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Details released in big Charlie’s on Broadway police response

CHS has learned details of the incident involving an off-duty Seattle cop and another man that drew several SPD cruisers and a mob of officers to Charlie’s on Broadway late last Sunday night. Last week, CHS reported that a fight had broken out between the off-duty police officer and a man at the restaurant. According to the SPD report on the fight, below, it was a rather one-sided affair involving an off-duty officer having dinner at Charlie’s and a man who stumbled by outside the restaurant’s window. The only documented contact was an intercepted swing by the suspect and the officer’s wrestling of the suspect to the ground after the punch, according to the report.


The narrative from the arrest report is below. We’ve redacted the name of the suspect until we can confirm the 21-year-old has been charged. Our search of court records shows that the man has had run-ins with the law in the past including a conviction for a 2009 robbery. In this incident, the suspect was jailed for investigation of assault and resisting arrest. A medic was called to the scene to evaluate the suspect before he was taken to jail. Seattle Fire determined that he did not require hospitalization.

Officer Doug Raguso is a veteran of the force, serving with SPD since 2004. He has served as a SPD liaison to the LGBT community.

On 03-26-2011 Officer Raguso (off-duty and in plain clothes) was eating dinner at Charlie’s restaurant at 217 Broadway E. A male (later identified as suspect XXX) walked past the window and fell down. Ragauso looked out the window to see if the XXX was okay, and XXX got up and flipped Officer Raguso off. XXX then walked away. A short time later XXX returned and stood directly in front of the window staring at Officer Raguso. Officer Raguso ignored XXX, and XXX again walked away. XXX then entered the restaurant, and aggressively walked towards Officer Raguso seated at the table while yelling. Officer Raguso stood, and put his hand forward to stop XXX from walking into him. XXX ran into Officer Raguso’s hand, and Raguso told XXX “you need to go.” XXX continued to yell at Officer Raguso, and refused to leave the Raguso alone. Officer Raguso identified himself as “Seattle Police” and added again “You need to go.” XXX replied by balling his right hand into a fist and swinging a punch at the Officer. Officer Raguso was able to interrupt the strike just before he was struck in the face, and placed XXX on the ground. XXX continued to fight against Officer Raguso , ignoring multiple commands for XXX to stop fighting. During the struggle Officer Raguso told a restaurant employee to call 911, which he did. XXX was taken into custody upon the arrival of additional officers for investigation of assault. Officer Raguso and XXX were treated by Seattle Fire on scene. XXX was transported to the East Precinct, and later booked into the King County Jail for the listed charge. Acting SGT Martin and Capt. Fann screened this incident.

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17 percent
17 percent
12 years ago

An off duty police officer can’t enjoy a meal in town without being harassed and assaulted by his clientele… and Seattle really wonders why 82 percent of them live far away? I’m sure this guy is already put on probation.with drug court or something. Kudos to the officer for showing restraint.

Eric
12 years ago

Justin did you get any indication of if the suspect recognized the officer or if this was a random incident?

JS
JS
12 years ago

LEAVE THE RAGUSO ALONE!

From above:
“XXX continued to yell at Officer Raguso, and refused to leave the Raguso alone.”

jseattle
jseattle
12 years ago

I’m told that the officer did not know the suspect but that isn’t documented in the report.

Volunteer Park
Volunteer Park
12 years ago

Perhaps sitting in the front window of a restaurant in the area you patrol isn’t the best idea.

Furthermore the “We can’t live in the city because me and my family would see our perps everyday” is BS. Really, A cop living in Greenwood is going to see people from his patrol in the South or East Precinct everyday? How? By driving all the way to do their grocery shopping at the SAARs market at Rainier and Henderson? buying all their liquor at the 23rd and Union store? Do they know there are other McDonald in Seattle besides the one at 4th and Pine? It’s not like they are going to be forced to live on that horrible street behind Rainier Beach High School or next to the Skyway Ezell’s. I have an police officer acquaintance who lives in Southeast Seattle, works in North Seattle, so neighborhood people don’t recognize him as a cop. He and his family shop at the Rainier Avenue Safeway.

