Disorderly Passenger Causes Bremerton-bound Ferry to Turn Back to Seattle

— from KOMO News —

Law enforcement questioned two people in two incidents on board state ferries Sunday, one of which resulted in a boat’s being turned around.

The captain of a Bremerton-bound ferry aborted the 5:40 pm sailing Sunday and returned the boat to Seattle after an unruly passenger allegedly stole food, appeared drunk and became verbally combative with passengers and staff, said Ian Sterling, a spokesman for the Washington State Ferries.

“The captain had enough, brought the boat back to Seattle. That’s a rare thing for us to actually have to return to the dock,” Sterling said. “You have medical emergencies and things that might need it, but certainly not for violence or disturbances — it’s very, very rare.”

There have been 34 incidents involving bad behavior on board state ferries over the past decade, Sterling said. 15 of those have been on the Seattle-Bremerton line. The numbers include fights, verbal abuse and physical attacks on passengers or crew.

In Sunday’s incident on the Bremerton-to-Seattle ferry, the man went to the galley, ate some Tater Tots and was unable to pay for the food, said Sgt. Kyle Smith of the Washington State Patrol. He returned the uneaten food.

The man boarded the next Seattle-to-Bremerton ferry and said he wasn’t able to pay for his fare. While on board the boat, he began yelling and using vulgarity, Smith said. He also appeared drunk.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the captain,” Smith said. “It’s usually that this person is being so disruptive that the ferry crew does not believe, for the safety of the customers, that they want this person to sail 55 minutes to an hour without this person being ultimately babysat.”

Witness Mario Magana captured some of the incident on video. The cell phone recordings show the man yelling at times.

“I don’t want to talk to a State Patrol officer,” the man says. “This is bulls***. You’re going to turn a boat around because of me? That’s bulls***.”

“That was probably the first time I’ve ever seen that on my life on the ferry,” said Magana, a KOMO engineer, who takes the Bremerton ferry every weekend. “He was loud, making a scene. It’s rare you see someone go crazy on a ferry like that.”

Troopers took the man off the boat, but he was not arrested. He was told to stay off of state ferry property for 60 days, Smith said.

In the other case Sunday, a passenger started throwing food on the Vashon Island ferry, though that boat was not turned around. Law enforcement did talk to the passenger.

Ferry workers are trained extensively in first aid and rescue techniques, but have less training in dealing with unruly crowds, added Sterling.

“It’s really rare for us to have to return to a terminal or have to interrupt a trip essentially for this type of thing, whether there’s violence or there’s just bad behavior,” Sterling added. “It’s up to the captain to make that call.”

SOURCE: KOMO News