Man charged with throwing aquarium after standoff with police on I-5

SEATTLE – Charges are now being filed against the man armed with a pitchfork who is accused of throwing a glass aquarium onto the I-5 road.

On Wednesday, the King County District Attorney's Office filed charges of assault and reckless endangerment against 53-year-old Michael Straightwell.

“We believe this man is a danger based on his alleged conduct,” said Casey McNerthney, spokesman for the prosecutor's office. “These are very serious offenses. We have shown the court that this could very easily have resulted in death or serious injury.”

The rampage occurred Friday night in Seattle in the northbound lanes of I-5 near the Olive Way exit. Seattle police said Straightwell was standing over the interstate on the Boren Avenue overpass. Court documents show the suspect was discarding items from a nearby homeless encampment, including a Lime scooter, a knife, a propane tank, used needles and urine-soaked clothing.

“And that's the reason we closed the Olive ramp initially because we don't want any more debris coming down and hitting vehicles and potentially hurting somebody,” said Trooper Rick Johnson of the Washington State Patrol.

Officials said that not only did the thrown objects hit a car, but Straightwell was also armed with an eight-inch knife and a pitchfork. The Washington State Patrol accused him of throwing a pole at a police officer, which cut the officer's finger, according to court documents.

According to court documents, Straightwell ignored several requests from police to stop throwing objects into the street. When the suspect allegedly began throwing objects at police, court documents say an officer deployed his Taser three times, hitting Straightwell in the leg, back and clothing.

Crisis negotiators were called to the scene. Officials said after several attempts to deter Straightwell, the SWAT team took control and made the arrest. The standoff closed traffic in the northbound lanes of I-5 for about two hours.

“The State Patrol did the right thing, even though it was inconvenient for everyone to close the road like that. We're very happy that no one was hurt,” McNerthney said. “This is affecting so many people's lives, and everyone drives down I-5 like this, whether they're on a bus or a car. And to randomly harass someone is so dangerous.”

Prosecutors said Straightwell was considered dangerous. The suspect had previous brushes with the law. According to court documents, his criminal history included theft, carrying a concealed weapon, use of a weapon and criminal damage.

McNerthney said prosecutors had previously received cases involving Straightwell.

“It is entirely possible that mental health concerns will come up in the ongoing litigation, but we will address them if or when they come up,” McNerthney said.

A judge set bail at $100,000 during a probation hearing Saturday. Straightwell is scheduled to be arraigned within the next two weeks.

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