As for affordability, most Seattle neighborhoods are affordable to people who make $100K as long as they don’t need acreage for horses, RVs, and ATVs.

Leave the Raguso Alone
Leave the Raguso Alone
12 years ago

This needs to become a tshirt slogan.

p.s. If he was off duty was he wearing his police officer uniform? If he wasn’t in uniform maybe he was attacked because the other guy wanted to attack a random stranger. TO the person who wrote “off duty” your reasoning for saying this is why the police don’t live in Seattle is stupid. The attacker would have done it to anyone more than likely.

goodgrief
goodgrief
12 years ago

Volunteer Park: You logic is faulty. People buy a home to live in for a number of years, if not decades. Cops are not always assigned to the same precinct for their entire career, especially if in their 20 or 30 year career they want to move up the ranks. Your friend who works in the north precinct will likely not always work there, unless he never gets promoted. And as for seeing people from work – I work in law enforcement support and live in the CD. I see arrestees from work constantly. At Red Apple. At Starbucks. At the post office. I bought my house before I was promoted to my current job. Should I sell and move north now, by your logic? As far as “he shouldn’t sit in the window of a restaurant” – again – good grief. Cops, and the rest of us, have a right to sit down for a meal wherever the hell we like. If nut cases target us, perhaps you should be asking why that nutcase was on the street rather than blaming the restaurant patron for his choice of seat.

goodgrief
goodgrief
12 years ago

Add my “You logic is faulty” typo to the list of slogans for t-shirts, and order me a medium.

Matt
Matt
12 years ago

You go straight from rookie to veteran these days? You’d think a veteran on the SPD would remember the WTO riots.

bleh
bleh
12 years ago

“An off duty police officer can’t enjoy a meal in town without being harassed and assaulted by his clientele… and Seattle really wonders why 82 percent of them live far away?”

What kind of a stupid analogy is that?

bleh
bleh
12 years ago

“p.s. If he was off duty was he wearing his police officer uniform? If he wasn’t in uniform maybe he was attacked because the other guy wanted to attack a random stranger. “

Yup. I’m fairly certain they meant he was not in uniform, though haven’t seen confirmation.

jseattle
jseattle
12 years ago

I should have made it more clear — because I asked about too. He was not in uniform.

jseattle
jseattle
12 years ago

Well, in the sport world, for example, a player is a rookie then, next season, they might use the sophomore label but by year three, they’ll say ‘veteran.’

Fats
Fats
12 years ago

Hear, hear.

etaoin shrdlu
etaoin shrdlu
12 years ago

…like this one.

calhoun
12 years ago

“Perhaps sitting in the front window of a restaurant in the area you patrol isn’t the best idea.”

You’ve just got to be kidding. He has the right to sit anywhere he wants to, and to not be randomly assaulted by some jerk off the street. Talk about “blaming the victim.”

Sean
Sean
12 years ago

Nice to read a story where the thug loses the fight, and kudos for taking this meshugana down without hurting him.

You can dine in my neighborhood anytime. Hell, I’d be happy to buy you dinner.

ACAB
ACAB
12 years ago

You become a cop, or you work for the cops, you deserve everything you get.

calhoun
12 years ago

No one, cop or not, “deserves” to be assaulted by some jerk for absolutely no reason. The officer was not in uniform, so the perp would not have known he was a policeman.

Your thinking is really disturbed by anti-police anger. What will you do when you need some police help?

Matt
Matt
12 years ago

I must be mistaken but I only noticed the term veteran being applied to a player that had been around for a while, like in baseball, at least past the 7 or 8 years or so.

Sport
Sport
12 years ago

Matt-Ever watched football? Anything after two years is veteran.