Bothell police escort legislators to their cars after Town Hall

An audience comment was perceived as a potential threat, though no crime occurred, police said.

By Katie Metzger • January 10, 2019 11:20 am
Bothell police escort legislators to their cars after Town Hall

Jan. 9 was Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and local legislators were thankful for the Bothell Police Department and University of Washington Bothell security for responding during an incident at their town hall that evening.

Sen. Guy Palumbo, Rep. Shelley Kloba and Rep. Derek Stanford, all Democrats from the 1st Legislative District, were hosting a question-and-answer session in Mobius Hall on the UW Bothell/Cascadia College campus when an alleged threat emerged.

An audience member commented about new gun laws in Washington and asked if someone could get in trouble for having more than the allotted number of rounds in a handgun, said Cpt. Mike Johnson, a spokesperson for BPD.

“It wasn’t a threat. It was just odd,” he said.

Still, it was “not a misguided concern.”

“They were showing signs of agitation, but not disrupting the presentation,” Johnson said, adding that the person “had a First Amendment right” to ask the question and that no crime occurred.

UW Bothell security were posted in the hall for the remainder of the event, Johnson said, and the elected officials were escorted to their cars later. Some weighed in on social media thanking law enforcement, including Bothell Deputy Mayor Davina Duerr and Palumbo.