Two Kent residents were arrested on Sunday, Mar. 1 after witnesses called 911 to report a man being dragged into an apartment and assaulted in the 1000 block of Central Ave North (map below), according to the Kent Police Department.
Officers were dispatched at 12:29 p.m. Sunday after multiple callers reported seeing a man dragging another man into an apartment. One witness told dispatchers that a maintenance worker was being dragged and choked by a resident, police said.
Police said the first officer on scene heard muffled yelling from inside the apartment and, as he approached the open front door, saw a suspect pinning the victim to the ground. The officer ordered the suspect to release the victim and took him into custody without incident.
Police identified the primary suspect as a 50-year-old Kent man. After being advised of his rights, he voluntarily gave a statement that conflicted with accounts provided by multiple witnesses, police said. He denied dragging the victim into his apartment and denied assaulting him.
The victim, a 35-year-old Kent man, suffered injuries including damage to his eye and marks around his neck, according to police. He told officers the confrontation began after he saw the suspect’s dog defecate in a public area and asked the suspect to clean it up. The suspect refused and told him to do it himself, the victim said. After the victim noted which apartment the suspect entered to report the violation, the suspect became angry, grabbed him, dragged him into the apartment and began punching him, according to police.
A second suspect, identified as a 48-year-old Kent woman, allegedly grabbed the victim’s phone, slammed it to the ground and kicked him in the face. Police said she then placed her foot over the victim’s mouth to prevent him from yelling. A witness told officers the woman also struck the phone with a wrench and poured water on it after it caught fire.
Officers later served an authorized search warrant at the apartment and located items belonging to the victim inside the residence, police said. During the search, officers found two dogs locked in a bathroom. Because both owners had been arrested and no one was available to care for the animals, King County Animal Control responded to take custody of the dogs for safekeeping.
Both suspects were booked into the King County Jail for investigation of second degree kidnapping and second degree assault, along with malicious mischief related to the destruction of the phone, according to the Kent Police Department.
“Thank you to every resident that reported this crime,” police said in a statement. “Your immediate calls to 911 for help allowed our officers to respond quickly to stop the assault. Your witness testimony afterwards helped us to develop probable cause and collect evidence. Nicely done!”
“Kudos to the officers for their speedy response and decisive actions during this active assault,” police added.
