Deputy makes split-second decision when armed civilian attempts to help during traffic stop
The reason that Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy and School Resource Officer Carly Cappetto found herself conducting a felony traffic stop involving a stolen car full of suspects is because she's curious and diligent.
Fentanyl, meth and weapons seized during raid on Green Hill correctional school
A police task force resorted to serving a search warrant on DCYF's Green Hill correctional school in Lewis County, after commanders say their official requests for an investigation were brushed off.
The Spotlight: The good, the bad and the bodycams
The Spotlight is on a pair of newly obtained bodycam videos that capture corruption and heroics in real-time. First, footage of a massive drug bust inside a state-run prison school. Narcotics agents staged the raid only after getting the brush-off by DCYF and Gov. Inslee’s office. Then, a Pierce County Sheriff’s Deputy in the middle of a dangerous traffic stop has to decide whether an armed stranger arriving on the scene is friend or foe – and it’s all caught on camera.
The Spotlight: 3 officers cleared in Manuel Ellis' death each receive $500K to leave Tacoma police
The Tacoma Police officers exonerated by a jury in the death of Manny Ellis are voluntarily resigning from the department. All three officers will receive a $500,000 payout. "Labeling these officers as criminals and calling for their firing and prosecution was a reckless, political witch hunt," said Tacoma Police Union IUPA Local 6 in a statement. The Spotlight has details on the settlement and reaction from the Tacoma Action Collective who supported the Ellis family.
The Spotlight: Police say suspect accused of killing rideshare driver has 'anger issues'
The heartbroken family of a rideshare driver murdered in Edmonds still has so many questions about why he was killed. Police say 21-year-old Alex Waggoner fired 11 shots at Abdikadir Shariff. The 31-year-old who had just dropped off two passengers died from a gunshot wound to the head. When officers arrested Waggoner, he was armed with two loaded pistols including the one used to kill Shariff and was wearing body armor. Detectives say Waggoner told them he over-reacted when Shariff almost hit him with his car. As Shariff started apologizing, he opened fire. Plus, the Spotlight has new information in the case of a 7-year-old girl who was kidnapped in Seattle nine years ago that may help return her to her family.
The Spotlight: Will Seattle murder boom continue in 2024?
2024 is off to a fast start with hopes of a less deadly year after a record- breaking murder boom of 73 homicides in Seattle. Several newly sworn-in city council members vow to focus on public safety. The Spotlight looks at crime-fighting in the year ahead and shares several unsolved cases carried over from 2023.
The Spotlight: Where is Oakley Carlson?
This month marked two years since 5-year-old Oakley Carlson was reported missing in Grays Harbor County. Her biological parents continue to refuse to cooperate with detectives trying to find her. Her mom, Jordan Bowers, is in prison after being convicted of identity theft. Her dad, Andrew Carlson, is living in Wenatchee. Meanwhile, detectives are following up on every lead and continue to ask for the public's help to answer the question, where is Oakley Carlson?
The Spotlight: Careaga murder suspects now on trial
The trial for the three suspects, including two members of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club, accused in a quadruple murder of the Careaga family in Kitsap County is now underway. The Spotlight takes you back to the day the accused killers were finally arrested with an exclusive in-depth look at the case that started in 2017 with a heartbreaking call to 911 and a horrific discovery.
The Spotlight: Whistleblowers call JBLM's police system broken
In a video that sent shockwaves through Joint Base Lewis McChord, a civilian police officer is seen trying to get a DNA swab from a female solider. When she refuses, things spiral quickly. Whistleblowers tell The Spotlight that the incident was quickly swept under the rug. The officer didn't face punishment and is now in training to work for the Department of Homeland Security.
The Spotlight: Tacoma Police target crime on one of city's most infamous streets
Tacoma Police are preparing to target crime on one of the city's most infamous streets. Officers have already begun working on the 'Mid-Term Strategy' focusing on the area between 8810 and 8820 S. Hosmer St. It's the next step in Tacoma Police Chief Avery Moore's Violent Crime Reduction Plan that the department says led to a 17.5% decrease in violent street crime incidents in the first year. A stretch of Hosmer has long been home to shootings, drugs and murder. One particular hotel stood out as a haven for violence. Now, The Spotlight shows how that former crime den has found new life as place for families to call home.
