SHORELINE, Wash. — New video from a motorcyclist shows a King County Sheriff’s detective pulling a gun on him during a recent traffic stop in Shoreline. Now the video has led to an apology from Sheriff John Urquhart about how the situation was handled.
The incident happened just before 12 p.m. on August 16 near the intersection of 5th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 145th Street.
Motorcyclist Alex Randall says the video clip he captured on his GoPro camera started the moment he turned it on during a trip to work.
“I see the flashing in the back of the car in front of me and the weird coloration. It’s not immediately apparent to me that I’m gonna get pulled over for any specific reason,” Randall said. “I lean in. I squint. Oh, yup, that’s a car behind me. And I turn.”
Seconds after he stops at a red light along 145th, he turns and sees a man approach him with his gun drawn, Randall said.
“How ya doin’?” the man is heard asking in the video.
“Oh (expletive),” Randall responds. “What are you doing?”
“What do you mean, ‘What am I doing?’” the man then said in the video. “You (expletive) drive reckless. Give me your driver’s license or I’ll knock you off this bike.”
“I turn and I am completely unprepared for what I see, which is a man with a gun in my face. And my first reaction is to simply put my hands up,” Randall told KOMO News on Monday about the encounter. “I’m not really able to hear because I’ve got my bike going, I’ve got my helmet on, I’m surprised at what’s happening.”
The man didn’t show a badge when he first approached Randall, Randall said. But Sheriff Urquhart confirms it was one of his detectives.
In the video, the detective demands to see Randall’s license several more times. At one point, you see him reach into Randall’s pocket and pull out his wallet. KOMO News blurred the detective’s face because the sheriff did not know his side of the story and we weren’t able to track the detective down.
“That’s my wallet,” Randall states in the video.
“Yup,” the detective responds.
“I’m not armed,” Randall tells the detective.
“I’ve never had an officer do that ever,” Randall told KOMO News on Monday night.
Randall admits he was likely going 10-15 miles per hour over the posted speed limit before the encounter, but he claims he wasn’t driving reckless.
He believes the detective went too far in how the situation was handled.
Sheriff Urquhart hasn’t yet heard the detective’s account of what happened, but what he saw in the motorcyclist’s video troubled him, he said.
“I’ve only seen, heard one half the story. So, I’m going to caveat my statement with that,” Urquhart said Monday. “However, I’m not happy with what I saw. It’s very, very troubling. I can’t think of an excuse for it. But again, I haven’t talked to the deputy yet.”
“The fact that he had his gun out on a traffic stop. For a reckless driving. Allegedly reckless driving. Which is a misdemeanor. You don’t pull your gun out on somebody for something like that. We just don’t do that,” Urquhart added.
Urquhart has since called Randall to apologize for how the situation was handled.
“I apologized for what happened. I told him that I’d get to the bottom of it, and we’ll take it from there,” Urquhart said.
“I told him that I would believe him until evidence showed otherwise that that was not the case,” Randall said.
In the video, you can hear the detective tell Randall that he was with the sheriff’s office. After the detective took a look at Randall’s driver’s license, he is seen putting away his gun. Randall said the situation then became much more calm.
A use-of-force investigation is now underway, Urquhart said. He doesn’t yet know if the detective was on duty at the time of the incident, he added. The will be placed on paid administrative leave on Tuesday morning, Urquhart said.
Randall said he plans to file a formal complaint about what happened.
That was a lame excuse to blank out the pigs face. Must be worried the public might react lol, what a cowardly minority we let rule over us.
Probably an undercover detective that really isn’t with the department but another part of it. Like swat, narcotics, etc. You can tell by the way he is concealing the gun that he has had a lot of training. Maybe even ex-mil. This shit has to stop. They won’t even show the guys face and im sure the action they will take is nothing. Cops just slowly breaking our rights and getting away with it until we have no rights or action to take. You don’t pull a gun and point it at someone unless you are ready to shoot?!? Hope they release this fat fuks face and let it go viral
Its a weapons retention position and its becoming common knowledge, I teach it to folks im training on handgun usage.
That is not a marked car, nor is that detective wearing a police uniform, so that motorcyclist was under no obligation to stop for him. That idiot detective is lucky that motorcyclist wasn’t armed. If he had shot the detective, he could have simply stated that he thought he was being robbed.
There is a law on the books in Washington state that prohibits unmarked police vehicles from making traffic stops. The law came about from a rash of police impersonations in the 1970’s.
Where were his deputies when that carjacker attempted to grind his ass off but failed to jack the car? Same King County, Wa.
Urquhart’s predecessor is the “Honorable” Dave Reichert, House of Representatives, USA.
Dave will be running for bigger offices soon, so Urq is probably going to follow in line.
Any publicity is good publicity when running for office.
Rider admitted he was speeding. Really dumb.
The communists are required to prove you were speeding, or anything else for that matter. I’d never help them do it.
I was also going to comment that the cop’s lucky to be alive. The rider could have been justified.
I once was reaching for my drivers license in my saddle bag, the cop reached to unhook his holster, in a crowded restaurant, gas station at that. I felt like saying, “listen fool, you’d already be dead”
They are jumpy but it’s their own damn fault.
The Guilty, ignorant SOB’s.
stupid way to die detective
today with everyone Legally packing ,, acting like your about to jack this guys ride is going to get you iced , and it wont be the victims fault, punk.
show his face so we all know who to avoid
one of these days this jerkoff is going to run into the guy thats quick at disarming others or quick on the draw ( quick and the dead, as i’ve been saying) and this Dick gets put on ice
very dumb move
On paid leave. Give the guy a vacation. Nice.
“He believes the detective went too far in how the situation was handled.”
Been livin’ in a cave?
You’re damn lucky you SURVIVED the encounter. Many don’t.
“The fact that he had his gun out on a traffic stop. For a reckless driving. Allegedly reckless driving. Which is a misdemeanor. You don’t pull your gun out on somebody for something like that. We just don’t do that,” Urquhart added.”
BULLSH#T!!!
THAT… AND MUCH, MUCH WORSE!!!!!
These cops are so stupid they can’t even assess a situation for its potential danger.
Like that one cop who got shot telling the uncooperative guy to take his hand out of his pocket, while pointing a taser at the suspect.
He survived, bet he won’t do that again….maybe
Paid vacation: When a sentence against a crime isn’t carried out quickly, people are encouraged to commit crimes.
(Damn video, next time i’ll check for a camera) wanna bet?