Kent Police said that on Thursday, Mar. 7, 2024 at 7:45 p.m., officers responded to reports of a stabbing near the 800 block of Central Avenue South (map below).
Police said that a 43-year-old Kent resident, identified as an African American woman, called 911 stating she had been assaulted on a Metro bus.
The suspects fled the scene on foot.
Officers arrived within two minutes and secured the scene. The victim sustained minor injuries during the attack and declined medical transport. A bulky jacket she was wearing protected her from serious injury when the suspect attempted to stab her with a folding knife.
While rendering aid to the victim, other officers began searching the area. A resident on South 259th Street contacted police within ten minutes, reporting a man hiding under their vehicle. Officers responded and detained the suspect, a 22-year-old Maple Valley man. The investigation revealed he was the attacker.
The victim reported that the suspects approached her while on the bus, used racial slurs, and expressed hatred towards Black people. Feeling threatened, she approached the driver and requested assistance. The suspect followed her, forced her off the bus, and assaulted her with punches and a knife. The jacket she wore showed evidence of the attempted stabbing. The second suspect did not participate in the physical assault. Both fled after the victim called 911.
The stabbing suspect faces charges of second-degree assault and a hate crime. He was booked into the King County Jail.
The second suspect, a 22-year-old resident of Auburn, was arrested for obstruction after interfering with the arrest of his companion. He was booked into the City of Kent Corrections Facility.
Multiple witnesses provided statements, and the Metro bus driver supplied video footage as evidence. Kent Police Detectives are now leading the investigation.
“I am infuriated by the blatant hateful racially motivated attack on the victim,” Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said. “Our officers took this call very seriously, conducting a thorough investigation and successfully put the violent offender in jail. Our detectives will now continue the investigation and we will prosecute the offender to the fullest extent of the law. I want to say this in the strongest way that I can, Hate Crimes will not be tolerated. If you commit a hate crime in our city, KPD will be relentless in our pursuit of bringing you to justice.”
