A 23-year-old Renton man pleaded not guilty Monday to third-degree assault for reportedly punching and head butting a Seattle Police detective outside a courtroom Jan. 14 at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
King County prosecutors charged Aydriane Holloway last week. He is scheduled to return to court Feb. 11 when a trial date could be set or attorneys could ask for more time to prepare the case, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Holloway was booked Jan. 14 into the city jail and released Jan. 15 on bail. Bail was set at $20,000.
The incident started outside of a third-floor courtroom during recess of a criminal trial stemming from a 2012 drive-by shooting in Seattle.
A Seattle gang detective was in the courtroom at the trial involving several gang members, according to probable cause documents. The detective knew about threats that had been made to the victim and witnesses by associates of the defendant. The detective said he observed Holloway angrily staring at the victim in the courtroom. The detective told the man he needed to stop staring.
“The defendant brazenly assaulted a police officer in the middle of the courthouse,” wrote deputy prosecutor Karissa Taylor in the charging papers. “During the struggle, a deputy prosecutor came to the aid of the officer and was kicked, and his suit jacket ripped.”
Taylor wrote that Holloway and a friend were in court to attend the drive-by shooting trial of Robert Isabel, a confirmed Deuce 8 gang member.
“The victims of Robert Isabel’s trial were sitting in the rotunda getting ready to testify when Holloway began ‘chipping’ at them about cooperating,” Taylor wrote. “Holloway knows what the victims and witnesses in the Isabel trial look like, and given that those same individuals are also witnesses to his own charge, the state believes Holloway will interfere or attempt to interfere with their cooperation.”
Holloway is accused of yelling at another man outside the courtroom when the detective stepped in to stop the conflict and put a hand on Holloway’s chest. Holloway reportedly reached up with both hands and grabbed the detective’s shirt collar, turning his hands inward as if to strangle him. He then pushed the detective backwards.
The Renton man and the detective exchanged punches and head butted each other. Holloway also bit the detective on his forearm. The detective then struck the man twice in the back of the head to get him to release the bite. Court security then helped the detective handcuff the man.
No one suffered serious injuries during the fight.
Kent Police arrested Holloway for investigation of third-degree assault. Holloway told police a guy in a suit pushed him in the chest. He said when he reached behind to pull his pants up, the man grabbed his arm. He said he tried to push him away when the guy said, “I’m the police.” Holloway said the detective then started hitting him and head butted him and he head butted back before others tackled him and he got handcuffed.
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