Charges in Seattle Hate Crime Case

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged three people accused of a hate crime earlier this year outside a nightclub in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

King County prosecutors asked the Court to order the defendants — ages 24, 19, and 17 — to have no contact with the nightclub where the incident happened and to have no contact with a victim who was hit with gel water pellets. The KCPAO also asked for no-contact with co-defendants. Those were ordered by the Court.

These cases were referred by police to prosecutors when the three defendants were out of custody. The cases were filed with a court summons.

What are some stats involving hate crimes in King County?

Cases involving anti-race/ethnicity are the cases most commonly referred by police and charged in King County. Cases involving anti-sexual orientation and anti-gender/gender expression are the second most common types of hate crime cases here. Both anti-race and anti-sexual orientation cases saw an increase during the pandemic. The referred numbers are lesser now, but we also know that hate crimes are underreported by survivors who may not know what they faced was actually a crime.

• In 2024, there were 4 cases involving anti-sexual orientation hate crimes referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and charged. There were another 3 cases involving anti-gender or gender expression.
• In 2023, there were 6 cases involving anti-sexual orientation hate crimes referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and charged. There were another 3 cases involving anti-gender or gender expression.
• In 2022, there were 6 cases involving anti-sexual orientation hate crimes referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and charged. There were another 3 cases involving anti-gender or gender expression.
• In 2021, there were 9 cases involving anti-sexual orientation hate crimes referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and charged. There were another 2 cases involving anti-gender or gender expression.
• In 2020, there were 14 cases involving anti-sexual orientation hate crimes referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and charged. There were another 10 cases involving anti-gender or gender expression.
• In 2019, there were 7 cases involving anti-sexual orientation hate crimes referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and charged. There were another 5 cases involving anti-gender or gender expression.

Since 2018, there have been 355 hate crime charges (all types) referred by police investigators and charged by the KCPAO.

In addition to charging cases, what else is the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office doing to address hate crimes?

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion is working to bring greater accountability for hate crimes this legislative session with HB 1052.

This legislation would allow prosecutors statewide to charge hate crimes motivated “in whole or in part” because of the defendant’s perception of the victim’s “race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, or mental, physical, or sensory disability.” In doing so, this bill will provide important clarity to RCW 9A.36.080. You can watch Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Hate Crimes, Yessenia Manzo, testify on this bill at the 24:00 minute mark of this link: https://tvw.org/video/house-community-safety-2025011176/?eventID=2025011176.

“When there is evidence to show that people were victimized by a hate crime — in whole or in part because of a defendant’s bias — those perpetrators must be held accountable. Prosecutors need this legal fix to ensure that happens,” King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said. “I appreciate the leadership of Rep. Cindy Ryu and Sen. Manka Dhingra to hold people accountable when they act out from a place of hate.”