SKYWAY - You're working on your car and the next minute you're surrounded by cops and you have a gun pointed at the back of your head. That's what a South Seattle man says happened to him.
38 year old Simon Robinson says he's filing a complaint against the King County Sheriff's Office because of it.
"He just got out with the gun immediately rushed me to the ground, then another came out kneed me in the back handcuffed me. I don't even know why I was handcuffed," said Robinson.
What a shock for Simon Robinson as he worked on his car in front of his friend's house in Skyway.
"It was pointed right at me I didn't have time to do anything. He said get on the ground or I'm going to shoot you," said Robinson.
And, he says it all went down in front of his pregnant wife and young sons.
"I'm lucky I wasn't dead to tell you the truth I was crying, my son says Daddy you were crying, my son has never seen me cry," said Robinson.
According to a Report from the King County Sheriff's Office, two Deputies were chasing an armed felon wanted for domestic violence. The suspect was African American, wearing shorts and slippers, so was Robinson.
Robinson's 8 year old son Anthony describes what he saw.
"Then, my mom came out, then the guy put the gun on her, then my Dad's friend came out, and they put the gun on him," said Robinson.
The friend is the family's pastor Damian Joseph. He witnessed the whole thing.
"I think that if Simon had made a move, a false move or something I believe he probably would have been shot," said Joseph.
King County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sergeant John Urquhart says in this situation the Deputies used force to protect themselves.
"Suspected dangerous felons are typically arrested at gunpoint and placed in a prone position on the ground for Officer safety reasons. If this was, in fact, a fleeing felon who was trying to resist arrest, wouldn't the kids be in more danger if he draws his gun before we have to," said Urquhart.
When the Deputies put Robinson face first on the ground he says they broke his glasses. After Deputies checked his ID they realized they had the wrong guy.
"And, then we pull off and they wave, we apologize. How you gonna apologize when you just had a gun at my head," said Robinson.
The 38 year old wonders if the Officers were on edge because there've been so many cop killings lately.
"He made a comment stating I want to get home to my family. So, that comment meant to me he wasn't taking any chances," said Robinson.
Sergeant Urquhart calls the situation unfortunate adding:
"It's regrettable and we apologize for that. He was in the wrong place, dressed the wrong way, at the wrong time. We were looking for a suspect with a history of guns. He looked like the suspect," said Urquhart.
Robinson and his family are still having a tough time understanding what happened. What they want most right now is for the Sheriff's Office to take another look at its policies.
Robinson says he's been in touch with the Sheriff's Office about filing a harassment complaint with Internal Affairs and plans to do so within the next couple of days. He also plans to ask the County to buy him another pair of glasses to replace the broken ones.
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