Bremerton man accused of injuring Spokane police officers, endangering children

A man from Bremerton, with three children in the back seat of his car, was arrested Tuesday night after getting into a brawl with several Spokane police officers.

Aaron J. Aamodt, 37, was charged Wednesday with multiple felony counts of reckless endangerment and first-degree assault after officers say he choked and attempted to gouge out the eyes of an officer during a traffic stop near Cook Street and Wellesley Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.

He appeared Thursday in Spokane County Superior Court in handcuffs, a safety precaution for attorneys. Four police officers surrounded him as Judge Shelley Szambelan set his bond at $100,000.

On Tuesday, an officer and reserve officer in training stopped Aamodt’s vehicle for running a red light, swerving and not using headlights, the officers said. Aamodt got out of the car and started approaching them while saying he was going to murder them, then charging an officer and grabbing him, police said in a news release. One officer used a stun gun on Aamodt, who is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, but he swept it away as he sprinted toward the officer, according to court records.

During the scuffle, Aamodt tackled one officer to the ground and got on top of him, where he attempted to take the officer’s gun from the holster, police said. He then attempted to bite the officer’s throat.

The officer said he heard the defendant opening and closing his mouth an inch from his neck, court records say.

At one point, police say he grabbed the officer by the face and “drove his thumb” into his eyeball.

Police eventually were able to subdue him after several officers arrived on scene.

Upon looking into the vehicle, according to the release, they found three of Aamodt’s children, all under 13, who were reported missing by their mother in Bremerton.

One officer was treated for a concussion and minor eye and hand injuries. Another officer received a shoulder injury.

The Spokane Police Department on Thursday released body cam footage of the attack.

Aamodt faces three felony charges: first-degree assault, disarming an officer and obstructing an officer. He also is being charged with five misdemeanors: three counts of reckless endangerment, one for each of his kids, malicious mischief and reckless driving.