Deputy Cleared In Tire Slashing To Stop Suspect

Former King County sheriff's deputy Darrell Seyler thought he was doing the right thing when he ran into a 19-year-old man he'd previously tried to arrest.

Seyler, 33, was on duty in Burien in November when he heard Ryan Michael Hell was being sought on an outstanding felony warrant.

When Seyler arrived at the home of the man's mother, Hell fled yet again, eluding deputies, a police dog, and a helicopter.

The only thing going through Seyler's mind as he buried a pocketknife into each tire of Hell's girlfriend's car was that he was protecting the community from a man who had been involved in high-speed chases.

But a week later, Seyler was put on administrative leave, and within two months, Sheriff Dave Reichert fired him. A few days later, Seyler learned he was being charged with malicious mischief.

Yesterday, a King County jury acquitted Seyler of the charge. Now, he wants one more thing: his job back.

"If I was a normal citizen, I could understand, but I was in pursuit of a dangerous felon who was a danger to the community," Seyler said.

Reichert could not be reached for comment this morning, but Deputy Prosecutor Peter Meyers said he had no regrets. "It was our position that this was not a necessary act in the course of what he was doing that night," Meyers said.

The case began Nov. 4, when Seyler got word over his scanner that Hell was at his mother's home in Burien. A dispatcher said Hell was wanted on a felony warrant.

Seyler and five other deputies arrived with a police dog, planning to knock and wait for Hell to run out the back.

"But the police dog was kind of new, and he just sat there, watching the suspect jump over a fence," Seyler said. A helicopter was called in, but it was no use.

So Seyler punctured all four tires. "My biggest fear was that he would get in that car and create a pursuit," Seyler said.

By 1 the next morning, Hell's mother reported the slashing to police, and an internal police investigation began. By Nov. 12, Seyler was put on leave. On Jan. 20, Reichert fired him.

Hell is now in the King County Regional Justice Center in Kent, where he is being held on allegations unrelated to the November incident.

Seyler now awaits an arbitration hearing to determine if he gets his job back.