U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal
SEATTLE (AP) — A 48-year-old Seattle man arrested on suspicion of a hate crime against U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal was released on July 13.
King County prosecutors said Seattle police released him because they couldn’t say for certain that he told the congresswoman to go back to India or that he threatened to kill her, according to the Seattle Times.
Seattle police obtained a temporary extreme-risk protection order requiring the man to surrender his firearm and concealed handgun license, citing concerns over Jayapal’s escalating behavior and heightened mental health battle, court records show.
Investigation is ongoing. Casey McNerthney, a spokeswoman for the King County Attorney’s Office, said prosecutors have not declined to file criminal charges, but there is currently no evidence of a hate crime.
Prosecutors have 72 hours (excluding holidays and weekends) to file criminal charges against detainees. If no charges are brought by then, the person must be released from prison.
“In an era of heightened political violence, the safety of any elected official should be taken seriously, as we do here,” McNathney wrote in an email. “The investigation is ongoing, Our office is working with police investigators to ensure we understand the suspect’s full behavior in order to build the strongest possible case.”
In 2016, Jayapal became the first Indian-American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats lead the Congressional Progressive Caucus. A spokesman for Jayapal did not immediately respond to an email from The Seattle Times seeking comment.
According to a probable cause statement, Seattle police arrested the man at 11:25 p.m. on July 9 outside Jayapal’s home near Arbor Heights after she called 911 and reported one or more unknown of people in vehicles using obscene language. She told the dispatcher that her husband thought someone might have fired the pellet gun, the statement said.
The probable cause statement said officers found the man standing in the street with his hands in the air and a pistol at his waist.
A neighbor told police she heard the man yell: “Go back to India. I’m going to kill you,” the statement said. Neighbors also saw and heard the man drive past Jayapal’s residence at least three times, shouting swear words, the statement said.
According to the petition for a protection order, a detective met with Jayapal’s husband, who provided video footage of their home’s security system. In one clip, the last part of the word “India” can be heard followed by a foul rant against Jayapal, the petition said. In another clip, the man can be seen approaching the house while shouting swear words about being Jayapal’s neighbor, followed by a metallic sound.
When the man tried to set up a tent on Jayapal’s property, detectives were unable to determine whether the sound came from a handgun or a metal tent pole, the petition said.
Police learned that the man sent an email to Jayapal’s public account in January saying he didn’t like her because she was “perceived to be politically wrong,” the petition said. He also drove past her house and yelled swear words at her multiple times since late June, according to the petition.
The petition states that the man told police he wanted to buy an assault-style rifle for protection, but denied saying anything about Jayapal’s race or threatening to kill her.
According to the petition, the man’s mother told police her son had not been eating or sleeping recently and was suffering from workplace injuries and managing his mental health. She told police it was not a good idea to give her son access to a gun.
There will be a full hearing before a judge within 14 days of the interim protection order, during which the defendant can challenge it. The judge then decides whether to deny or grant a permanent order that bars the defendant from owning or buying firearms for one year.
