Student: UW police refused to help after near-campus attack
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SEATTLE -- A University of Washington student says campus police would not help him when someone attacked him near campus.
Matt Calantas says campus police would only say the scene of the incident -- an intersection surrounded by buildings tied to the university -- is outside their jurisdiction.
Calantas says trouble started when he gave his horn a quick honk to alert a jaywalker near the campus. The honk apparently set off the man, who, according to Calantas, then "kicked my driver's side mirror."
The UW senior pulled over to call 911 and track the jaywalker on foot.
"I had no intention of confronting him; I just wanted to give the police an idea of where he was at," he said.
A dispatcher told Calantas Seattle police would respond, but officers were tied up with other calls.
Calantas decided to keep following the man, who attacked Calantas with pepper spray moments later.
"The mace got all across the side of my head," he said.
An hour later, Calantas was still waiting for Seattle police to arrive when he saw several campus police officers driving by on patrol.
Flagging them down didn't work, so Calantas' girlfriend called campus police.
"And the operator, all he could tell me was, 'Oh, I can transfer you to SPD because it's out of our jurisdiction,'" said Andriela Gaerlan.
UW police told KOMO News their primary jurisdiction is the campus, but the department does respond outside its jurisdiction when people or property are in danger.
A UW police spokesman said officers were in the area to search for the suspect, who ultimately got away. But no one contacted the victim.
Calantas and his girlfriend say it seemed like they were left on their own.
"I just didn't feel safe," said Gaerlan.
"More people should be aware that that's how that's happening. That's how UWPD deals with things, and that needs to change," Calentas.
It is unclear what other calls campus police may have been responding to at the time, but a Seattle officer did eventually show up and take a report.
Calantas says he is worried about the next near-campus crime victim who may need help.
Matt Calantas says campus police would only say the scene of the incident -- an intersection surrounded by buildings tied to the university -- is outside their jurisdiction.
Calantas says trouble started when he gave his horn a quick honk to alert a jaywalker near the campus. The honk apparently set off the man, who, according to Calantas, then "kicked my driver's side mirror."
The UW senior pulled over to call 911 and track the jaywalker on foot.
"I had no intention of confronting him; I just wanted to give the police an idea of where he was at," he said.
A dispatcher told Calantas Seattle police would respond, but officers were tied up with other calls.
Calantas decided to keep following the man, who attacked Calantas with pepper spray moments later.
"The mace got all across the side of my head," he said.
An hour later, Calantas was still waiting for Seattle police to arrive when he saw several campus police officers driving by on patrol.
Flagging them down didn't work, so Calantas' girlfriend called campus police.
"And the operator, all he could tell me was, 'Oh, I can transfer you to SPD because it's out of our jurisdiction,'" said Andriela Gaerlan.
UW police told KOMO News their primary jurisdiction is the campus, but the department does respond outside its jurisdiction when people or property are in danger.
A UW police spokesman said officers were in the area to search for the suspect, who ultimately got away. But no one contacted the victim.
Calantas and his girlfriend say it seemed like they were left on their own.
"I just didn't feel safe," said Gaerlan.
"More people should be aware that that's how that's happening. That's how UWPD deals with things, and that needs to change," Calentas.
It is unclear what other calls campus police may have been responding to at the time, but a Seattle officer did eventually show up and take a report.
Calantas says he is worried about the next near-campus crime victim who may need help.
UWPD niceeee
What most people don't realize is that cops have NO duty to protect you. The supreme court has said this several times. The only ones we should rely on for protection from people is ourselves.Â
 @Scott Haha...Someone already tried justifying that below.
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See my comments below. Â
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(The funniest one is someone tried to being a DC case - only relevant in the Washington DC area- as applicable in the State of Washington.  Somehow Seattle turned into Washington DC overnight.)
 @sabbametta Slept through Government in school, eh?
 @sabbametta  @Scott Supreme Court decisions override anything the state says, courts and all. It's where cases are appealed ABOVE the state level, and it applies to all 50 states and the district of columbia.
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The ONLY person responsible for your safety, is you.
 @sabbametta You don't really understand how the supreme court works do you?
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Yes, this particular case was in DC but the decision of the court is applicable to the entire country, just like any other case such as Heller, Roe V. Wade, McDonald..
