SEATTLE — Court records are revealing the bizarre details of a situation in Phinney Ridge where a man allegedly attacked a couple while disguised as a mailman.
They also reveal the situation could have led to something much more sinister than an assault.
According to Seattle Police, the suspect was dressed in a United States Postal Service uniform and even carrying a branded mailbag when he went up to the front door of a home on North 74th Street. He reportedly handed the victim a letter and demanded he open and read it in front of him before attacking him.
“They’re very quiet people,” a neighbor told KIRO 7 of the victim and his wife.
Investigators said the fake mailman’s real name is Ian Blair. The letter he handed the victim reportedly offered information in exchange for 10 bitcoins, worth about $650,000.
The letter also makes reference to a years-long legal dispute the victim was involved in, threatening to offer the information to the party on the other side of the case if the victim would not pay.
Investigators said Blair pushed the victim while he was reading the letter then started beating him up. He then reportedly beat up the victim’s wife, even strangling her at one point.
Someone in another house eventually heard the commotion and tried to break up the fight.
Police said Blair and the victim were still wrestling when they arrived on the scene.
“I see an ambulance outside and think, ‘Uh-oh, somebody’s having a bad day,’” Peter Crozier, who lives nearby, said. “Then I see two police cars and think, ‘Uh-oh, this is a different bad day than I thought.’”
Investigators said under his USPS uniform, Blair was wearing disposable protective coveralls. They also reportedly found two tasers, a cell phone jammer, zip ties, gorilla tape, garbage bags, a pre-paid phone and more on him.
“I’m assuming it’s a way of subduing him,” Crozier said. “The fact that he’s bringing zip ties and not a firearm implies the outcome is not going to be as bad as it could be.”
“While law enforcement continues to investigate the defendant’s ultimate intention, the inferences are certainly very concerning,” prosecutors wrote in court docs.
Blair is in jail and has been charged with burglary, extortion, assault and criminal impersonation. His bail is set at $1,000,000.
Both victims survived the attack, one with several broken bones.
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