? While he was driving?
Just seems strange. A person with a lawful concealed gun permit knows that the gun should be, you know, CONCEALED. So how did this all begin? Was the passenger waving his gun around?
Very strange.
I believe the company prefers the spelling “Hyundai.”
If it was Memorial Day they were taking the day off, you know barbequeing, time with the family, that kind of stuff. Why weren't the criminals taking the day off too?
I've seen 6 cars show up within a couple minutes for a guy breaking a window, 4 cars show up to take a burglary report, and one car show up for a guy with a knife chasing another guy screaming “I'm gonna kill you f—— n——!” The pair of cops that actually got out of their car for the knife incident agreed with us that the guy with the knife was pretty big then got back in their car and left without even walking over to the fight.
I've never lived in a place where the police were so understaffed that they'd let serious incidents go without response. This isn't a spread out rural area where it takes time to get there, there just aren't enough cops to answer the calls if more than a couple things happen at the same time.
While we're complaining about the lack of attention, or mixed responses of the SPD, we should also point out that if they just moved a few officers temporarily to the night shift for patrols they could crack down on the crime that we're all getting hit with…the goddamned car prowlers.
Cops show up in great number when they may be an opportunity to shoot something and low odds that they will get shot. A good cop knows that a nice clean kill means a good 6 month of paid vacation to “work things out”. :D
I'm just kidding. I like the Police, just wish they were out and about more. I personally love the meter maids, especially when they pull over people and issue tickets.
Conjunction Junction, what’s your Function?
In so many ways your post is just wrong. Where do I start? Firstly, you’ve created two clauses that should be joined as one sentence. Secondly, you’ve redundantly used two conjunctions even though you did not join the clauses. Thirdly, you’ve used the wrong conjunction. The usage of but or yet is meant to show contrast, yet your two clauses do not contrast with each other, and requires the use of and. Fourthly, as you used the conjunctions redundantly you got it wrong twice. Really, you need to learn how to coordinate conjunctions!
Another big deal about nothing.
A few months ago, I read your less than exhilarating blog about car shopping. I thought you were a smart consumer, yet I was wrong.
Damn, and I checked it *twice.*
I think they should call it Spud. That I can spell right every time.
HUGS!
I'm assuming that the term “show of force” wasn't used by, or even intended, by the Seattle Police. If it was, I'd be curious to whom they were intending to show their force. Us? This was just a lot of backup showing up on a slow night, was it not?
To be fair, if at least one drunk person in a car you are pulling over is suspected of having a gun, a show of force might actually convince them to go quietly, rather than try to shoot their way out.
But perhaps I'm over estimating the rational evaluation skills of the average drunk.
Not clear what happened. Did the CPL holder have the weapon, or did the non-licensed guy? Why was the weapon detained? Where was the weapon found?
IMO, concealed weapons permits need to be stepped up in terms of difficulty to obtain, but at the same time, protected from being walled off only to the rich and powerful like what happened in California and NYC. Given Seattle's history of douchebag political leaders with agendas though, i can't say that “common sense” moderation of concealed carry laws is realistically possible.
As a responsible CPL holder, i find it disheartening to find idiots in Seattle with lawful CPLs getting into trouble every six months or so. Leads me to conclude that basically, too many idiots are getting CPLs and the secret's getting out.