Help WSP Find These Seattle I-5 Protester Persons of Interest
The Washington State Patrol has referred charges for some I-5 blocking protesters but needs your help identifying the others.
Washington State Patrol Releases Recommended Charges for I-5 Protesters but Needs Help Identifying Others
You might remember last month when a group of protestors shut down a section of downtown, well now we know what charges some of that group can face. Other individuals need to be identified still and authorities need the public's help to bring them in. A gallery of those individuals is located directly at the bottom of this article. On Saturday, January 6, 2024, just after 1:00 p.m., the northbound lanes of the I-5 freeway were closed in downtown Seattle for five hours because protestors illegally blocked traffic with 12 abandoned vehicles. In the statement, the Washington State Patrol says, "While free speech is a sacred right in our democratic system, protests that have illegally moved onto and caused the closing of our freeways and streets have led to deadly outcomes in our state and others and WSP is committed to deterring future incidents."
"This is About Holding People Accountable for Unlawful and Dangerous Acts"
The large group of protestors entered the freeway by cutting through a WSDOT safety fence and ran down to the freeway surface. After blocking traffic, they refused to leave the area with 8 individuals bounding themselves together. After the suspects were arrested, the abandoned vehicles had to be searched with bomb-sniffing dogs and then towed away. The Washington State Patrol is reviewing over 40 hours of on-site video, social media posts, video from witnesses, news broadcasts, and photographs. WSP Chief John R. Batiste said in a recent press release, “This is not about the rights of free speech or assembly. There can be no doubt that the Washington State Patrol respects and protects those rights. This is about holding people accountable for unlawful and dangerous acts that put the traveling public, our first responders, and yes, the protestors themselves, in danger,”
These Charges Were Referred by the Washington State Patrol
The Washington State Patrol referred or recommended charges for 2nd Degree Criminal Trespass, Failure to Disperse, Disorderly Conduct, and Obstruction. These recommendations have been referred to the King Couty Prosecutor’s Office which will make the final decision if criminal charges will be filed or not. Two other individuals have also been identified and are still under investigation with the possibility of referrals still coming. There are other individuals of interest that the Washington State Patrol still needs help identifying. “We have asked for public assistance in identifying suspected lawbreakers during otherwise legal protests before and we do so when we see behavior that is too dangerous to be tolerated. We will exhaust all possible investigatory efforts to catch those responsible and deter others from engaging in similarly dangerous behavior in the future.” Anyone with information on their identities or whereabouts, additional video, or photographs that might assist is asked to contact WSP at sistips@wsp.wa.gov or Seargent Chase Van Cleave at (425) 2404161. Look at the photos released by the Washington State Patrol as persons of interest in this case located directly below.
I-5 Protester Persons of Interest Wanted by WSP
You can read the entire press release at wsp.wa.gov.