BELLEVUE—A Bellevue police officer was seriously injured Friday, December 12, after being stabbed by a man who prosecutors say made a bogus 911 call to lure officers to the scene.
King County prosecutors on Monday charged 38-year-old Mohamed Morray Bangura with first-degree assault and second-degree assault, both with deadly weapon enhancements. Bangura, a Sierra Leone national previously encountered by police while sleeping on church property near the Bellevue Transit Center, remains in custody at Harborview Medical Center with a $5 million bail. Bangura’s immigration status has not been released.
The incident unfolded around 12:24 p.m. on Dec. 12 at the transit center on NE 6th Street. An anonymous male caller reported a verbal argument between a man and a woman that was escalating, vaguely mentioning possible weapons and requesting “an officer or two.” The caller refused to provide his name or further details.
Officers Sean Winebrenner and Guilherme Spagnolo responded and contacted Bangura, who admitted making the call. He initially complained that another officer had “tried to put a false case on me,” referring to a prior encounter.
As Officer Spagnolo asked about the reported argument, Bangura pointed to his right, saying, “That was happening over…” before abruptly pulling a knife from his jacket pocket. He lunged at Spagnolo with a downward stabbing motion, holding the blade like an ice pick. Spagnolo dodged the attack.
Bangura then turned to Winebrenner, slashing him across the face and stabbing him twice more in the back and shoulder area as the officer fell. Winebrenner suffered a six-inch facial laceration, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken clavicle. He was treated at Harborview and discharged the following day.
Spagnolo fired six shots, striking Bangura three times in the arm, leg, and flank. Additional officers arrived and provided aid to both men before they were transported to Harborview Medical Center.
Court documents indicate Bangura had filed a complaint against a Bellevue officer the day before the attack and had a prior police contact on September 30, when he was found sleeping at the First Congregational Church nearby and allegedly threatened a security guard.
“Instead of letting that complaint process play out, he chose to arm himself with a knife and assault two other innocent, unwitting officers who thought they were responding to a call of domestic violence,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Daniel Merrick wrote in charging papers.
Bangura has no prior criminal record in the county. The officer-involved shooting is under investigation by the King County Independent Force Investigation Team.
Author: Mario Lotmore
