Jury Finds Seattle Firefighters Not Guilty of Attack on Homeless Men

Comments

Best news I've heard all day.

seatownr on December 10, 2014 at 4:23 PM

@1 because firefighters should be allowed to assault people jist like the police? Not sure I see the justification for that.

JonnoN on December 10, 2014 at 4:30 PM

Guess juries don't care about perjury these days.

seatackled on December 10, 2014 at 4:31 PM

Good thing they fired them first.

J.R. on December 10, 2014 at 4:49 PM

@2, *acquitted firemen. And rightfully so.

seatownr on December 10, 2014 at 4:49 PM

mmm, wonder what would happen if i beat the shit out of those two and their whore girlfriend? you think i'd get a free pass too?

kellyllek on December 10, 2014 at 4:51 PM

@5: Acquitted former firefighters.

J.R. on December 10, 2014 at 4:54 PM

@6 only if they were black & you were white & male & a property owner..,

Will in Seattle on December 10, 2014 at 5:02 PM

On a related note, I often forget that they're not called "manholes" anymore, but "personholes."

Here's something worthy of outrage: http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014…

seatownr on December 10, 2014 at 5:02 PM

@5 care to explain your position? Or shall we just assume you're pro-hate-crime?

JonnoN on December 10, 2014 at 5:04 PM

But they were already convicted in the court of public opinion!

MiddlePerson on December 10, 2014 at 5:09 PM

@10, ? I don't think the bums pissing on firemen statues constitutes a hate crime. But at any rate, if you choose to urinate on a commemorative statue for the people who resuscitate your fellow drunks and crackheads in Pioneer Square on an almost continuous basis throughout the year, and one of them sees you doing so, they may tell you to stop. And when that happens, you should probably just say sorry for being a massive cunt.

I believe a jury just heard all the facts.

Anyone heard about the recent string of armed robberies around 15th?

seatownr on December 10, 2014 at 5:17 PM

@12 you never get to the part where hitting people is justified

The CHZA on December 10, 2014 at 5:19 PM

Seatowner is just another jackoff who thinks violence is justified when power is defied. Even when it is not, as is the case here. Ignore it.

Matt from Denver on December 10, 2014 at 5:44 PM

Guess if you have a uniform (even if it's in the closet) you can kick the rest of us around.

Linda J on December 10, 2014 at 5:46 PM

I always find it interesting to see what smaller news stories play out in local papers that don't gain greater attention in other areas. I had never heard of this story but from the way this particular article reads, it kind of feels like this may have been a fight more than anything else. Guess I'll have to read up on it some more :)

Sagecin on December 10, 2014 at 6:05 PM

#9. Ah yes, the Tuba Man killers. All good boys "who din do nuffin."

Lew Siffer on December 10, 2014 at 6:10 PM

oh, they will get their jobs back. the firefighters union will see to that.

scary tyler moore on December 10, 2014 at 6:35 PM

@19 - what do you think the firefighters' union should do? Do you think they would be complying with their duty to provide adequate representation to their members if they do nothing after their members were found not guilty?

Bax on December 10, 2014 at 6:38 PM

@19, 20: They were fired for being drunk and disorderly and getting in a public fight. They'll stay fired.

J.R. on December 10, 2014 at 6:55 PM

@16, I don't think it's fair to lump police and fire together here. Recent police cases show an abuse of power entrusted to them. While this looks like assault to me, them being firefighters doesn't really matter, since they weren't acting in that capacity.

McBomber on December 10, 2014 at 6:56 PM

At least it actually went to trial.

evolume on December 10, 2014 at 7:17 PM

@21 - maybe. It depends on what the basis was for the firing. Don't be surprised if they wind up getting their job back if the disciplinary action is still active and able to go in front of an arbitrator.

Bax on December 10, 2014 at 7:21 PM

@24: The fact that they were fired before the trial, instead of protected by being placed on paid/unpaid leave, tends to indicate that they weren't considered stellar employees in the first place. But, I agree that you never know.

J.R. on December 10, 2014 at 7:28 PM

@6: "their whore girlfriend". nice. very persuasive.

Max Solomon on December 10, 2014 at 7:33 PM

Prosecutor made a mistake by not just filing a simple assault charge. Trumping this up as a hate crime was bullshit and likely caused jurors to revolt.

seandr on December 10, 2014 at 7:54 PM

It seems pretty clear that at least two of them committed perjury, and that's if they are innocent. How did they tell three different stories about what happened and get away with it?

Hanoumatoi on December 10, 2014 at 8:35 PM

o_O

treacle on December 10, 2014 at 9:05 PM

@27 I think you are right. I've always been against the whole "hate crime" thing. Gotten into some pretty heated arguments against it as a gay male. I just can't go that far, punish the behavior, try and change the thought. Moreover how can we really know what is going on in that mysterious black box that is the mind in the moment the act is committed.

The whole "hate crime" thing just rubs me the wrong way.

Machiavelli was framed on December 10, 2014 at 9:14 PM

The hate crime "thing" is a separate charge. It isn't necessary for the other charges.

sarah91 on December 10, 2014 at 11:21 PM

Just another one of the countless pieces of evidence that the "justice" system is not for the little people. It favors the rich; the white; the powerful.

long-time reader on December 10, 2014 at 11:47 PM

But yeah, I think the more relevant charge would have been assault. Probably still would have led to acquittal though.

long-time reader on December 10, 2014 at 11:50 PM

Did the defense lawyers beat the prosecutors? Or did we have a pro-fireman jury?

Let's all remember: These guys DID attack the other guys, essentially the verdict is, "it was OK to attack them given the circumstances"

fetish on December 11, 2014 at 5:30 AM

@sarah91: Right, but my point is that the prosecutor would more likely get an assault conviction if he simply charged the defendants with assault rather than assault + hate crime + high treason + mutiny + any other bogus charges.

By piling on the charges, the prosecutor likely pushed juror sympathies even further towards the defendants than they already were.

seandr on December 11, 2014 at 8:32 AM

SFD might as well reinstate them, since it costs a lot to train a firefighter, but if they get paid for their time off after getting drunk and picking a fight, that's ridiculous.

Catalina Vel-DuRay on December 11, 2014 at 8:54 AM

The jury representing the community, appears to supports firefighters protecting memorials above the homeless releaving themselves wherever they want.

adel on December 13, 2014 at 9:37 AM

Ever cross your mind that the NEWS is wrong and the jury/judicial system is right?

I always thought it was crazy that people were let go from a crime until I served on a jury and found that the TRUTH was completely different from what the media reported.

The Realist on December 22, 2014 at 3:10 PM

https://infotomb.com/h28ps.pdf

5667 on August 27, 2015 at 4:39 PM

Jury Finds Seattle Firefighters Not Guilty of Attack on Homeless Men

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