Seattle mass stabbing suspect charged, has 9 prior felonies

The man accused of stabbing at least five people in Seattle's Chinatown-International District last week appeared in court Thursday, now officially charged with multiple counts of assault.

SEATTLE - The man accused of stabbing at least four people in Seattle's Chinatown-International District last week is now officially charged with multiple counts of assault.

Roland Jerome Lee, 37, is accused of stabbing four different people and assaulting a fifth on November 8. Seattle Police are still determining whether Lee is tied to several other stabbings that occurred in the area a day prior.

King County prosecutors argued Lee poses an extreme danger to the community. A judge ordered he be held on $2 million bail.

Though he didn't face the judge, Lee's uncle was present in the courtroom, claiming he was having a mental episode and wants to apologize to the victims.

Seattle Police say witnesses and surveillance video helped detectives identify Lee as the suspect.

According to court documents, a man reportedly saw the suspect stab one of the victims in the back four times near 10th Avenue South and South Jackson Street. Then, the suspect allegedly ran down 10th Avenue, began walking calmly, and stabbed three other people standing on 12th and Jackson.

Surveillance video of the incident shows a suspect wearing all black walk by the group, pause, and quickly swing at one of the victim's backs. The suspect then walks off camera, which is when police believe he assaulted two other victims.

One victim told detectives he was talking to his friend when he suddenly felt a hard hit in his back and a sharp pain in his stomach and leg, causing him to hit the ground. The victim remembered seeing the suspect walk away and noted the soles of his shoes were a "seafoam green" color. Police said Lee's soles were of a greenish color.

The victim went on to say the "pain blinded him" and he eventually blacked out.

Court documents provided a photo of a knife broken off at the hilt that was allegedly in the victim's back. The knife went "into his spinal cord" and caused numbness in his left leg, making him unable to move without a walker, the victim told police.

Another victim was stabbed in the neck. A man also reported he was struck in the face by the suspect.

Lee was arrested in a parking lot after witnesses relayed the suspect's description and location to police. Officers said they found two knives near where Lee was arrested, and he had blood on his shoes.

Police have not yet connected Lee to several other stabbings that happened in the Chinatown-International District on Nov. 7. Those stabbings are still under investigation. There were a total of 10 stabbings in 36 hours.

Lee also has nine felony convictions in the last decade, including for theft of a motor vehicle, possession of stolen property, attempted robbery, and attempted burglary. He's now charged with four counts of first-degree assault and one count of fourth-degree assault.

Despite his criminal history, the suspect's uncle said Lee is still a good person.

"I talked to Roland and he said he don’t remember doing anything. But, you know, they have it on video, they have witnesses and all that," said Lee's uncle. "Roland was at my house a week ago. That night, Thursday. Before all the stabbings started, Roland texted me and said he was on the way to my house to shower. We were going to have a good day together. I don’t know what happened, I don’t know if he used a drug that sent him off the edge, but Roland is a good person."

Lee is scheduled for his arraignment at the King County Courthouse on November 27, where he will enter a plea.

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Crime and Public Safety News Seattle Chinatown-International District