A King County Sheriff’s deputy who was involved in a 13-hour standoff with Seattle police was charged with three counts of assault in the third degree Monday.
Berdon Bradford Parsons, 30, was accused of assaulting five police officers with pepper spray during the standoff at Parsons’ apartment in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood Wednesday.
“Thankfully, this situation ended peacefully,” Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Amy E. Montgomery wrote in charging documents. “However, the defendant’s willingness to jeopardize the safety of the officers and his neighbors cannot be underscored.”
Officers went to Parsons’ apartment about 2 a.m. after his boyfriend reported a domestic violence dispute. Parsons told officers he had a shotgun in the apartment and he wouldn’t leave, according to charging documents.
He refused to communicate with a negotiator and released pepper spray through the seams of the apartment doorway into the hall.
Pepper spray and a firearm were found in Parsons’ apartment.
The deputy has been with King County Sheriff's Office for two and a half years. He has been on paid administrative leave since March for an ongoing investigation.
