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Monday, August 31, 2009

Crime A Familiar Face

Posted by Jonah Spangenthal-Lee on Mon, Aug 31, 2009 at 12:33 PM

Two men are being held in connection with a bizarre incident on Friday night near North Seattle Community College (NSCC), and It appears one of them has been on Slog before.

At about 9:30 p.m. Friday night, police began receiving reports of gunfire near NE 92nd Avenue and 5th Avenue NE, not far from the North Precinct. Officers arrived on scene and immediately heard 9-10 "rapid fire rifle rounds" being fired over I-5 from a wooded area just west of the freeway, court documents say. Police called in the Guardian One helicopter, K9 units, and the SWAT team, and took two men in to custody.

The day after the incident, police searched the woods near NSCC and found "military style encampment," containers of ammunition, an AK-47 assault rifle, pieces of other firearms, and a "Samurai sword," court records say.

According to court and jail records, Michael Lujan—who was arrested following a scuffle with police in the University District two years ago—is being held in connection with the incident.

That's a blurry Lujan on the right side of the frame.

In November 2007, Lujan and another man, Mark Hays, got into a scuffle with police after the two men jaywalked across 45th and University in front of an unmarked SUV. Police contacted the men, the situation escalated, Hays was taken to the ground and beaten by officers. Lujan was arrested and charged with obstruction. An internal investigation later found that police had used excessive force, and Lujan was found not guilty. Video of the incident can be found here.

On Friday night, Lujan was arrested on the east side of I-5 after running across the freeway to flee from police. He was arrested shortly after police arrived at the scene and provided officers with information about another man who was later found hiding in the woods.

The other man, a 31-year-old NSCC student, was arrested in the woods near I-5 after a two hour standoff with police. When police took the man into custody, he told officers that he expects"to be railroaded" and, according to court records, told police that "If I had wanted to shoot officers, you would have had some dead cops." The 31-year-old man then requested he be put on suicide watch, records say.

According to the King County Prosecutor's office, the 31-year-old man has a previous felony conviction for theft, making him ineligible to own a firearm.

Both men are being held in the King County Jail, but prosecutors haven't yet filed charges against the 31-year-old man. The city attorney's office has declined to file charges against Lujan. Prosecutors and police still haven't said why the men might have been firing guns in the woods near I-5.

Comments (19) RSS

Oldest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a comment

maybe they were firing guns near i-5 because they thought no one would hear them.

beaten for jaywalking, too. only in seattle!

Posted by Max Solomon on August 31, 2009 at 12:47 PM

If the cops had beat him into a coma then we wouldn't be having this conversation now.

Posted by Law and Order on August 31, 2009 at 12:47 PM

What's more dangerous?

A) Urban golfing with plastic(?) golf balls on Pike/Pine.
B) Shooting in urban woods near I-5 with an AK-47.

Please forward your answers to Tom Carr.

Posted by dingleberry dipshit on August 31, 2009 at 1:05 PM

It begs the question; were the undercover offers there specifically to catch jaywalkers? Sad.

Also, shooting guns in the city? WTF, idiots.

Posted by Dougsf on August 31, 2009 at 1:30 PM

Wow! Only a tiny fraction of the population is beaten up after an escalating confrontation with the police. And only a tiny fraction of the population goes postal with an AK-47. So it's pretty astoundingly, stupendously unlikely that both would happen to the same person.

Unless, of course, those two events don't sort independently. Hmm.

Posted by David Wright on August 31, 2009 at 1:33 PM

File under:
How To Make a Home Grown Terrorist - in Your Own Backyard!

Posted by Timrrr on August 31, 2009 at 1:37 PM

Evidently police treatment of Lujan led to irreversible brain damage.

Posted by Keister Button on August 31, 2009 at 1:41 PM

They released him at noon today... odd.. you think with 6 obstructing and 3 assault charges they'd hold him for longer.

Posted by non-registered on August 31, 2009 at 1:43 PM

if he's out, call him up, stranger!

Posted by Max Solomon on August 31, 2009 at 1:54 PM

@9 If he's actually released, I want to beat the shit out of that asshole. The shooting was a couple hundred yards from my house.

Additionally, NSCC is across the street from the SPD North Precinct, so the stupidity is monumental.

Posted by pragmatic on August 31, 2009 at 2:31 PM

@2, 5, 7: it wasn't Lujan that was beaten, it was some other guy named Hays.

Posted by doceb on August 31, 2009 at 2:35 PM

"Prosecutors and police still haven't said why the men might have been firing guns in the woods near I-5."

The obvious unironic answer for this is that at least one of them is mentally ill and should probably receive treatment.

Posted by undead ayn rand on August 31, 2009 at 2:46 PM

@8-
"They released him at noon today... odd.. you think with 6 obstructing and 3 assault charges they'd hold him for longer."

Maybe it's the same genius who let that monster Kalebu loose?

Posted by Stupid Pathetic Dipshits on August 31, 2009 at 3:41 PM

The opening paragraph had me thinking that maybe Mr Poe had gone off the deep end...

Posted by michael strangeways

on August 31, 2009 at 3:51 PM

Those guys are real lucky they didn't go out like the unfortunate young man on new years eve in the U District-e.g., via a cops bullet.

As johnny Cash said, "don't take your guns to town", especially if your intent is to act like a real dipshit when you get there.

Posted by morons need not apply on August 31, 2009 at 3:57 PM

"Those guys are real lucky they didn't go out like the unfortunate young man on new years eve in the U District-e.g., via a cops bullet."

Another guy who wasn't a direct threat but should've received psychological help before he did something stupid/suicidal.

Posted by undead ayn rand on August 31, 2009 at 7:22 PM

I suspected Lujan was an ass after he got into trouble jay-walking. Seriously, who the hell gets arrested for jay-walking? Yeah, the cops had to be rather douchey, but really let's be honest: It takes two to tango. Mr. Lujan seems to enjoy being the center of police attention. Perhaps he's trying to make some sort of social statement. Maybe he has a persecution complex, but the man is an asshole idiot.

Posted by yucca flower on August 31, 2009 at 8:28 PM

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the arrests of jerkoffs.

Posted by CP on August 31, 2009 at 8:36 PM

If they actually published what really happens, then youd have a clue who the real terrorists are.

Posted by Michael Lujan on September 18, 2009 at 6:00 AM