Calantas is a cancer survivor, comes from the foster home system, and is the lead singer in his band's Christian rap group. Dont give him anymore grief guys. He is a model citizen. If you want to confront him and tell him how its his fault, look for him on the streets passing out blankets to Seattle's homeless population. You people have no idea.
 @JesusWasBlack Even good people make bad decisions.
Haters gon hate.Â
 @JesusWasBlack Really? Nothing more original than that?
...says someone who wasnt in the situation. HATERS GON HATE!
 @sabbametta Why yes, I have dealt with insurance companies on several occasions. Never have they raised my rates because of what someone else did to my car. Sure, dealing with insurance is a pain, but so is dealing with a funeral home.
 @Bornhere  @JesusWasBlack Oh please, have you dealt with insurance companies?  I have. Most companies will find ways to justify raising the premium, even if it wasn't his fault for the damage. Â
 @JesusWasBlack Where am I hating? The ONLY point I have been trying to get across is that he risked throwing away his birthday and his surviving cancer by following someone who is obviously agitated and unstable. Since everyone carries a cellphone today, better would have been to photograph/video the person at a distance and provide that information to police. The rest insurance can cover. He is doing good things with his life. Hopefully he doesn't throw it away in the future over a mirror.
Perfect example of how useless your safety is if you rely on cops! This explains the exact problem with gun control, cops never make it to the scene of a crime until after the victim has been victimized and then you are still lucky if they ever catch the crook.Â
Shoot first call for clean up later cops are a prop for the governmant to show false control and safety.
They didn't "feel safe" ... probably best to stop following folks then. It would be interesting to know if the "quick honk" was truly one of courtesy or one of a bit more aggressive nature. The problem that I see is that the "victim(s)" may have put themselves in harm's way had the situation escalated. Taking a description of the man, filing a police report and then calling his insurance company would have been a much better choice than risking confrontation with someone you know nothing about.
 @Old.45 Stop talking.
 @Old.45 I think you missed the point.  They didn't "feel safe" since UWPD was just right there.  No one came over when a student requested help.  And I do believe their story. Â
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UWPD since the UW President's message has not increased visible patrols to deter these mentally ill from campus premises. What do they do?  They get "security guards" inside Toyota Prius (labeled with ONLY "University of Washington) as an alternative to deter these mentally ill individuals.  It would have been nicer if they have Toyota Prius with UW SECURITY on it, as a deterrence factor. But instead, it looks like any normal Toyota Prius on city streets.Â
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As for the confrontation part, yes, the risk of getting hurt is high in the U-District.  But I am sick and tried of allowing these individuals rob, assault and harass UW students - as if, we can be easily messed with...  Students should be allowed to call out/stand up for their rights to peacefully exist in Seattle.
"When seconds count, the police are only minutes away..."
Must be a slow news night for "cop bashing" journalism. It was handled as it would be in any other City. If his personal safety was actively in danger, then any Police Officer commissioned by the State of Washington would be impelled to act. However, the circumstances in this incident was property damage with no suspect present. Now, it becomes simply a "paper" call that needs to be addressed by the jurisdictional agency.
PS, following someone and getting pepper sprayed by them may be viewed as self defense on the part of the individual being followed. So there is more to sort out here about choices and actions.Â
 @Citizen#3457899654 After they broke your car? Sorry, once you bust up my car you have lost your "self defense" argument.
 @sometimesright Do you work for the King County Prosecutors Office? I doubt it. Its still legally shaky ground to follow someone.Â
 @sabbametta Let's take this a notch further then. Lets say for the sake of argument, that the drivers had to end up using lethal force to protect himself after he followed the guy who kicked his mirror. What do you think the grand Jury would say in that case? A prosecutor will have a field day with that one, and a jury would likely return a wrongful death verdict because the threat had left the scene, and the driver got out and followed. Everone deserves a life lesson. Some learn from it. Some don't.
 @Bornhere Huh?  The story goes: "Guy kicks mirror of victim's car until it's broken. Victim follows the guy. Victim gets pepper sprayed."  So, you are saying Calantas deserved the pepper sprayed because the guy kicked his window, as a violent contact?  I am assuming you aren't in the legal field. -_-Â
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LOL, you made my morning...
 @sabbametta In Calanta's case, there was prior violent contact at the vehicle.