The Spotlight: Witness to a Crime
The unsolved murder of a father of two in the vibrant small town of Ravensdale in King County has rocked the community. Now, Nick Valison's widow is sharing his heroic story wtih The Spotlight in hopes it will help detectives catch the killers. Tanie Valison says her husband waved off another neighbor when he went to check on a large U-Haul box truck parked suspiciously on a path in the woods. He was violently attacked and killed. Plus, more victims shot in road rage shootings reaching unprecedented levels in Western Washington.
The Spotlight: Students repeatedly being robbed in North Seattle
The number of reported robberies in Seattle is tracking lower so far in 2023 with 1,194 reported so far. That compares to 1,758 robberies in all of 2022. That's little comfort though to the families of students being robbed repeatedly in North Seattle. The Spotlight reports some parents are taking matters into their own hands. Meanwhile, Seattle Police work to see if the same suspects are also committing takeover style armed robberies at convenience stores and in other parts of the city.
Justice for Tony: Search for hit-and-run driver
Detectives say the driver hit 60-year-old Tony Ridgeway on Aug. 4 at N 145th St and Linden Ave N and sped away eastbound. A second vehicle, that has already been located, also hit him and didn’t stop. The King County Medical Examiner determined the father of three died from blunt force trauma and crushing injuries.
The Spotlight: Can AI help curb Seattle's gun violence epidemic
Between 2019 and 2023, Seattle has seen a 120% increase in shootings. The Spotlight examines whether artificial intelligence can help curb the city's epidemic of gun violence. Mayor Bruce Harrell thinks so. He's trying for a second time to get budget approval from the city council to mount acoustic gunshot detectors around Seattle. The tech is called ShotSpotter. It's being used in more than 150 cities nationwide but not here even though the CEO of the company that makes it, SoundThinking, lives in the Central District. Ralph Clark says the sensors alert officers to the exact location of the gunfire within 45 seconds of detecting the shots. "In getting officers to the scene very quickly, they are more apt to save lives and recover physical forensic evidence," said Clark. However, ShotSpotter is not without critics like the ACLU that claims it endangers privacy.
The Spotlight: Jail vs. treatment for repeat drug offenders
In the continuing debate over jail versus treatment for repeat drug offenders causing chaos in communities, The Spotlight shows how one city is cracking down. Marysville has a new three strikes mandate. Anyone convicted of using drugs in public three separate times will spend 30 days in jail.
The Spotlight: 2 sheriffs draw attention to recent court decisions by judges, court commissioners
Two local Sheriffs are taking to social media to draw attention to recent decisions by judges and court commissioners to release dangerous suspects from custody. They say it's not to undermine the justice system but to protect their deputies and the public. The Spotlight shows surveillance video of two recent arrests supporting their argument that releasing suspects with no bail or low bail is putting the safety of the community in jeopardy. In one of them, a bench warrant has been issued in Pierce County for the arrest once again of Yessica Meraz Carmona after she was released from jail on her own recognizance and then failed to report to pre-trial services as ordered. The 27-year-old is wanted for two counts of Assault in the 2nd Degree, Theft of motor vehicle, attempting to elude and unlawful possession of stolen vehicle.
The Spotlight: Prosecutors call domestic violence case sadistic
October is Domestic Violence Action Month and The Spotlight is highlighting a case prosecutors call sadistic. An Everett man embarked on an unrelenting campaign of abuse against his ex-wife. His goal was to get her to kill herself. After hearing the case, the judge decided her ex-husband deserved a more severe punishment.
The Spotlight: Exclusive video shows arrest of gang member accused of killing young teen at bus stop
This week on The Spotlight, an urgent plea for your help to catch a wanted sex offender accused of trying to carjack drivers on I-5. Plus, gang violence in Everett claims the life of a young teen shot to death at a bus stop. See the exclusive video as officers arrest the suspected shooter inside a marijuana shop and find him armed with a handgun.
Misdiagnosis in child abuse case kept mom from her baby for months; judge says DCYF delayed second opinion
A baby boy is rushed to the hospital with multiple broken bones. Pediatricians say it's child abuse, but his mother insists they are wrong. State law says she was entitled to a second opinion, but state officials took custody of her baby without one: "I missed all the milestones."
The Spotlight: Hidden horrors of sex trafficking
In this week's episode of The Spotlight, we are exposing some of the hidden horrors of sex trafficking in Washington state. Bellevue police recently busted a sex offender who they say was running a brothel out of his rental home in Maple Valley. Investigators say Tony Eldridge used two web sites to advertise sex with women - one of them was a 15-year-old girl from Tacoma.