Police arrest man who threatened bus riders with gun

Bellevue police arrest man who threatened bus riders with gun

(Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly stated that the suspect was standing outside the bus when police arrived. It should have said that the bus driver was outside the bus.)

Bellevue police on Monday arrested a man who allegedly threatened two Metro bus riders with a gun.

The incident took place around 10 p.m. in the 11800 block of Northeast Eighth Street.

The bus was carrying around 15 passengers at the time, but no one was injured.

“Supposedly a man got on the bus and was kind of talking some nonsense,” said Bellevue Police spokeswoman Ofc. Carla Iafrate. “The situation was handled pretty quickly and safely.”

The suspect allegedly threatened two riders with a handgun, and one of the victims told the bus operator, according to police.

The driver alerted a Metro dispatcher of the situation and then parked the bus along the side of the road with its hazard lights on, according to police.

The driver was standing outside the bus when police arrived to contain the area. They arrested the suspect and found he was carrying a 9 millimeter handgun reported stolen from Kent, according to police.

Iafrate said the suspect is a convicted felon with a warrant for second-degree assault. He was booked into King County Jail.

Joshua Adam Hicks can be reached at 425-453-4290.