(FiveNation.com)- Last weekend, a man in the state of Washington was placed under arrest after he threatened to kill the leader of the House Progressive Caucus, Washington Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal.
The suspect, 48-year-old Brett Forsell, was placed under arrest on Saturday. According to a statement released by law enforcement:
“Seattle police arrested the man outside Jayapal’s house at 11:25 p.m. Saturday after she called 911 and reported an unknown person or people were in a vehicle using obscene language, a probable cause statement said. She told a dispatcher her husband thought someone may have fired a pellet gun.”
When police officers arrived at the scene, they saw Forsell standing in the streets. He was holding his hands up in the air, and had a gun holstered at the waist.
A neighbor gave a statement to police officers, which said Forsell was heard screaming:
“Go back to India. I’m going to kill you.”
According to law enforcement, Forsell is alleged to have driven around Jayapal’s house multiple times, screaming profanities as he did so.
Police said that when they were placing the suspect under arrest and reading him Miranda rights, the suspect then told officers that he was planning to set up a tent on the Washington representative’s property.
Bail for the suspect was set at $500,000, according to a statement released post-arrest by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in Washington. That bail is roughly the same as it is for other suspects who are accused of committing hate crimes and threatening to kill someone while armed.
The ruling judge in the case did, though, deny a request by Jayapal to provide her with an order for criminal harassment protection.
The statement released by law enforcement said that the suspect is not expected to meet the bail amount, which means he will remain in jail through his trial — or until something else happens in the case. The Seattle Police Department said that their investigation into the incident is still ongoing, and that they had no other details to provide to the public at this time.
Jayapal, who lives near Seattle, confirmed through her congressional office that the incident did indeed happen on Saturday night. In a release, the congresswoman confirmed that she and her entire family are safe, and that she appreciates all the kind words that her constituents have sent to her in the last few days.
As the statement from Jayapal’s office reads:
“[Congresswoman Jayapal] is very grateful for the swift and professional response from the Seattle Police Department, the U.S. Capitol Police, and the FBI investigators who are working together diligently on the investigation, and ensuring that she and her family stay safe.
“Because this is an ongoing investigation, she will not be commenting further at this time.”
This is the latest incident of threats to prominent members of Congress, other politicians and even Supreme Court justices. More and more people are taking extreme measures to voice their displeasure with how things are going in the country, and it’s starting to turn ugly.
