The Bellevue Police Department arrested a 29-year-old male suspect for assault early last Friday during a domestic violence dispute in Factoria – all of which started on social media.
According to police reports, Officers responded to a domestic disturbance incident at the 4200 block of Factoria Boulevard SE. The victim, a 22-year-old female, called Bellevue PD to report the suspect (her boyfriend) took her cell phone and drove away from their apartment. Officers quickly located the suspect in a gray 2001 Maza Protégé in a parking lot in the 4000 block of Factoria.
After interviews with both the suspect and the victim, it was determined the altercation started when the suspect noticed the victim was texting an unidentified male on Instagram. The situation quickly escalated when the victim refused to adhere to the suspect’s demands to hand her phone over to him. This caused a physical dispute where the suspect allegedly grabbed her clothing with both hands near the upper chest and neck area – prompting the shirt to tear and causing pain around her chest and the side of her neck. The suspect also prevented the victim from reporting the disturbance to law enforcement – breaking Washington State law.
Officers determined probable cause and arrested the suspect for Assault (4th Degree) and Interfering with Reporting of Domestic Violence.
Friday’s incident highlights an ongoing trend – particularly among youth – where confrontations or conflicts online lead to altercations and violence offline.
According to the University of Connecticut, young people reported in a 2021 study that four particular social media features as the leading cause of escalating conflicts: comments, livestreaming, picture/video sharing, and tagging. In fact, about 80-percent of incidents involved comments. Further, high school “fight pages” – a webpage where students record and share fights – were found to be common on social media.
This new reality does exist for law enforcement. To combat this trend, LinkedIn provided these proactive tactics that could be used by anyone – especially parents – if they spot or hear about an escalating conflict on social media: acknowledge emotions, avoid personal attacks, clarify intentions, seek common ground, and know when to disengage. Further, an investigate report from last fall also suggested parents should ask their children questions like “How was your day on social media?” when learning about their child’s day.
Please contact the Bellevue Police Department if you feel an online dispute has escalated or is escalating into dangerous territory. The best way to prevent a crime is to say something the moment you see something is wrong.
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