Around 3am Wednesday, tragedy struck in Seattle’s University District as King County Metro bus operator Shawn Yim died after sustaining multiple stab wounds, apparently in an altercation with passenger Richard Sitzlack. Authorities apprehended Sitzlack Saturday morning, King County Prosecutor spokesperson Casey McNerthney said.
“Richard Sitzlack, the 53-year-old arrested in the fatal stabbing investigation of Metro bus driver Shawn Yim, was booked into the King County Jail at 9:43am Saturday, according to the jail website,” McNerthney said in a release.
The Seattle Police Department reported that the killer fled the scene after a physical altercation with the driver at the intersection of 15th Avenue NE and NE 41st Street. “The driver walked a short distance from the bus and collapsed from his injuries,” the police blotter noted. Police described Sitzlack as a “transient” who “frequents the University District and Downtown Seattle.”
Yim’s family received an outpouring of support and condolences following the tragic news. The Seattle Transit Riders Union (TRU) is promoting a vigil put on by the bus operators union to honor the fallen driver at the scene of the crime.
“We were deeply saddened to learn of the fatal stabbing of King County Metro bus operator Shawn Yim earlier this week,” TRU wrote. “All are invited to join a vigil tonight, Saturday, 7pm at 15th Avenue NE and NE 41st Street in the U District, near where Yim died.”
The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 587 saw an outpouring of support as well, with leaders acknowledging the fear other bus drivers must feel and the pain in losing a friend and colleague.
“As the Transit Riders Union, today we stand in solidarity and community with our Metro operators,” TRU general secretary Katie Wilson said in a statement. “We are heartbroken at the loss of Shawn Yim and we share in the grief of his family, his union brothers and sisters in ATU 587, and the broader community. Shawn and all of our transit operators chose careers of public service, and they deserve to be safe and secure on the job.”
Wilson acknowledged the problem is multifaceted.
“We know that violence on our public transit system is part of a larger crisis of public disorder that has many elements: a fraying social fabric, untreated mental illness and drug addiction, housing insecurity and homelessness,” Wilson wrote. “And while extreme violence like this is rare and many thousands of people ride public transit every day without incident, a deadly assault on one of our transit operators is unacceptable. It’s all of our responsibility to do what we can to make our transit system and all of the public space in our city and county safer for everyone. Transit riders and operators alike deserve this, and we are committed to working with with ATU 587, our transit agencies, and our elected officials to do what we can to make our transit system free of violence.”
Absolutely terrible news: a King County Metro driver was stabbed to death early this morning in the U District after getting in an altercation with a passenger. The suspect is still at large. spdblotter.seattle.gov/2024/12/18/d…
— Ryan Packer (@typewriteralley.bsky.social) December 18, 2024 at 8:10 AM
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Mayor Bruce Harrell offered his condolence in a press release and pointed to planned investments in the new transportation levy augmenting security.
“The transportation levy passed by the voters includes a $9 million investment to boost transit safety measures, including personnel services like security officers in coordination with King County Metro and Sound Transit,” Harrell said. “I am grateful that King County Metro has more than doubled their Transit Security Officer presence over the last two years, and we know there is more work to do to ensure both passengers and operators are safe each and every day. The City will continue to work with partners towards solutions that enhance safety on transit for all.
Meanwhile, several Seattle councilmembers stressed existing initiatives that aim to curb violence.
“Since day one of taking office, we have been focused on improving public safety in Seattle. Part of this work includes transit security where we appropriated an additional $2 million in the recently adopted city budget,” Public Safety Chair Bob Kettle and Transportation Chair Rob Saka said in a joint statement. “The Transportation Committee has been, and will continue to be, laser-focused on investing in and strengthening regional transit security. We recognize that Seattle needs more police officers on our streets, and we’ll continue to do the work necessary to bolster our force.”
Councilmember Maritza Rivera represents Council District 4, where the stabbing occurred, said recent public safety legislation is already bearing fruit.
“Public safety has and continues to be a primary focus for me and this Council,” Councilmember Rivera said in a statement. “It is why my colleagues and I have passed almost a dozen pieces of public safety legislation in the last year, and why I supported Councilmember Saka adding funding for transit safety in the budget. And we are seeing some progress. The Seattle Police Department has been receiving the most applications to the force since 2019. More work needs to be done, and I will continue to partner with my colleagues.”
State and county legislators also pledged action as they shared their condolences.
Sen. Marko Liias (D-Edmonds), who chairs the senate transportation committee, pledged he’d advance “policies that strengthen safety and security on transit” in a press release.
“Transit workers are essential to keeping our communities connected, and their safety must be a top priority. This tragedy underscores the urgent need to make our public transit systems safer for both drivers and passengers,” Liias said. “In the upcoming legislative session, I’m committed to advancing policies that strengthen safety and security on transit. We owe Shawn Yim, his loved ones, and all those who serve our communities meaningful action to protect their safety. My deepest condolences go out to Shawn Yim’s family, friends, and coworkers during this incredibly difficult time.”
