Bothell Man Shot by Cop Posts Bond on Assault, Robbery Charges

Joseph Kenneth Rundlett of Bothell, 25, has been released from jail on bond after being charged with robbery and assault in an incident at a Totem Lake motel in which a Kirkland Police officer shot him in the shoulder.

Rundlett was charged in King County Superior Court on Thursday and released Thursday evening after posting bond on bail of $100,000.

A Kirkland Police officer shot him in the left shoulder Monday night while Rundlett was fleeing the Totem Lake Motel 6 in his SUV after allegedly robbing a prostitute and being confronted by police, according to charging documents. Three officers, meeting in their cars at a nearby parking lot, responded to a woman screaming at the motel parking lot and attempted to block Rundlett’s exit.

As one officer attempted to block the exit of the motel with his vehicle and a spike strip and another pursued Rundlett in his car, according to the charging documents, Officer Shawn Carlson on foot was forced to jump out of the way of the SUV, traveling at 40-50 mph, firing one shot from about 10 feet away.

Rundlett was hit in the left shoulder but managed to leave the parking lot, rolling his Jeep Cherokee about four blocks away, with officers in pursuit. He was captured after a short foot chase and then taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he underwent sugery.

Rundlett, a U.S. Army veteran, told the King County Sheriff's Office in an interview at the hospital that he had reverted to his military training to “evade and escape” after realizing he had been shot, according to the charging documents. He claimed he was dissatisfied with his transaction with the prostitute and had attempted to recover some of the $160 he had paid her.

The woman told police he grabbed her purse after they had sex and as they tussled over it, he used his hands to choke her, then left with the purse. The woman, wearing only sweatpants, followed him out to the parking lot and began screaming for help, according to the documents.

The Sheriff's Office handled the investigation for Kirkland Police, as is routine in police shooting cases.

Rundlett faces arraignment Oct. 4 on the charges, second-degree robbery and second-degree assault.

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