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Man charged in Planned Parenthood crash and store assault

The man police say shattered the teeth of a victim he punched inside a nearby grocery store after crashing his car into the barriers outside E Madison’s Planned Parenthood last Wednesday has been charged for the assault and the damage but not for targeting the provider of women’s health services, according to court records filed in the case.

Charlie Armstead, 35, has been charged with second degree assault, fourth degree assault, and malicious mischief in the morning melee that included smashed cars and Planned Parenthood employees going into lockdown mode during the incident.

Armstead was not found to be intoxicated or under the influence of drugs following the crash and assault. But police say the 35-year-old told them he suffers from mental illness and is not receiving treatment. Armstead was convicted of DUI in 2009 and first degree assault a decade earlier, according to the King County Prosecutor’s office. He has also been charged with assault three times since 2015, with each case being dismissed before trial, prosecutors say.

Police said the most seriously injured victim suffered an uppercut from Armstead after entered the nearby Safeway following the crash and entered the store manager’s office. The punch broke several teeth but, fortunately, no bones.

Police allege the 20th Ave resident admitted to crashing his car but there is no other information from the SPD report about why he ended up in the parking lot:

According to the arrest report, Armstead lives a half mile from the facility.

Police say the crash did $35,000 in damage but it could have been worse. “The defendant continued and plowed through a concrete traffic barrier protecting a pedestrian sidewalk that led to the entrance of Planned Parenthood,” prosecutors write. “But not for a tree that stopped the defendant’s car, he would have plowed through the glass front entrance to Planned Parenthood.”

Armstead remains jailed on $150,000 bail.

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jack
jack
6 years ago

This is terrorism.

CPA Man
CPA Man
6 years ago

Don’t worry, he isn’t going to be charged with targeting Planned Parenthood b/c there was a tree in the way. Even though he seemed pretty impressed with “[blowing] Planned Parenthood the fuck up.” Wild world we live in. This calls for more trees!

alexheartsseattle
alexheartsseattle
5 years ago

Easy to blame mental illness for just about any action these days, since our state’s lack of civil commitment laws make it possible dangerous guys like this one to continue terrorizing society… until he finally kills somebody. The guy had just been released from jail two weeks earlier for two counts of assault and one count of harassment. Our “justice” system has been enabling those who commit multiple property crimes for years because of lenient laws and judges. Now, it appears violent criminals also have very little incentive to cease doing what they do best.