Seattle, WA
Rantz: After Seattle principal stonewalled police, suspect allegedly assaulted two victims
A Seattle principal is seen on video stonewalling a police investigation. An officer says it allowed a harmful suspect to flee and allegedly commit two assaults. This incident comes as police stated they’ve encountered extra hostility from Seattle Public Colleges (SPS) employees when responding to incidents.
Liban Harasam allegedly assaulted a younger lady earlier than stealing a pupil’s backpack at Sand Level Elementary in Seattle. In line with courtroom paperwork, Harasam admits to being a drug consumer (meth, fentanyl, and marijuana) and will endure from psychological sickness. Earlier than this incident, he had been arrested 9 earlier occasions within the final 12 months.
Police couldn’t detain Harasam on the time of the alleged crime on June 2. Then-principal Ric Baileykaze refused to cooperate with the responding officer, making it unattainable to determine possible trigger for an arrest.
Police say Harasam assaulted a DHL driver whereas on the unfastened and injured a police officer whereas resisting arrest. These alleged crimes might have been prevented had Baileykaze cooperated with the police.
Baileykaze’s dismissal of police was caught on bodycam footage obtained by the Jason Rantz Present on KTTH. Because the incident, Baileykaze has left Sand Level. SPS wouldn’t affirm what occurred, however a college employees member stated he took an schooling job in a foreign country. The Jason Rantz Present on KTTH has but to have the ability to attain Baileykaze by way of telephone or social media after a number of makes an attempt.
Stonewalling cops
When an SPD officer arrived on campus, Baileykaze and employees watched Harasam wander across the campus, dumping gadgets out of a backpack, based on physique cam footage. Baileykaze supplied just a few particulars to the officer. The college was on lockdown on the time, however the principal didn’t inform the officer. In line with police, a instructor needed to yell to her college students to flee when Harasam allegedly hopped over the fence to get on campus.
Harasam defined to the officer that somebody was “doing a hostage state of affairs” and “kidnapping children over right here.” The officer radioed dispatch to elucidate this was a 220 state of affairs — a psychological well being grievance.
The suspect was allowed to stroll away because the officer tried to determine possible trigger for an arrest.
“He entered a classroom, stated he wished to speak to a pupil, and he stated he wished to take a pupil. Once more, I don’t assume he was in the appropriate mindset. And he grabbed a pupil’s backpack,” Baileykaze stated, based on the bodycam footage.
Baileykaze stated he didn’t know the place the scholar was, and that Harasam might have dropped the scholar’s backpack whereas wandering the campus. At this level, Harasam fled.
‘We’re good’
The officer advised dispatch that Harasam was “a attainable suspect in a backpack theft, however I can’t confirm that but.”
Baileykaze then confirmed the officer the stolen backpack. Harasam did, apparently, drop it. When the officer requested the place the scholar was, and if something was stolen, Baileykaze held his fingers up like he was executed speaking.
“Can we examine with the scholar, see if there’s something lacking? As a result of if I’ve to place fingers on this man, it’s going to go south,” the officer advised Baileykaze.
Baileykaze then refused to cooperate, even after beforehand alleging Harasam “wished to take a pupil.”
“I don’t imply to let you know what to do in any respect, however we’re good. We’re good. I’ll change these items alone. Thanks. Thanks,” Baileykaze tells the officer as he begins strolling away.
The officer advised dispatch that the principal is “declining to speak to me.”
Preventable assaults
Police say Harasam assaulted a close-by DHL driver after he fled. Physique cam footage reveals the sufferer speaking with officers as they decide if he wants medical consideration. Police say the driving force had two cuts on his lip.
“[The driver] noticed the male suspect get into the driving force seat of his van,” an officer writes in a police report. “He started yelling on the male to get out, believing the suspect was about to steal the car. [The driver] received to the door of the car and was caught within the face with what he believed was a blue binder. He tried to maneuver out of the way in which of the strike, however was hit within the mouth, inflicting a break up bleeding lip. [He] pulled the male out of the car, however the suspect grabbed on the mounted cellular phone that the sufferer had by the steering wheel. The sufferer believed that the suspect was making an attempt to steal his telephone earlier than exiting the car.”
Harasam then boarded a close-by King County Metro bus, presumably to flee. Earlier than the bus might go away, officers have been capable of board and make an arrest. However Harasam didn’t go quietly.
The suspect is seen on physique cam footage resisting arrest and screaming at officers. In the course of the melee, an officer was injured, and Harasam was finally subdued.
When different officers arrived, Harasam was agitated and tried to withstand whereas officers waited for medics to reach. At one level, he insists the police don’t have possible trigger to detain him.
