Snohomish County prosecutors have reduced charges against a 17-year-Edmonds youth accused in the Dec. 6 road-rage beating of an Edmonds man.
The teen faces second-degree assault charges for allegedly beating Richard Alseth, 64, with his fists and kneeing him in the face.
The blows caused life-threatening injuries and kept Alseth in a coma for days.
In December, the teen was charged with more serious first-degree assault in adult court. The reduced charges were filed Friday in Snohomish County Juvenile Court.
Mark Roe, chief criminal deputy prosecutor, said a hearing Feb. 15 will determine if the teen, who will turn 18 in April, should be tried as an adult.
When he was charged in Everett District Court in December, the first-degree assault crime required automatic trial in adult court. Second-degree assault requires a judge to make such a determination, Roe said.
In December, the teen’s lawyer told a judge the blows were delivered in self-defense.
The incident happened after Alseth had delivered a turkey to a relative’s house and backed out of the driveway, apparently narrowly missing a Jeep Cherokee driven by the teen. The teen had to slam on his brakes to avoid a collision, making him angry, Roe said.
A witness watched Alseth get out of his vehicle to see if there had been any damage. The teen got out of his Jeep waving his arms. Alseth put up one hand as if to stave off the oncoming teen and took some steps backward, Roe said.
The teen allegedly landed two hard punches on Alseth’s head, causing him to go down in a sitting position. Alseth reportedly got up and went after the teen, taking what looked like a wild swing, which the teen avoided, Roe said.
“According to the witness, the (teen) then viciously beat Mr. Alseth with repeated blows from his fists,” Roe said. When Alseth slumped, the teen reportedly grabbed the back of his head and brought his knee into Alseth’s face, the prosecutor added.
“At the end of the block, the witness heard the sound of Alseth’s head hitting the pavement,” Roe said.
The teen then drove away with two companions in the Jeep, Roe added.
The teen was originally charged with the more serious crime while Alseth was hospitalized and while Edmonds police were investigating.
“Certainly, charges can be amended up or down at any time,” Roe said.
After discussions with Alseth’s family and police, Roe said he determined second-degree assault was a more suitable charge.
He said he doesn’t make a charging decision based on whether it would automatically bring the defendant into adult court. “I make charging decisions based on what I think is fair.”
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