(Source: Google Maps)
A man suffering crisis who had been in and out of contact with police through the day Sunday is reported to have leapt to his death last night from the Ben Lomond Apartments building on the western slope of Capitol Hill above I-5.
According to a Seattle Police Department brief on the incident and emergency radio updates, police were first called to a disturbance involving a 40-year-old man possibly armed with a knife or a firearm in a fifth floor unit of the Bellevue Ct E apartment building around 2:30 PM.
SPD reported the man was “experiencing severe delusions and paranoia” and had been locked out of a unit of the building.
According to police, officers were preparing to take the man into custody under “Involuntary Treatment Act” protocols.
“Officers were unable to establish productive dialogue, and the subject was non-compliant,” the SPD brief reads. Police say they also reviewed the case with SPD’s Hostage Negotiation Team but did not take the man into custody after “a lack of governmental interest prevented further contact with the subject.”
We’ve asked SPD for the full report to clarify the decision.
Around 5:40 PM, police were called back to the Ben Lomond to a report that the man had returned, his hands and feet bloodied from property destruction at the building.
According to radio updates, police were preparing to contact the man inside the apartments on an upper floor of the 5-story building. Police were also able to secure a firearm from inside one of the units.
Just before 6:45 PM, officers reported trying to hail the man from outside the unit he had entered. After multiple attempts, police entered the unit and reported the man had fallen multiple stories from the window into the greenbelt below along the Melrose connector trail above I-5.
The man was reported dead at the scene.
No additional injuries were reported.
We will update as we learn more from SPD about the response.
UPDATE: Citing an “open/active investigation,” SPD has directed CHS to submit a public disclosure request for the full report on the incident. Fulfillment typically takes six weeks or more.
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