The Seattle Police Department released body cam footage on Friday of an officer fatally shooting a burglary suspect. Police say the suspect stabbed another officer in the face and killed a police dog named Jedi following a brief pursuit on Beacon Hill last Wednesday.
According to the video posted on the Seattle Police Department's online blotter, a man told police an intruder with a knife was in his home. The incident occurred on the 2200 block of South Eddy Street, police said. The suspect threatened the homeowner with a machete, the resident told police.
Editor's note: The following video contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.
The footage shows officers spotting the suspect walking away from the residence barefoot and with a towel wrapped around his waist. A man with a baseball bat was following him and stopped as a police car turned, according to the footage. The video shows another officer on foot, assisted by Jedi, running after the suspect, closely followed by the police car.
The footage shows the officer on foot yelling at the suspect to stop, and the suspect then crossing the road, still holding the machete. The video shows the officer then warning the sergeant up ahead that the suspect was armed with a machete.
The sergeant yells at the suspect, who was yelling incoherently, to stop, body cam footage shows. The suspect kept running as police pursued.
The sergeant called for backup and pulled a gun, while yelling at the suspect to stop and get on the ground multiple times, the footage shows.
The K-9 officer released Jedi, who ran towards the suspect, grabbing at his towel on the 6700 block of Swift Avenue, the footage shows. The suspect grabbed onto a roadway railing and stabbed the police dog multiple times, and stabbed an officer in the face, the video shows. An officer, Tim Jones, then fatally shot the suspect, police said. Seven shots can be heard in the video.
Jones, who has been with SPD for 15 years, was placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy, police said. The Force Investigation Team and the Office of Police Accountability continue to investigate the incident. Investigators will look into the mental state of the suspect at the time of the incident and whether substance use was involved, police said.
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