What do you do when the rock you impulsively threw at a police cruiser shatters the windshield? Hope you didn’t do it. Or hope you did, if you’re thinking about potentially leaving for a “hotel” with three hots and a cot for a little while. It depends on the circumstances, but this viral video from Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office reveals one individual who might not have been thinking clearly once they did just that: destroy a police officer’s windshield with a rock.
A man threw a large rock through the windshield of a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy’s patrol car outside a Home Depot in Everett, Washington, in March. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said there was no apparent reason for it. Deputies caught the man in the parking lot minutes later, which underlined their impressively bad decision-making process.
The rock smashed through the glass and landed on the steering wheel. Deputy Chavez climbed out of the car with her weapon drawn. She spotted the man running across the Home Depot lot. She pushed the rock off the steering wheel, sat back down in the broken glass, and kept watch on him while other deputies raced in, according to My Everett News.
The man was taken into custody without any further trouble. Nobody was reported hurt in the incident. Deputies haven’t said what ended up setting him off, though. The sheriff’s office hasn’t released his name or the charges against him either, but you can believe they likely weren’t slaps on the wrist.
Is Throwing a Rock at a Police Car a Felony in Washington?
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Washington law raises the stakes when the target is a law enforcement officer. In fact, RCW 9A.36.031 makes it assault in the third degree to assault an officer who is performing official duties, which turns conduct that might otherwise be a gross misdemeanor into a felony based on who was hit. So had the rock hit the officer, things might have been even worse.
Third-degree assault is a Class C felony in the state, carrying up to five years in prison and a fine reaching $10,000. Property damage can bring its own malicious mischief charge, graded by the dollar value of what was broken. Deputies have not said which charges the man faces, so how the case was filed is not public.
What’s Happening with the Everett Case Now?
The sheriff’s office put out the footage without much of the story around it. The man remains unidentified publicly, and no charging information or court date has been released. The only explanation offered for the attack is that there appeared to be none.
The delay has not been accounted for either. The rock was thrown in March, and the video did not surface until June. Agencies frequently sit on dash and body camera footage while a case works through the system, though this office has not explained the gap.
Anyone charged is presumed innocent unless and until a court finds otherwise.