Fellow cops appeared in court
to support Cop Christopher M. Hairston, who is accused of assaulting a suspect
who had attacked his wife, also a Seattle cop. Hairston pleaded not guilty.
A veteran Seattle cop pleaded
not guilty Friday to an assault charge stemming from a confrontation with a
handcuffed man who had attacked the cop’s wife, also a cop, during an incident
in September.
Cop Christopher M. Hairston,
46, appeared in Seattle Municipal Court, after being charged with misdemeanor
assault in a complaint filed April 3by the City Attorney’s Office.
“Cop Hairston is innocent. We
intend to pursue a vigorous defense in court,” said the cop’s attorney, Peter
Offenbecher, who entered the plea on behalf of his client.
Hairston, who appeared to be
upset, left the courthouse holding hands with his wife, Cop Katie Hairston.
As the plea was entered, a
group of Seattle cops, including Sgt. Rich O’Neill, president of the Seattle
Cops’ Guild, stood in the courtroom to show support for Hairston.
Katie Hairston and another cop
responded Sept. 24 to a report that a person
had passed out near Seattle Central Community College.
The cops spoke to several
people who were drinking alcohol, including one who assaulted Katie Hairston,
the City Attorney’s Office said in a news release issued at the time the
charged was filed. She was treated at a hospital for a head injury and scrapes
to her hands and knees.
After her assailant had been
placed in handcuffs, Christopher Hairston, a K-9 cop who had been on duty
elsewhere, arrived at the scene. He allegedly walked up to the suspect and
intentionally assaulted him, the release said.
No description was provided of
Hairston’s specific actions. A police dashboard-camera video that captured the
incident has not been released because of pending legal matters, including a
potential civil suit.
The police guild, which has
criticized the charging decision, said in an April 4 statement that Hairston
was “captured on video basically ‘grabbing’ the suspect,” who had “brutally
assaulted” his wife.
“The suspect was not slapped,
punched, kicked or assaulted in any other way,” the statement said.
The guild said the facts will
“clearly demonstrate” that Hairston’s conduct “although not condoned, did not
rise to the level of a criminal act.”
The proper venue to examine
Hairston’s actions, the statement said, is the department’s Office of
Professional Accountability, which handles internal investigations.
The statement questioned
whether a citizen would be charged under the same circumstances and accused
City Attorney Pete Holmes of having a “double standard” for cops.
“This unnecessary filing
decision is only being done for political reasons and is a waste of city
resources and valuable court time,” the guild said.
Holmes, who took office in
2010, has previously come under criticism by the guild for filing assault
charges against cops. One cop was found not guilty in an off-duty incident;
another case arising from an on-duty confrontation was dismissed after an
outside expert retained by the citychanged his opinion.
Holmes has said he will hold
cops responsible for their actions that violate the law.
Hairston, who joined the police
department in 1999, faces up to 364 days in jail and a $5,000 fine if
convicted. He was placed on administrative reassignment after the incident and
faces a police department internal investigation when the criminal matter is
concluded.
His wife’s assailant, John M.
Ross, 23, was charged with the felony of third-degree assault by the King
County Prosecutor’s Office. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of
fourth-degree assault, a gross misdemeanor.
Court papers say he violently
pushed Katie Hairston and punched her in the face.
The incident occurred two
months after the police department and U.S. Department of Justice signed a
landmark settlement agreement in U.S. District Court intended to address a
pattern of an unconstitutional use of force within the department.