 @Bornhere 1) RCW 9A.16.110(1) made it clear that self-defense can only be used in "violent situations."  Harassing the person is not considered violent in the State of Washington.  Unless Calantas was shouting "I'm going to find you and kick you a**," you cannot pepper spray someone for taunting. Â
2) Just yesterday, a shooting occurred in Chehalis where the homeowner felt threatened when the intruder entered the home.  Note the word: "threatened" Â
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So, unless Calantas shouted "I'm going F' you up" or made other physical threats while following this perp after the commission of the original crime, the perp could NOT legally use his pepper spray.  Calantas does have a right to follow the perp.Â
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Use this logic, about two days ago, a woman was almost raped by a man in Greenlake. Â A bicyclist "followed" the rapist into the residential area of Greenlake. So, it is legally shaky for the bicyclist to "follow" someone? haha...
 @sabbametta Ah, past cases. Please cite.
 @Citizen#3457899654  @sometimesright Oh. Harassing someone without physically threatening them does not permit the "guy" who kicked the mirror to pepper spray the "victim."  The "guy" should have called the police, not pepper spray.Â
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No one needs to work for King County Prosecutors Office to know that. Â It is laws found in the RCW and past cases...
 @Citizen#3457899654  @sometimesright You can follow someone.  But unless threatening moves were made as in running up with fists up ready to punch the guy, pepper spray is a form of assault.Â
More people should be aware that that's how that's happening. That's how UWPD deals with things, and that needs to change," Calentas.Â
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OR, he needs to read the operations rules that the City of Seattle have for SPD and the State for UWPD. At present, there is more joint cooperation than at any previous time between SPD and UWPD but what this guy had was not a situation of being in direct danger so the rules were followed for those circumstances. These rules go back a very long time.Â
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So it appears an area check was done but he was not contacted. He should contact the UWPD and ask for an opportunity to sit down one on one and discuss this. Its happened to me with both agencies a couple of times. But this was a not a major incident. And stating that UWPD will flatly not assist anyone off campus is inaccurate. I've flagged them down twice and they have stopped and talked with me both times.Â
All this guy had to do was pull his gun out and fire it in the air a couple times, probably would of stoped the mace attack, HEY I BET THE POILICE WOULDA CAME PRETTY FAST THEN TO:)
 @Jimzy Then he could have been arrested for unlawful discharge of a firearm. Brilliant suggestion!
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Trollin, Trollin, Trollin... keep those comments trollin. Yee-ha!
When I was the victim of a felony assault it took north precinct an hour to dispatch an officer to the scene. When I was the victim of property theft in the north precinct, I was following the suspects on foot and the police dispatcher told me to stop in case they had a weapon. My reply was "that doesn't concern me" and facing a possible armed incident officers arrived in 5 minutes or so.
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The police can't be everywhere at once. If they have other higher priorities they may go to them first. If they are far away or short staffed, they may take their time. For any number of reasons, they may not show up at all.
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As upheld in several Supreme, Appellate, and lower court rulings, the police have NO legal duty to protect you. Don't believe me? Look up Castle Rock vs Gonzales, Warren vs District of Columbia, or go try to sue the police as a victim. In reality, the local PD may make a good effort to try to help, or they may not. You can't really do anything about it other than political pressure which isn't likely to achieve much.
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Instead you can take responsibility for you. You can take a defense course, train physically, arm yourself, or stop honking at jaywalkers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting this student should have shot the suspect. However, clearly he wasn't prepared to do anything if the guy starting beating him up after hitting him with the pepper spray. It looks like this student might have learned a lesson or two out of this but I don't know why he would let the news print his name and photo as a victim...
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""I just didn't feel safe," said Gaerlan."   ~ Over a car getting kicked and pepper spray after the guy ran away? Now imagine yourself after getting assaulted by 5 strangers on the street, beat to a pulp, and robbed. Or deliberately run down by a drunk in his car. Or had a gun fired over your head by street punks. This is why good people deserve the right to own the tools to protect themselves. The police can't be there 100% of the time and you can't hold them accountable.
