CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Five charges in domestic-violence incident in which police rescued children
A little over a week ago, we reported on a Saturday afternoon incident that started in West Seattle and ended in Boulevard Park – with police rescuing three children from the car their father allegedly stole from their mother. The father, 30-year-old Jose M. Alcantar-Hernandez, is now (updated) charged, and the documents say it’s not the first domestic-violence case against him in their 10-year marriage.
That’s a screengrab from video recorded by a witness near the start of the May 3 incident (received since our previous report), with the suspect standing on his wife’s moving car on California SW, trying to get in. Court documents say he had released from jail two days earlier – after pleading guilty in a previous domestic-violence case involving her. Despite a no-contact order, he and his wife spent time together, and on Saturday morning, she gave him a ride to West Seattle, with their children – ages 4, 3, and 1 1/2 – in the car.
At the California/Charlestown 7-Eleven, prosecutors say, he got out of the car but lingered, and when his wife tried to leave, he jumped in front of the car to try to prevent her from doing so. A passerby tried to intervene; she again tried to drive away, and Alcantar-Hernandez jumped onto the running board, yelling at her to stop, but she didn’t, so he then smashed a window to reach in and unlock the door. His wife then stopped in a median near California/Dakota; he grabbed the phone she had been using to call 911; she jumped out of the car as he moved into the passenger seat and drove away, though the charging documents note he does not have a valid license. The charging documents elaborate on how police found him:
An SPD officer working an emphasis shift nearby overheard the radio broadcast for this call and logged to it to assist looking for the vehicle. He observed (the victim’s) Nissan drive into the gas station [on Des Moines Memorial Drive] and park at the gas pumps.
Shortly thereafter, that officer ran after him for three-plus blocks before taking the suspect into custody. The children were unharmed. Alcantar-Hernandez is charged with these five charges: Theft Of Motor Vehicle, Domestic Violence Misdemeanor Violation Of A Court Order, Interfering With Domestic Violence Reporting, Malicious Mischief in the Third Degree – Domestic Violence, and Obstructing A Law Enforcement Officer. According to the charging documents, Alcantar-Hernandez’s criminal history along with the other domestic-violence cases includes DUI and driving with a suspended license, and juvenile convictions including burglary and unlawful gun possession. He remains in the King County Regional Justice Center, where he is scheduled for arraignment one week from tomorrow, with bail set at $125,000.
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