Despite warnings from police that “people may be coming to Seattle” on May Day “to commit violence, damage property and disrupt peaceful free speech activity,” two of the men facing charges in the aftermath of Tuesday’s protests have Capitol Hill connections.
Alex Garland, a photographer who works as a barista on Capitol Hill, and Bobby Ditrani, a Gage Academy art student, were two of eight people arrested as thousands of people protested in downtown Seattle earlier this week.
Ditrani, who pleaded guilty in this January 1st vandalism incident at a Capitol Hill work site, faces charges on one count of fourth degree assault after police say the 23-year-old spit on an officer after he was caught with a wooden pole like the one “Black Bloc” anarchists were seen using to bust windows during the height of Tuesday’s violence:
In the wake of his recent guilty plea in the vandalism case, Ditrani was required to post a $10,000 bond after this latest arrest and is out of jail awaiting arraignment.
Garland, 28, faces a charge of third degree assault after police say the photographer injured an officer when he refused to back away as an arrest was being made later in the day’s protests. According to the SPD report, Garland grabbed an officer’s hand and yanked his arm “causing physical pain.”
Garland, who has no previous criminal record, was released on his own recognizance. He, Ditrani and two others from the May Day arrests charged with felonies by the county prosecutor Friday will return to court for an arraignment later this month. A fifth person faces federal charges for allegedly breaking glass at the U.S. Federal Court House on 5th Ave. Three more were busted for misdemeanors.
Garland’s photography of #MIcCheckWallSt events has appeared on CHS in the past and we have hired him for freelance assignments in the neighborhood.
Seattle Police have said they had indications that Tuesday’s protests would be violent because of an increase in graffiti and tagging with political messages in the weeks leading up to May Day. Of the four charged with felonies on Friday, all are current residents of Seattle.
“Despite warnings from police…”
Yeah, and what? These people are accused of assaulting some police in some shape or form. The police are clearly lying, as they always do. You start the article by implying they shouldn’t have gotten involved, and then quote the police.
These two people willingly and happily attended the May Day events. You are seriously the dumbest journalist, sometimes, even beating twits like Dominic Holden at their game of hack writing.
pretty sure you parsed that sentence incorrectly, dude…
Were there more than two people involved in the “protest” (I counted 3 or 4…)? Fail.
I found it notable that the warnings were specifically about people coming to Seattle yet two of the people charged are very connected to Capitol Hill and all four are from Seattle. I also understand it’s not the best sentence I’ve ever written so I’m sorry to fumble the point.
It was not lost on me.
So many of you think your community is being invaded when someone is actually defending their home.
Getting spat on by a barista and roughed up by an art student. I hope the brave officers survive their grievous injuries.
They got off pretty easy, if I was spit on the perp would be picking up his teeth, I would be well within my rights to do so.
Perhaps you need a refresher on the law:
RCW 9A.36.031
Assault in the third degree.
(1) A person is guilty of assault in the third degree if he or she, under circumstances not amounting to assault in the first or second degree:
(a) With intent to prevent or resist the execution of any lawful process or mandate of any court officer or the lawful apprehension or detention of himself, herself, or another person, assaults another; or
(b) Assaults a person employed as a transit operator or driver, the immediate supervisor of a transit operator or driver, a mechanic, or a security officer, by a public or private transit company or a contracted transit service provider, while that person is performing his or her official duties at the time of the assault; or
(c) Assaults a school bus driver, the immediate supervisor of a driver, a mechanic, or a security officer, employed by a school district transportation service or a private company under contract for transportation services with a school district, while the person is performing his or her official duties at the time of the assault; or
(d) With criminal negligence, causes bodily harm to another person by means of a weapon or other instrument or thing likely to produce bodily harm; or
(e) Assaults a firefighter or other employee of a fire department, county fire marshal’s office, county fire prevention bureau, or fire protection district who was performing his or her official duties at the time of the assault; or
(f) With criminal negligence, causes bodily harm accompanied by substantial pain that extends for a period sufficient to cause considerable suffering; or
(g) Assaults a law enforcement officer or other employee of a law enforcement agency who was performing his or her official duties at the time of the assault; or
(h) Assaults a peace officer with a projectile stun gun; or
(i) Assaults a nurse, physician, or health care provider who was performing his or her nursing or health care duties at the time of the assault. For purposes of this subsection: “Nurse” means a person licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW; “physician” means a person licensed under chapter 18.57 or 18.71 RCW; and “health care provider” means a person certified under chapter 18.71 or 18.73 RCW who performs emergency medical services or a person regulated under Title 18 RCW and employed by, or contracting with, a hospital licensed under chapter 70.41 RCW; or
(j) Assaults a judicial officer, court-related employee, county clerk, or county clerk’s employee, while that person is performing his or her official duties at the time of the assault or as a result of that person’s employment within the judicial system. For purposes of this subsection, “court-related employee” includes bailiffs, court reporters, judicial assistants, court managers, court managers’ employees, and any other employee, regardless of title, who is engaged in equivalent functions.
(2) Assault in the third degree is a class C felony.
[2011 c 336 § 359; 2011 c 238 § 1; 2005 c 458 § 1; 1999 c 328 § 1; 1998 c 94 § 1; 1997 c 172 § 1; 1996 c 266 § 1; 1990 c 236 § 1; 1989 c 169 § 1; 1988 c 158 § 3; 1986 c 257 § 6.]
so, what, then…? Should it be part of the police job description to allow the public to spit on you, grab you, punch you, etc? Are you seriously that fucking misguided, that you can find a way to rationalize even this behavior?
try again with the facts. barista allegedly touched a cop. student allegedly spit. why don’t you ask the student and barista what happened? you trusted the barista enough to hire him, so ask.
Throw the book at the scum
and you know they are guilty of what? i am sorry as i must have missed something. perhaps you will have the pleasure of being arrested someday for just being present. you, #10, should see some guidance on your judgements.
“I found it notable that the warnings were specifically about people coming to Seattle yet two of the people charged are very connected to Capitol Hill and all four are from Seattle. I also understand it’s not the best sentence I’ve ever written so I’m sorry to fumble the point.”author of article
what IS notable is that there were no arrests of all the people in black anarchist clothes bashing up the Nike store. Makes it look like they were police provocateurs that couldn’t be arrested. Everyone saw it on TV. Instead you have these two guys getting arrested. Ditrani had a pole but was he on any of the footage of destruction? I guess not, because he is charged with spitting. That makes this into a farce. The other guy, a photographer is charged with yanking an officers arm. That also seems ridiculous considering what the crimes were that day. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
I am not saying that police were not within their rights to arrest those 4, I am just saying that 4 arrests that day is very small. With the warning from the Mayor, police should have been prepared to stop vandalism and yet they didn’t. Looks suspicious.
I also am disturbed by the lack of media coverage of the actual planned events of the day and the reason for the protests. The helicopters were overhead all day filming just vandalism and anarchists dressed in black and all arranged prior to the day to titillate the public and no arrests made. It all sounds like a reality tv show.
How do you leave your house with all of these conspiracy theories?