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 @Root Please Oh Please, Castle Rock vs Gonzales is about the enforceable of restraining orders in state law.  There was not enough probable cause for the police to take any actions in that case.  As anyone in the legal field knows restraining orders can be thought as just a piece of document "warning" the perp again certain actions.  It only serves as an "intimidation factor" for wife-beaters or stalkers.  Nothing more. Did you even read through the entire opinion?Â
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And if I am not mistaken Warren vs District of Columbia is a State case.  It was tried and argued in DC. So, it has no weight in the State of Washington.Â
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Try again
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 @sabbametta Warren Vs District of Columbia was reviewed by the
US Supreme Court and it was let stand. That fact makes it just of the
many laws of the land that have been instigated by the courts verses
the legislature.
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 @sabbametta You should stop using Wikipedia for your legal education. See what happens?
 @Root Please According a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court, the police
are under NO OBLIGATION to respond to ANY calls.
The bottom line is that each, and everyone is responsible for their, and their family's
own safety.
@pete1427 @Root Please What is the name of the U.S. Supreme Court case? Don't write a bunch of BS on here, unless you can cite the case!
 @Bob "Warren Vs the District of Columbia (444 A.2d.1D.C.
Ct of Ap 1981)Â is an often cited District of Columbia Court of Appeals
case that held police do not have a duty to provide police services to
individuals, even if a dispatcher promises help to be on the way, except
when police develop a special duty to particular individuals"
(Note the D.C. Court of Appeals is the equivalent of a state supreme
court of appeals)
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This is just one case of several such cases cited by Wikipedia.
There are additional resources that one can find regarding
such cases via an internet search.
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The US Supreme let this decision and many other such decisions
regarding lack of police responses stand after reviewing them.
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One has to ask what it takes to qualify as a person to rate as one
of those "particular individuals". Must one be extremely rich, a
politician, or just one to warrant the "special duty" that is not available
to Jo, or Mary citizen
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As I stated the only person you can count on to protect ones self,
ones family, ones loved ones, and ones property is the person that
you see when you look into a mirror.
I think the key fact that everybody is forgetting is what the UWPD told KOMO news which is "UW police told KOMO News their primary jurisdiction is the campus, but the department does respond outside its jurisdiction when people or property are in danger." Even if it was out of their jurisdiction they failed to help a person who was in need of their help and even called out to them. Instead they used their "Jurisdiction" as a safety blanket to make sure that they wouldn't be held accountable for what went on. Either that or they just brushed the report off so they wouldn't have to deal with it. No matter what way you look at it they just brushed off the guy. It is almost like the ABC Nightline specials of "What would you do?" Pretty much they were the people who just walked by and watched it happened instead of intervening and being a good Samaritan or better yet doing their job.Â
 @BBT  According to the article, he guy pepper sprayed the victim. An hour later, the victim called out to the UWPD. He was in no danger at that time, and according to what they told KOMO later, they were looking for the guy. Just because they didn't make contact with the victim, who was in no danger at that time, doesn't mean they weren't doing anything. "The UW campus police will respond when people or property are in danger." This clearly wasn't the case at that time.
Some of these posts are disconcerting. Â Are you all really neglecting the fact that UWPD failed to respond effectively to an incident, involving a UW student especially, that occurred within their jurisdiction? Â Take notice of all the UW dorms shown when the victim describes the incident AND the NE Campus Parkway common grass median. Â All of these areas are listed under UWPD jurisdiction on their website. Â So they say there are other calls? Â What about the "several campus police officers driving by on patrol" the victim tried to flag down? Â Really now?Â
 @mr_burns  Read my reply to BBT above.
Chastising the UW Police is pointless. If you call in a person kicking your car, then follow them around waiting for the police to show up you have a lot to learn about priorities. You think because a police car (SPD, UW, whatever) drives by you they couldn't be on another call of higher priority? Should the dispatcher say, ok, we'll ask officer so-and so to not respond to that robbery call, rape call, or assault call so they can come see the damage on your car? People need to think beyond their own immediate troubles. Others could be in worse trouble than you are and there's only so many police to go around.
Thus the reason to arm yourself!
 @Joy Johnson What does this have to do with a UW student getting his property damaged, feeling unsafe, seeing several UWPD drive by, and STILL not getting a decent response? Â
When are people going to learn... Honking.........bad. Honking make Mongo mad......No honk at Mongo....get it?
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Sure it's sad when you think you are doing the right thing, but jaywalking or not, what was the honk for? To scare the crap out of the guy? To tell him he was in the wrong and the driver was in the right? Just slow down, let the guy pass, and move on. Anything else is just asking for trouble!!