SEATTLE — A suspect is accused of attacking another man with a hammer in downtown Seattle while he was awaiting trial for a felony robbery charge.
Christopher E. Martin, 34, is accused of hitting the victim on the back of the head with a hammer and stealing his backpack at a King County Metro bus shelter on Pike Street on Jan. 13.
The victim died from his injuries on Jan. 19 and the case was transferred to homicide detectives. Martin is currently facing first-degree assault and first-degree robbery charges related to the attack.
Martin was previously charged with second-degree robbery related to an incident on Feb. 4, 2022, where he blocked a victim's path while they were trying to exit a transit station, demanded the victim's jacket and threatened to kill them.
Martin was released from jail on May 5 and checked into a Port Angeles behavioral health facility. On May 31, the Department of Public Defense argued for Martin's release on his own recognizance, saying he would live with his sister while continuing treatment and looking for more permanent housing.
In June 2022, Martin was released on his own personal recognizance while awaiting trial, despite the state's objection that he posed a danger to the community.
“The public looks at this and says, 'Where did the system break down?' and what prosecutors are going to keep doing is arguing that dangerous people be held. We're for treatment, but that treatment has to work and that treatment has to have follow-up and follow-through that’s accountable to the public and the courts,” said King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney.
Police said Martin violated his terms of release when he was arrested of assaulting a Safeway security guard. Prosecutors again argued he should be held on $10,000 bail, which the judge reduced to $5,000, however charges for that case were not forwarded by law enforcement. Martin was charged with a separate misdemeanor offense later that month.
Martin has five misdemeanor assault convictions, a 2020 conviction for first-degree theft and a 2013 conviction for second-degree robbery, among others. Courts have issued 10 warrants for Martin after he failed to attend hearings, according to court documents.
On Jan. 13 around 2:15 p.m., a plainclothes officer conducting a narcotics surveillance operation witnessed Martin standing by a King County Metro bus shelter with a hammer in his hand. Martin's actions concerned the officer enough that he took a photograph of him and sent it to other officers for safety purposes.
The officer witnessed Martin waving the hammer and getting into verbal altercations with people passing through the area. The officer also witnessed the victim in the same vicinity attempting to cut the lock off a bike using an orbital grinder.
A Metro bus made a stop at the bus shelter, blocking the officer's view. The officer walked across the street in front of the bus and saw the victim lying unconscious on the sidewalk with a black backpack lying next to him.
A witness pointed at Martin and said, "You hit him! Why did you hit him?" according to court documents. Martin began to walk toward the witness but her dog lunged at him and he walked in the other direction. He then grabbed the black backpack and began to walk away.
The plainclothes officer shared Martin's description and the direction he took off walking with other officers, saying there was probable cause to arrest him for assault and robbery. Officers found Martin on Fourth Avenue moments later.
Surveillance video from the King County Metro bus showed Martin talking to the victim before leaving. The victim began walking eastbound with the bike and the backpack when Martin walked after him, striking him from behind with a hammer.
"The assault appears unprovoked," court documents said.
A witness recounted that Martin said something to the effect of "I told you not to do that," after striking the victim with the hammer. The witness took pictures of Martin walking away from the attack which he shared with police.