King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci announced a special meeting to review the issue.
“To ensure we are making progress on these and other public safety efforts immediately, I will be convening a special meeting of the King County Council’s Committee of the Whole on January 13 for a public report on findings and progress,” Balducci said in a statement. “We can and must do more to make our transit safe now.”
I was deeply moved to join the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) yesterday to remember King County Metro Transit Operator Shawn Yim. After listening carefully to our transit operators, I am committed to using all available tools to implement what we heard from ATU, as well as additional strategies >>>
— Claudia Balducci (@kccclaudia.bsky.social) December 19, 2024 at 3:46 PM
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Balducci noted she met with union members to hear their concerns and plot a way forward.
“Yesterday morning following this tragedy, I joined the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 587 to remember King County Metro Transit Operator Shawn Yim, extend our condolences to his loved ones including the Metro family, and commit ourselves – with renewed energy and purpose – to improving transit safety. […] After listening carefully to our transit operators, I am committed to using all available tools to implement what we heard from them, as well as additional strategies, including:
- Adding safety features to our coaches, such as dividers that provide protection like that on light rail trains.
- Adding additional police and security presence immediately and in the long term.
- Putting into action the recommendations that come out of my recently adopted budget request for Metro to report on performance targets for security incidents, strategies and projected timelines to meet those targets, and resources needed to do so.
- Working closely with labor representatives on immediate and longer-term actions, including (1) joining a regional task force on transit service and (2) adding a labor representative to King County’s Transportation Benefit District board as a nonvoting member so the voices and needs of our workforce are central in our planning and decision making.
- Identifying additional prevention, law enforcement, and criminal justice response strategies to deploy in the community at large that will in turn make it safer for riders both at bus stops and on transit.”
Balducci is running for King County Executive, a position that would have even more influence over transit security and other upstream policy interventions, following news that Executive Constantine is stepping aside after four terms.
Fellow Councilmember Girmay Zahilay is also running for that office. Zahilay issued his statement from the campaign side, noting transit security would be a theme of his administration, if elected.
“My heart goes out to the family of the bus operator who tragically lost their life today,” Zahilay said. “As a King County Councilmember, I will press for a full accounting of this horrific incident, demanding answers, accountability, and solutions to ensure all our bus drivers and transit riders are safe. As King County Executive, I will make public safety a top priority to ensure that all of our communities, including those who depend on public transit, are safe and secure.”
The campaign laid out a framework through which he would seek to prevent future tragedies. “If elected King County Executive, Zahilay outlined a comprehensive safety plan to prioritize public transit security:
- Partnering with Stakeholders: Collaborate with Metro leadership and staff, ATU Local 587, law enforcement agencies such as the King County Sheriff’s Office and Seattle Police Department, behavioral health specialists, and local elected officials to implement effective safety measures.
- Enhanced Safety Presence: Increase the presence of safety personnel, especially on high-traffic routes and at transit hubs.
- Behavioral Health Outreach: Expand and enhance mental health and addiction crisis services by partnering with behavioral health providers and community organizations. Focus on proactive outreach that meets individuals where they are, providing tailored support to connect them with recovery services.
- Driver Training and Support: Expand training for bus drivers to handle safety incidents and provide access to mental health and trauma recovery resources.
- Technology Upgrades: Utilize surveillance cameras, emergency communication systems, and other technologies to improve real-time incident response.
- Infrastructure Investments: Increase investments in safety measures like shields and barriers to protect bus drivers from harm.”
While Zahilay acknowledged the investigation was still seeking to get to the bottom of what spurred the stabbing, he said leaders must act with urgency.
“As the representative of the district where this tragedy occurred, I feel a deep responsibility to ensure the safety of every person in our community,” Zahilay concluded his statement. “This is a stark reminder that we need to act urgently to protect our transit system. Our solutions must be bold, thoughtful, and implemented immediately.”
Overall, killings of transit operators are rare, through assaults did spike during the pandemic. The last killing of an operator in the line of duty was in 1998. “Mark McLaughlin was fatally shot by a passenger while driving a bus on the Aurora Bridge on Nov. 27, 1998, and transit operators continue to pause for one minute each Black Friday in his honor,” the Seattle Times reported.
Metro has tallied 15 reported assaults on bus drivers this year through November, which marks a downward trending from 31 assaults in 2023.
Doug Trumm is publisher of The Urbanist. An Urbanist writer since 2015, he dreams of pedestrianizing streets, blanketing the city in bus lanes, and unleashing a mass timber building spree to end the affordable housing shortage and avert our coming climate catastrophe. He graduated from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington in 2019. He lives in East Fremont and loves to explore the city on his bike.
