SEATTLE — A man arrested for committing a possible hate crime against Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-7th District) was released from jail Wednesday, according to the King County Prosecutor's Office (KCPO).
The suspect was released after he was held for 72 hours without charges being filed. KCPO is still working with police on building their case, a spokesperson said.
The 48-year-old man allegedly drove past Jayapal's West Seattle home three times last Saturday yelling obscenities, according to neighbors.
One neighbor told police she heard the man yell “Go back to India, I’m going to kill you,” according to documents. The same neighbor said she'd seen the suspect's vehicle drive by Jayapal's house three times that night.
Jayapal called 911 around 11 p.m. that night saying someone was outside her house in their car using obscene language. She said her husband thought someone may have shot a pellet gun, but she was unsure.
When police arrived, they said they found the man in the middle of the street with his hands in the air and a handgun holstered on his waist. Police wrote the man “knew who lived at the residence and wanted to pitch a tent on their property. [and that] the victim that he was targeting was of Indian descent.”
Prosecutors previously said there is probable cause to charge the man with a hate crime threat.