On May 10 the following transpired just a few blocks from where I work in Seattle:
The egregiousness and criminal negligence of this assault is only compounded by the lack of any regard for another human's life by the deputy as he pulls a seriously-injured man around like a ragdoll.
Here's what a King County Sheriffs' Dept. spokesperson had to say today:
"We look at this as a tragic accident; nothing more than that," sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said at a sidewalk news briefing where the chase began.
Urquhart said an investigation by the Sheriff's Office found that the deputy, Matthew Paul, 26, gave Harris a "hard shove" that apparently fell within legal boundaries. But the case will be forwarded to the King County Prosecutor's Office to determine whether criminal charges are warranted, he said.
It's not clear whether the person thrown into the wall will survive:
Paul slammed [Christopher] Harris on his left side, one video shows, driving his head into a turquoise-colored tile wall on the east side of the Cinerama Theater at Fourth Avenue and Lenora Street. Harris has not regained consciousness since the incident, according to his stepfather, Todd Keeling, of Mountlake Terrace.
This appears to be a case of mistaken identity on the part of the sheriffs, who were told by passersby that Mr. Harris may have been involved in another nearby assault. Of course, this was not the case -- it was later discovered that Mr. Harris had no involvement in that situation. Even if he had, the total contempt shown another human being by the Sheriffs deputy, 26 year old Matthew Paul, makes one wonder about the state of affairs with respect to hiring and screening at the King Co. Sheriffs' Dept.
The Dept. is not reflected well by the comments of its spokesperson, John Urquhart, who stated,
"Sometimes bad things happen to good people," Urquhart said. "That's what happened in this case."
This is not the first time Urquhart has had to explain an assault by one of his deputies, as not three months ago a teen girl was assaulted in the King County jail:
The question forSheriff Sue Rahr and Mayor Greg Nickels and/or the King County Council (one of whom, Larry Phillips, is running for the position of county executive -- a position until recently held by Obama appointee Ron Sims over at HUD) is how to prevent this sort of outrage from ever being perpetrated by its deputies.
One thing I'd like to see, though, is a replacement for Urquhart. Regardless of whether he believes he's right or wrong, this sort of statement, given the release of the video above the fold, is at best insensitive and is frankly inexcusable:
"Sometimes bad things happen to good people," Urquhart said. "That's what happened in this case."
I'm thinking it's past time for King County to give Urquhart a "hard shove" out the door. I'm also thinking county voters should do the same to Sheriff Rahr when she comes up for reelection later this year.