Officer stabbed in face after suspect allegedly uses bogus 911 call to lure him, partner to transit hub
A police officer was stabbed in the face after a suspect allegedly used a bogus 911 call to lure him and his partner to a Washington transit center.
A man who allegedly ambushed two police officers after luring them to a transit center with a bogus 911 call has been charged, according to documents obtained by Fox News Digital that reveal new details about the attack.
The officer-involved shooting took place in downtown Bellevue, Washington, at around 12:25 p.m. Friday at the Bellevue Transit Center. Bellevue is a city located just east of Seattle.
The suspect, Mohamed Morray Bangura, 38, calmly spoke with the officers for several seconds, pretending to point out an argument he reported on 911, according to charging documents.
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Police tape surrounds the Bellevue Transit Center after an officer was stabbed during an ambush, shown here alongside an evidence photo of the knife prosecutors say the suspect used in the attack. (FOX 13/KCPQ; King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office)
That's when he allegedly suddenly unzipped his jacket pocket, pulled out a kitchen knife and lunged at one officer with an ice-pick-style stabbing motion.
When the officer dodged the blow, Bangura allegedly turned toward another officer and slashed the right side of his face. He then stabbed him twice more as the officer fell to the ground, according to charging documents.
The police officer suffered a six-inch facial laceration, a dislocated shoulder and a broken clavicle, the documents state.
The uninjured officer then fired six shots, striking Bangura three times in the arm, leg and hip before the officers were able to pull back, according to the documents.
Prosecutors have charged Bangura with assault in the first degree with a deadly-weapon enhancement and assault in the second degree with a deadly-weapon enhancement.
Charging documents list a Seattle address for Bangura. However, a prior police contact in September reported that he was found sleeping on the property of the First Congregational Church, located near the Bellevue Transit Center.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said the defendant "had animus towards an unrelated officer at Bellevue PD" after filing a complaint the day before the attack.
Investigators work outside the Bellevue Transit Center after police say a suspect stabbed an officer and was then shot by authorities. (FOX 13/KCPQ)
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Bangura had allegedly threatened a security guard after being asked to leave church property near the transit center and a police officer responded and filed a report indicating that Bangura had threatened the security officer. The officer told Bangura he would be referring harassment charges.
Prosecutors released this evidence photo of the knife allegedly used in the stabbing of a Bellevue police officer during Friday’s attack. (King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office)
Instead of letting that process play out, prosecutors said, Bangura "armed himself with a knife and assaulted two other innocent, unwitting officers who thought they were responding to a call of domestic violence," the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said.
Seconds before attempting to stab both officers, Bangura allegedly said, "Officer [X] put a false case on me," prosecutors said.
A Bellevue police officer secures crime scene tape near the transit center after an officer was stabbed during a reported ambush. (FOX 13/KCPQ)
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Prosecutors said the first-degree assault charge covers the stabbing of the Bellevue officer. The second-degree charge applies to the partner officer, who was attacked but not physically stabbed.
The accompanying officer is still considered a victim of second-degree assault because, under Washington law, physical contact or bodily injury is not required for an assault charge, prosecutors said.
Bangura will be arraigned on Thursday, Dec. 18, police said.
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