CAPTURED: SeaTac stabbing suspect caught after fleeing to Colorado pleads not guilty

El Paso County Sheriff’s Office jail booking photo



SEATTLE--  July 2, 2018
Stephen Pierce entered a plea of not guilty to Assault in the First Degree at his arraignment today. He is being  held on $250,000 bail.

CAPTURED -- June 6, 2018 

King County Sheriff's detectives say 40-year old Stephen Pierce is being extradited back to Washington state after was arrested by the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office in Colorado Springs, CO.  Pierce is charged with Assault in the First Degree after deputies say he stabbed a stranger in the abdomen at bus stop in SeaTac last September when the victim declined to give him a cigarette.

The case had remained unsolved for several months after the attack until deputies got a Crime Stoppers tip from a Washington's Most Wanted viewer in West Virginia who saw the video posted on our Facebook page.  "They knew who the suspect was. They named him off as Stephen Pierce.  They said that he was hiding out in the area and the provided good enough information that the detective was actually able to follow up with the tipster from Crime Stoppers.  The detective showed a photograph montage to the victim and a witness and both were able to pick him out. Once we determined he was our suspect, he then fled to Colorado.  The El Paso Sheriff's Office. They did an excellent job for us. They ended up finding Stephen Pierce. They took him into custody without incident.  He had the backpack and the jacket that he wore the same day of the stabbing."

Pierce has waived extradition and is on his way back to Washington state.   "The detective told me that if it wasn't for Washington's Most Wanted, for Crime Stoppers getting his picture out there that we probably would have never arrested this guy or figured out who he was so thanks to the show and thanks to this tip that came in we were able to arrest this guy and it meant a lot to the victim and it’s an excellent story," said Sgt. Abbott.

Pierce is Washington's Most Wanted Capture #995 thanks to tips from our viewers.



WANTED IN KING COUNTY --
Take a look the man wanted in SeaTac after police say he stabbed an innocent victim who was waiting at the bus stop, minding his own business with his girlfriend.

It happened at the bus shelter at 200th and International Blvd. on September 7th at about 10pm.

He wore a red shirt, Mariners hat and backpack as he rode a bus in SeaTac. "We have some pretty decent video of our suspect as he was riding a bus before he got off on that stop. We just haven't been able to identify him,” said King County Sgt. Cindi West.



When it was time to get off at his stop, you can hear him talk to the driver as he exits the bus, "Alright, I am gonna go To the Light Rail. Take care of yourself brother. Stay safe." “A male subject who had gotten off a bus previously approached the victim and asked him for a cigarette. The victim said he didn't have one and so our suspect walked away. A few minutes later, the suspect came back, approached our victim and the victim said suddenly he felt a large sharp pain in his abdomen and then the suspect walked away. When our victim looked at his stomach, he saw that he had a large stab wound in the stomach. In fact, it was so extreme that his intestines were exposed. Aid was called, he was transported to Harborview and fortunately he survived. This is just a bizarre situation. Our victim does not know the suspect. Other than the fact that the suspect asked for a cigarette. There was no other conversation between the two. The suspect just merely decided to stab him. If he randomly stabbed someone over what appears to be a cigarette. What else is he capable of.  We definitely want get this guy off the street before he hurts somebody else,” said Sgt. West.

If you know who this guy is, where he lives or have any information that can help detectives track him down, Crime Stoppers will pay you a cash reward of up to $1,000. Call the hot line at 1-800-222-TIPS, or use the P3 Tips App to submit your information.