LYNNWOOD — Just how a Lynnwood-area man suffered a head injury, leaving him in critical condition, remained unclear Friday.
A team of detectives that investigates police use of force has been asked to determine how the man suffered the injury. He was taken into custody by Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday night after a report that he had been causing a disturbance.
It is not clear if the injuries occurred in the encounter with deputies, or earlier in the day, when he’d allegedly been assaulted by unknown assailants.
Sheriff’s deputies had been called about the man on that morning, later that afternoon and later still around 9:30 p.m. that night. He lives on property around the 16900 block of Alder Way in unincorporated Snohomish County.
When deputies arrived Wednesday night, they spoke with a family member of the man and determined an involuntary commitment was necessary, due to the likelihood of a mental health crisis, said Everett police officer Aaron Snell, a spokesman for the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team, also known as SMART.
A deputy met with the man in the back yard. The situation escalated as deputies tried to take him into protective custody.
“There was an altercation,” Snell said.
The man allegedly tried to disarm the deputy, Snell said in a press release.
The man, 43, was transported by ambulance to Swedish Edmonds hospital. After arriving there, he lost consciousness. Doctors determined he was suffering from a head injury, Snell said.
He was then transported to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, where he remained in critical condition Friday.
One deputy was injured. He was checked out and released by medical staff at Providence.
The four deputies involved in the incident have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure while the case is under review.
When the SMART investigation is complete, a report will be forwarded to the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com
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