Homeless suspect in fatal stabbing of Seattle bus driver arrested

According to SPD, officers were flagged down by a King County Metro driver near 3rd Avenue South and South Main Street, who believed 53-year-old Richard Sitzlack was on board.

Police found the homeless transient asleep in the back of the bus. Additional patrol officers were dispatched to the area and he was arrested at 4:51 am.

Police transported Sitzlack to Seattle Police Headquarters where Homicide Unit detectives interviewed him. Saturday afternoon, a judge found probable cause for Murder in the Second Degree with a Deadly Weapon and Assault in the Third Degree for Sitzlack in the fatal stabbing investigation of 59-year-old Metro bus driver Shawn Yim. Sitzlack is currently detained in the King County Jail.

According to the King County Prosecutor, he could have another court appearance as early as Monday morning.

Court documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI reveal that video footage captured on King County Metro Bus #7011, route 70, and from a nearby Wells Fargo security cameras (4100 University Way NE) showed Sitzlack board the bus at 15 Ave NE and NE 43rd St at 2:49 am on Wednesday wearing a dark colored coat, with a dark colored hooded sweatshirt underneath, camouflage cargo pants, dark sneakers with white soles, a black knit skull hat, a backpack, dark colored earbuds with a cord, glasses, and a bright yellow Seattle Sounders rain poncho.

The suspect sat two seats back from the handicapped seats on the right side of the bus and began arguing with the bus driver, victim Shawn Yim, about an open window on the bus. Yim parked the bus at the intersection of 15 Ave NE and NE 41st St after the suspect had closed the window and Yim stated that the window needed to remain open to prevent the window from fogging up. The driver then re-opened the window and the suspect was arguing with the driver about being cold and “speaking disparagingly about him.”

Yim told the suspect that he would not drive him anymore and needed to exit the bus. At 2:53 am, the suspect approached Yim, pepper-sprayed him in the face, and then exited the bus. Yim followed the suspect off the bus, appearing to almost fall out of the door. The suspect continued to pepper spray Yim outside of the bus, at a very close distance. The suspect can be seen to wind up and deliver a hard kick to Yim as he falls, right between his legs then the two stumbled out of sight of the metro bus cameras.

Video from the Wells Fargo at 4100 University Ave NE shows the suspect walking northbound on University Way NE in front of the business, with Yim following him at a short distance. Video recovered from Shultzy's Bar & Grill at 4114 University Wy NE showed Yim carrying a phone in his left hand as if he was talking on a speaker phone.

In the parking lot of the Wells Fargo at approximately 2:53 am the suspect is seen walking quickly/running back towards Yim, who appears to initially back up when the suspect runs at him. Subsequently, there is a physical altercation between the two before Yim is seen falling to the ground at about 2:54 am. The suspect is seen standing over Yim and when Yim attempts to get up, the suspect pushes him back to the ground. There is another altercation on the ground between Yim and the suspect before the suspect walks off westbound towards University Way NE.

A witness identified as DTJ, is seen entering the camera view and finds Yim on the ground. Seattle PD Homicide/CSI detectives responded to the location and processed the scene. A knife sheath was located on the sidewalk, and a fixed-blade knife was later located in a garbage can half a block north of the knife sheath, on the east side of University Way NE with blood on it.

A second person, whose identity is being protected, was located on the scene who had witnessed the incident on the bus and called 911 for Yim. DTJ also witnessed the altercation on the bus and called 911 when the driver got pepper-sprayed and yelled “Call 911.”

DTJ reported that he eventually located the bus driver motionless on the ground, against the Wells Fargo building, and stated that Yim’s eyes and mouth were open and that he did not respond to him. DTJ can be heard on the video saying “Oh my god he’s on the floor…he’s on the floor” when he located Yim on the ground. DTJ asked Yim twice if he was alright, but did not receive a reply, and a few moments later said “Oh sh*t…I think he’s dead.”

DTJ told police he assisted the homeless in SHARE/WHEEL Tent City #3 at 4514 15th Ave NE and that he remembered the suspect had applied for shelter and been granted temporary shelter in the community tent while they waited for an opening for a private tent. DTJ added that the suspect had informed them he was staying at Tent City #4 but was having an ongoing issue with another male at that location, who also arrived later that day to apply for shelter. This upset the suspect and so the suspect left the same day he arrived.

Sitzlack has a history of prior arrests and convictions for violent crimes and last year was arrested on felony homicide charges for the fatal stabbing of his roommate. Prosecutors found probable cause to hold him behind bars, but because Seattle homicide detectives failed to file a rush charging decision. Sitzlack was released by Judge Rebecca Roberston 72 hours later.

Investigators have been unable to find direct proof that Sitzlack was not acting in self-defense, therefore, he has not yet been charged with murder in that case. However, the case remains open and Siztlack had previously been convicted of assault and unlawful use of a weapon to intimidate another following a 2012 incident in King County.

Stevon Williams, another Metro bus driver, told KOMO News on Friday "We are scared - it could have been any one of us. He’s doing a public service. He didn’t sign up for a war zone. He’s driving a bus.”

He added, “The ones who are starting the trouble are the ones who don’t pay. I’m not saying the drivers should enforce the fare, but they need to come up with a way to enforce the fare.”

“It is dangerous - these people are high, some of them have emotional problems, they’re jumping on with stolen goods going to sell them for drugs, then jump back on the bus high with paraphernalia in their hand," Williams continued.

The fatal stabbing occurred less than 48 hours after Metro announced the closure of several bus stops in the Chinatown International District due to safety concerns for drivers and riders. There has been an increase of over 80 percent in attacks on transit drivers and a more than 53 percent increase in passenger assaults on Seattle's light rail since 2023.