Kent officer fires Taser to stop fleeing suspect

An officer fired a Taser to stop a man climbing a fence as he tried to flee Kent Police following a short pursuit.

Police arrested the man for investigation of obstructing an officer after he ignored commands to stop running at about 11:36 p.m. April 8 in the 22900 block of 112th Place Southeast, according to the police report.

The incident started when an officer saw a black 1992 Honda Accord come out of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses parking lot in the 23400 block of 116th Avenue Southeast after hours when the hall is usually closed. The officer then saw the driver begin to speed while southbound on 116th. The driver made a right turn onto Southeast 240th Street without stopping for a red light.

The officer then activated his overhead lights and the driver pulled over. But before the officer got out of the patrol vehicle, the driver took off. Two patrol vehicles ended up pursuing the Accord, until it came to a stop in a private driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac on 112th Place Southeast.

The driver jumped out of the car and started to climb a fence with an officer in pursuit on foot. The officer noted in the report that it appeared the man had his right arm near his waistband, which could indicate he had a gun. After the man refused orders to stop, an officer fired a Taser, and the dart hit the man and dropped him from the fence. Officers then handcuffed the man.

When police asked the man why he ran, he told them he didn’t have a valid driver license. The man, however, owned the Accord, according to state Department of Licensing records.

Man punches girlfriend in face

Police arrested a man for investigation of fourth-degree assault after he allegedly punched his girlfriend in the face during a dispute at a bar at about 1:07 a.m. April 7 in the 1800 block of West Meeker Street.

The woman flagged down an officer near Kent Des Moines Road and 30th Avenue South to report she had been assaulted, according to the police report.

The couple started their night drinking at the Meeker Street Bar & Grill where the boyfriend apparently became upset about something his girlfriend said to his cousin. The couple then went to El Habanero just down the road where the dispute continued. The boyfriend pulled the woman into the parking lot and reportedly punched her three times in the face with a closed fist.

An officer noted the woman had red marks above her left eye. The woman drove away in her vehicle and the boyfriend followed in his car. He reportedly pulled in front of his girlfriend’s car and hit his brakes to try to get her to stop before he drove away.

Police found the boyfriend later that night at the couple’s apartment in Federal Way. The man and woman have dated for about one year and lived together since January. The man told police he didn’t mean to punch his girlfriend. He denied trying to get her to stop her car. The officer said he could smell a strong odor of alcohol on the man’s breath.

Woman steals from Kmart

Officers arrested a woman for investigation of third-degree theft after she reportedly took about $1,000 worth of clothing and other items at about 4:25 p.m. April 6 from Kmart, 24800 W. Valley Hwy.

The woman apparently filled up Kmart bags with products and then exited the store without paying for the items, according to the police report. Loss prevention officers from the store had the woman in custody when police arrived.

The woman told police she wanted the items for her children. She said she had no money to pay for the clothing. When police searched the woman, they found a plastic tube with burnt residue, the type used to smoke heroin. She admitted she used heroin.

Police discovered after running a mobile fingerprint scan that the woman had theft warrants from Redmond, North Bend, Renton, Auburn and Snohomish County. With the city of Kent jail on mandatory bookings only because of overcrowding, the woman didn’t meet the requirements to be housed in the jail.

Officers took her to the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) jail in Des Moines on two Renton warrants.

Man assaults ShoWare security

Police cited a man for investigation of fourth-degree assault after he allegedly elbowed a security officer several times during a dispute at about 1:30 a.m. April 9 at the accesso ShoWare Center, 625 W. James St.

An officer working extra duty at the Banda MS concert at the arena made the arrest after security restrained the man on the arena floor, according to the police report. The man tried to enter the VIP section even though he didn’t have a ticket. When security escorted him away, he turned around and struck an employee in the head with his elbow four or five times.

The man didn’t answer any questions from police and appeared to be highly intoxicated. The officer cited the man and released him to his friends who then left the arena.