Washington transportation crew clears Seattle homeless encampment after arrests connected to rock-throwing

On Tuesday afternoon, government transport workers notified a homeless camp overlooking Interstate 90 near Rainier Avenue that residents would be forced to vacate their tents and belongings because the camp had been linked to someone who Throwing stones at cars by the flyover.

Hours later, Seattle police arrested a 41-year-old man on charges of pelting stones and debris on seven cars on the freeway near the camp.

At 9 a.m. on Thursday – less than 48 hours later – crews showed up to evacuate the camp and said it was still a hazard.

About 10 people lived in the camp, according to community members and protesters who came to help. Most left quickly and without resistance. According to U.S. Department of Transportation spokesman Bart Treece, there was only one person left by Thursday afternoon.

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As of last week, State Troopers said they had responded to 161 stone throwing reports in King County in 2021. Of those, 44 concerned someone throwing debris from an overpass while 117 related to debris being thrown from the side of the freeway, a state patrol said.

In an incident in June, a driver on I-90 was severely cut on the face.

Several incidents occurred near the camp at the Benvenuto Viewpoint. Seattle police also arrested a 39-year-old man at the camp last week on suspicion of throwing objects on the freeway, according to a statement from Seattle police.

That prompted state DOT officials to ask soldiers to investigate the area, Treece said. The State Patrol ruled the camp posed a safety risk to travelers, enough to evacuate without notifying the camp 72 hours in advance, as Seattle and the transportation department usually do.

“We’re not saying that everyone who lived in this camp threw stones,” said Treece. “All in all, it’s just not a good situation … the area needs to be secured.”

One person from the camp declined to comment.

Jackson Lamp, who lives near the lookout, said he saw trash in the park but wasn’t worried about the camp’s residents.

“For me personally, I didn’t feel particularly unsafe,” said Lamp. “There were definitely some neighbors in the area who felt unsafe, especially those next door who have young children.”

About a dozen activists showed up early Thursday to protest the eviction, saying the only solution to clearing the camps was to provide shelter. Parishioners also distributed food and water and helped move the belongings of people who left the camp.

According to city spokesman Kevin Mundt, the Seattle area emergency services visited the camp on Wednesday and referred a person to a shelter. Outreach workers were also present during the eviction Thursday morning and offered shelter to 10 people, but no one left, Mundt said.

State transportation officials plan to install large boulders on the concrete pillars facing I-90 where the camp was located to prevent people from entering the area, Treece said. The process will take about a week.