• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Leadership
    • The relentless pursuit of excellence
      An effective strategy for difficult discussions
      Developing and enhancing assertiveness
      Clarifying your “true north”
      The job has changed — have you?
  • Topics
    • Leadership
      • The relentless pursuit of excellence
        An effective strategy for difficult discussions
        Developing and enhancing assertiveness
        Clarifying your “true north”
        The job has changed — have you?
    • Editor’s Picks
      • No two days are ever the same
        Training dipshittery, Part 2
        Tactical medicine for cops
        Why good cops quit
        Smile and let them swing
    • On the Job
      • From warrior to peacekeeper
        Hats off to a new uniform look
        Overcoming climate and conditions to rescue child
        Father and son mark career milestones together
        Officer’s determination closes case and surprises cancer patient
    • Labor
      • Facing the oral board
        Why good cops quit
        Succession planning
        Why more staff won’t fix your operational slowdowns
        Drama in Georgia: Mayor fires entire police department for...
    • Tech
      • Take Me Home program offers effective tool for police and families
        Get the most out of simulation training
        The virtual beat
        Training with an AI partner?
        NYC’s electric vehicle fleet for LE passes milestone
    • Training
      • Precision, adaptability and response: The need for LPVOs in equipping...
        Training dipshittery, Part 2
        Tactical medicine for cops
        Get the most out of simulation training
        Training like the pros
    • Policy
      • Out of chaos comes opportunity
        Massachusetts law establishes fund to care for retired K-9s
        Portlanders will not vote on diverting climate funds for police...
        Surviving internal affairs investigations
        Fighting human trafficking at the local level
    • Health/Wellness
      • Understanding why police officers think alcohol works
        Has the job quietly stolen your humanity?
        No two days are ever the same
        Changing the narrative
        Supporting your peer support team
    • Community
      • Pittsburgh mounted patrol officer helps inner-city kids saddle up
        Wyoming girl on a mission to collect “hero patches”
        Texas sheriff’s office nominates 7-year-old for commendation
        Cops try to net DEA agents
        A different type of teen takeover
    • Offbeat
      • Could cadaver otters help close cold cases?
        Police chief catches cat in the act
        “Teenage Mutant Ninja Deer” rescued
        An unexpected burglar
        Police humor only a cop would understand
    • We Remember
      • Distant cousins connect to honor fallen family member 110 years after...
        9/11 Victim Compensation Fund: A journey to coverage
        Driver charged with murder after striking LAPD sergeant at 112 mph
        Unsung heroes: New York City correction officers
        National Police Week 2026
    • HOT Mail
      • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • On the Job
    • From warrior to peacekeeper
      Hats off to a new uniform look
      Overcoming climate and conditions to rescue child
      Father and son mark career milestones together
      Officer’s determination closes case and surprises cancer patient
  • Labor
    • Facing the oral board
      Why good cops quit
      Succession planning
      Why more staff won’t fix your operational slowdowns
      Drama in Georgia: Mayor fires entire police department for...
  • Tech
    • Take Me Home program offers effective tool for police and families
      Get the most out of simulation training
      The virtual beat
      Training with an AI partner?
      NYC’s electric vehicle fleet for LE passes milestone
  • Training
    • Precision, adaptability and response: The need for LPVOs in equipping...
      Training dipshittery, Part 2
      Tactical medicine for cops
      Get the most out of simulation training
      Training like the pros
  • Policy
    • Out of chaos comes opportunity
      Massachusetts law establishes fund to care for retired K-9s
      Portlanders will not vote on diverting climate funds for police...
      Surviving internal affairs investigations
      Fighting human trafficking at the local level
  • Health/Wellness
    • Understanding why police officers think alcohol works
      Has the job quietly stolen your humanity?
      No two days are ever the same
      Changing the narrative
      Supporting your peer support team
  • Community
    • Pittsburgh mounted patrol officer helps inner-city kids saddle up
      Wyoming girl on a mission to collect “hero patches”
      Texas sheriff’s office nominates 7-year-old for commendation
      Cops try to net DEA agents
      A different type of teen takeover
  • Offbeat
    • Could cadaver otters help close cold cases?
      Police chief catches cat in the act
      “Teenage Mutant Ninja Deer” rescued
      An unexpected burglar
      Police humor only a cop would understand
  • We Remember
    • Distant cousins connect to honor fallen family member 110 years after...
      9/11 Victim Compensation Fund: A journey to coverage
      Driver charged with murder after striking LAPD sergeant at 112 mph
      Unsung heroes: New York City correction officers
      National Police Week 2026
  • HOT Mail
    • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Search

On the Job

Wasp swarm interrupts Seattle police chase, stinging officers and suspect

APB Team Published October 7, 2023 @ 6:00 am PDT

iStock.com/AlexKalashnikov

A routine police pursuit in Seattle’s East Queen Anne neighborhood took an unexpected turn when a swarm of wasps descended upon officers and a 22-year-old suspect.

Newly released body camera footage from the Seattle Police Department captured the chaos that erupted during the incident on August 13.

The situation began with officers responding to multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting a male suspect armed with a knife attempting to carjack several vehicles.

Witnesses at the scene described the suspect blocking traffic and causing significant damage to vehicles as he tried to take control of them.

Officers quickly located the suspect in a tunnel beneath Aurora Avenue North on Dexter Way.

However, the situation took an unusual twist when the suspect attempted to evade arrest and led officers into a wooded greenbelt area.

As officers closed in on the suspect in the greenbelt, they inadvertently disturbed a swarm of yellow jackets, triggering a frantic scene.

Bodycam footage captured the moment officers and the suspect began to be stung by the aggressive insects.

“Yellowjackets everywhere, dude,” one officer can be heard saying on the video as officers and the suspect desperately tried to fend off the wasps.

Despite the unexpected interruption, the officers managed to apprehend the suspect and bring him out of the brush where the insects were swarming. Once on the street level, an ambulance awaited, and officers offered the suspect a bottle of water.

Both the suspect and one of the officers who suffered injuries from the swarm were promptly taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.

The suspect was later booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault, property destruction and attempted robbery.

Seattle residents and authorities alike are relieved that the situation ended without further harm and hope that such unusual encounters remain rare in the future.

The Seattle P.D. has not released any further updates on the case.

Categories: On the Job Tags: swarm of wasps, sting, Seattle Police Department, arrest, bizarre, bodycam footage, carjacking, police pursuit, insect, suspect

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Out of chaos comes opportunity
  • From warrior to peacekeeper
  • Pittsburgh mounted patrol officer helps inner-city kids saddle up
  • NLEOMF announces 2026 National Officer Safety and Wellness Award Winners
  • Could cadaver otters help close cold cases?
  • GOSAFE Technology announces public safety initiative focused on firearm security and risk reduction
  • Law enforcement leaders to convene at 2026 Vision FirstNet Users Summit on future of first responder connectivity
  • Massachusetts law establishes fund to care for retired K-9s
  • Take Me Home program offers effective tool for police and families
  • Hats off to a new uniform look

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

No two days are ever the same

No two days are ever the same

July 24, 2026

Training dipshittery, Part 2

Training dipshittery, Part 2

July 23, 2026

Tactical medicine for cops

Tactical medicine for cops

July 18, 2026

Why good cops quit

Why good cops quit

July 14, 2026

Policies | Consent Preferences | Copyright © 2026 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.