Seattle residents are outraged after a man in a stolen excavator destroyed a park in the crime-ridden city while trying to build a cabin for himself.
The man, who has not been identified, claimed he had permission to enter the makeshift house in Dr. Jose Rizal Park in Beacon Hill.
Park steward and volunteer Genevieve Courtney said she saw the man driving the excavator erratically before driving into the green space adjacent to the orchard and picnic area for the dog park about 6.30pm on Saturday.
The man, who was seen delivering pallets on another occasion, was only stopped and arrested after a frustrated resident called the police six times.
Seattle residents are outraged after a man with a backhoe was driven by Dr. Jose Rizal Park drove
The driver (right) claimed he had permission to build the makeshift cabin in Beacon Hill
Seattle police arrested the man for destroying the park with the heavy machinery
“I just happened to run into him on my way home,” Courtney told KOMO. “He was riding on the sidewalk.”
She said it took officers in the crime-ridden city an hour to arrive on the scene.
“I didn’t feel like they were taking me seriously,” she told FOX 13. “They said, ‘Does he have a gun?’ I thought, ‘Yes, he has a digger. That’s a weapon.”
The man was in the machine when police arrived. They led him out of a ditch and arrested him, a moment that was filmed and posted to social media.
The man’s recklessness undid the painstaking efforts of volunteers to reforest and beautify the space. Photos of the aftermath show fallen trees and deep tire tracks in the sand.
“He’s undone hundreds of hours of volunteer work,” park manager Craig Thompson said.
“What we saw today is one person who decided to undo all that work, for whatever reason in his irrational mind.”
Andrea Suarez, executive director of We Heart Seattle — a grassroots organization itself under fire for its mistreatment of homeless people — said the chaos should serve as a wake-up call for local leaders.
“When someone has the audacity to take a device of this value and destroy our urban forest, it puts everything into question,” Suarez said.
‘Why are we even here? Why has Seattle become a playground without rules?’
About a dozen stolen credit cards were found at the scene, another resident claims
Five pounds of marijuana and methamphetamine were found at an encampment
Police confronted the man while he was in the stolen machine
They took him into custody, in a moment that was filmed and posted on social media
While it is unclear where the man obtained the stolen excavator, it is believed it was taken from a nearby construction site.
Suarez wrote on Facebook that there was ‘expectation’ decades to repair the damage caused by the excavator that tore through the slope last night.”
She claimed propane tanks, chainsaws, five pounds of marijuana, methamphetamine and a dozen stolen credit cards were recovered.
“It is important to point out that it took several police calls and a lengthy response time for our police to arrive due to other priorities, including two shootings in South Seattle that left them trapped,” Suarez added.
“Seattle has lost 700 police officers since 2019 and we need to elect a City Council that will politically and financially support funding a fully staffed agency.”
Crime is soaring in Seattle, in a city with a contentious law enforcement history.
Violent crime in particular hit a 15-year high in 2022, according to the Seattle Police Department’s 2022 Crime Report.
Last year, no fewer than 49,577 reports of violent and property crimes were registered.
Andrea Suarez, executive director of We Heart Seattle (pictured), denounced the city government in the aftermath of the incident
A tent was seen in the park where the man was trying to build his hut
Park manager Craig Thompson claimed the destruction had ‘undone hundreds of hours of volunteer work’
“Total crime across the city increased by four percent (1,834) compared to 2021,” the report reads, before noting that 2022 totals were higher than 2021 – previously a record high.
Amid the rise in crime, Seattle police are being criticized for poor management, including by fellow officers.
Lt. Jessica Taylor, who served on the force for 23 years, addressed a 15-page departure letter to the police chief, blaming “failed leadership” for turning the city into a “playground for anarchists and criminals.”
Earlier this month, protesters marched on Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s home after he announced a $17 million increase in the local police budget.
Amid residents’ push to divert funding away from police, Democratic Councilwoman Lisa Herbold announced that the city had begun hiring unarmed first responders who are mental health professionals called “crisis responders.”
The program reportedly received $1.6 million as part of the city’s mid-year supplemental budget.