Principal remained defiant
These assaults wouldn’t have occurred had the officer been capable of detain and arrest Harasam. Officers returned to the college to let the principal know what had occurred because of being uncooperative.
The physique digicam footage reveals Baileykaze appeared reluctant to satisfy with the officer within the administrator’s workplace.
“Really, I can’t wait as a result of we’ve an injured officer,” the officer responded earlier than taking him into one other room to speak.
“See, the rationale I wanted your info was he dedicated a criminal offense however while you walked off, we had no crime so I couldn’t legally do something. And he tried to assault and rob a DHL driver. Then he went on a metro bus and assaulted a bus driver. I lastly have to get your info,” the officer tells the principal.
“After they stated your college was locked down, the opposite girl I used to be speaking to, stated the college is on lockdown. So, you realize, these are the sorts of issues we have to know,” the officer continued.
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‘I couldn’t have you ever stroll away’
The officer defined that his spouse is a instructor and he understands the protection issues at colleges. He defined to Baileykaze that simply because Harasam didn’t have any weapons, didn’t imply he wasn’t a menace. However by refusing to cooperate, the officer stated it went from a easy misdemeanor to felonies allegedly being dedicated.
“I couldn’t have you ever stroll away as a result of I had nothing based mostly off of what you stated. Based mostly on the regulation, we go implement the legal guidelines. If we don’t have a criminal offense, I’ve no authorized recourse to contact him apart from a social contact, that he walked off, which he did. It wasn’t till he tried robbing the DHL driver, that I had a criminal offense and a felony at that. That would have been prevented if I knew that he had stolen a backpack on the time,” the officer concluded.
At this level, a instructor walked in. She says on the physique cam footage that witnesses say Harasam grabbed a couple of college students. She says he was “fixated” on one lady and tried to get her to go together with him.
“He was attempting to return into our classroom and I used to be within the doorway, attempting to maintain him away from this pupil who was cowering and crying in a nook close to him,” the instructor stated.
It stays unclear why Baileykaze didn’t cooperate with police, although he appeared extra understanding throughout this follow-up. However police say this sort of remedy has turn into extra widespread.
Police say they’re being rebuffed by Seattle Public Faculty employees
A number of officers talking to the Jason Rantz Present on KTTH on the situation of anonymity have recommended they’re noticing an uptick of dismissive remedy from some college employees when responding to points on campus. Some have witnessed it; others have heard second hand from different officers.
They stated employees are both impolite to them or appear reluctant to share info.
Police speculate it’s as a result of common anti-police posture that SPS has taken for the reason that Black Lives Matter (BLM) riots and protests in 2020. They suspected employees didn’t need to be seen as cooperative with police, which have been falsely accused of spreading a white supremacist tradition that targets minority communities.
Seattle Police Officer Guild president Officer Mike Solan tells the Jason Rantz Present on KTTH that his membership has complained of this subject to him. He blames SPS management for spreading anti-police messages.
“We’ve got a elementary breakdown in our price system. It’s an ethical decay. And that’s clearly evident with among the college in these colleges. That begins from the highest down,” Solan defined.
The college board beforehand eliminated college useful resource officers (SROs) from campus. Pupil activists, regurgitating the anti-police speaking factors from educators and neighborhood activists, falsely declare SROs make campus much less protected and that they aim minority college students. Two weeks in the past, a 14-year-old pupil allegedly murdered a 17-year-old classmate at Ingram Excessive Faculty. It’s prompted renewed calls to return SROs to the campus since college students have dedicated extra violence on campus inside the final 12 months than police ever have.
After the incident with Baileykaze, first reported by the Jason Rantz Present on KTTH, a SPS spokesperson indicated management would meet with SPD to debate methods to raised talk incidents sooner or later.
What is going on to Harasam?
With out the cooperation of the college, Harasam was initially charged by the Seattle Metropolis Legal professional’s workplace for felony tresspass, car prowling, two counts of misdemenaor assault, and resisting arrest.
However a decide dismissed Harasam’s case.
“On this occasion, the Metropolis filed in opposition to Harasam and secured $10,000 bail for this particular person on 6/3/22. Protection raised competency, and following an analysis, Harasam was decided to incompetent to face trial. He was launched and the case was dismissed on 6/21/22,” a Metropolis Legal professional spokesperson defined to the Jason Rantz Present on KTTH.
The King County Prosecutors, nevertheless, filed felony prices in opposition to Harasam earlier than his launch. The SPD was lastly capable of get extra info from the college. It justified felony prices of housebreaking and assault of a kid within the second diploma.
Harasam had a Nov. 14 competency listening to continued to a later date. He stays in custody.
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