A Saturday call about a man assaulting a bicyclist in Aberdeen spiraled, ending in one police officer being kicked in the face, one victim transported for injuries, two police cars requiring decontamination, one vehicle window headbutted out, and the suspect suffering from two separate self-inflicted lacerations on top of a truly determined blood alcohol content.
The incident began when the Aberdeen Police Department received a call from a passerby at 7:01 p.m. that a man, identified as Kyle Mahan, 30, was assaulting a bicyclist, a 59-year-old Hoquiam man, on the 1400 block of Sumner Avenue, near Westside Pizza, said Lt. Dave Cox of the APD.
“The suspect flagged him over, got him to stop, and assaulted him with no provocation,” Cox said in an interview. “Citizens saw the guy on the bicycle being assaulted by the 30-year-old Aberdeen man. The citizens actually separated the two.”
Police responded quickly to the call, Snodgrass said.
“We were on scene in just under two minutes,” Snodgrass said. “It’s not something we deal with all the time. But it’s not the first time either.”
After speaking with witnesses, officers made the decision to arrest Mahan on fourth-degree assault charges. Mahan had already cut open his hand on the bottle of vodka he was drinking, identified as Grey Goose, and as officers attempted to put him in the patrol vehicle, he managed to kick one of the officers in the face. Cox said, before he was taken to the station for processing and medical treatment.
“(The Aberdeen Fire Department) responded to bandage his hands up,” Cox said. “The victim of the assault went up to Harbor Regional (Health) for care.”
Upon testing Mahan’s blood alcohol level, officers found he considerably was above the .25 BAC where department policy requires higher medical clearance, Snodgrass said.
“We have a policy about alcohol level,” Cox said. “Because of his level of intoxication the suspect was transported to the hospital.”
The suspect was taken to Harbor Regional Health for evaluation for his substantial BAC, Cox said. Upon being released, while walking back to the squad car, Mahan headbutted directly through one of the vehicle’s windows.
“Once he was released from there they were walking him to the patrol car and he put his head through the window,” Cox said. “We took him back to the hospital for additional care.”
Mahan’s head was lacerated from the headbutt, Cox said. The department followed their protocols for exposure to the possible biohazard of the suspect’s blood, Snodgrass said.
“Aberdeen officers sustained a kick to the face and had exposure protocols from the blood,” Snodgrass said. “We had to take two cars out of the fleet to get decontaminated.”
The victim was evaluated and released from the hospital, Cox said. Mahan was booked into the city jail that day for 3rd-degree assault, 4th-degree assault, 1st-degree malicious mischief and resisting arrest, according to the news release. He has since been released as the case goes to municipal court.
Mahan offered no explanation as to his reason for assaulting the bicyclist to police, Cox said.