Cop with violent history threatened to smash car window, pull driver out by her hair

Ofc. Richard Bonesteel was previously investigated for domestic disturbances in three different jurisdictions

Seattle Police Officer Richard Bonesteel was reprimanded for swearing at a woman and threatening to pull her out of her car by her hair during a low-level stop, according to a report released at the end of February.

At the beginning of 2021, Bonesteel and another officer responded to a vehicle stopped in a bus lane. After gathering the driver and passenger’s information, the officers found that the driver had a misdemeanor warrant from Marysville. He returned and ordered the driver to open her window.

She replied that she couldn’t roll the window down because the battery was dead, and he asked her to get out of the car:

Bonesteel erupted when the driver asked why. He answered: “I’m going to talk to you. Either that or, or we can talk like this through your fucking warrant, and I’m going to break the window and pull you out by your hair.”

After the driver opened the door and raised her hands, Bonesteel continued to put her down, declaring “You are not in control.”

In the interview afterward, Bonesteel described the driver as non-compliant. He did not give the driver a reason to open the door before threatening her. He explained that he used “street vernacular” for “immediate compliance.” 

The Office of Police Accountability disagreed, writing that the woman was “neither escalated nor noncompliant.” The OPA found that Bonesteel “unnecessarily escalated the interaction” by using profanity and threatening her with violence.

Furthermore, the OPA noted that Bonesteel remained hostile toward the woman long after she complied. “Despite [her] obvious submission, [Bonesteel] remained unprofessional by raising his voice and telling [her] that he was in control and to ‘do as you’re told.’”

The OPA upheld allegations against Bonesteel for unprofessionalism. This was Bonesteel’s fourth sustained professionalism violation since he was hired in 2010. One 2013 incident resulted in a suspension.

His most recent sustained complaint resulted from an off-duty incident in 2020. According to the OPA report, Edmonds police responded to a call about Bonesteel, heavily intoxicated, refusing to leave the home of a woman he was dating.

In another complaint filed the same year, police responded to a domestic disturbance at Bonesteel’s home in Renton, where Bonesteel’s then-girlfriend claimed he had used “physical force” and was frightening her child. OPA did not sustain allegations.

Seattle police were called to a third domestic disturbance involving Bonesteel and another woman in 2014 that occurred in the Northgate Mall parking lot. They made no arrests, and the matter was handled as a supervisor action.

During the “Solidarity Against Hate” demonstrations after the Charlottesville hate rally, Bonesteel violently shoved a woman who was complying with his directions.

Finally, weeks after the 2021 incident, Bonesteel had another stop where he punched a passed-out driver six times with no attempts at de-escalation beforehand. He and another officer forced the door open and startled the driver. When the engine was revved, out of gear, Bonesteel began attacking.

Bonesteel is one of SPD's most investigated employees, with 29 investigations in his 13 years at the department. In 2022, he made $121,692 and $40,101 in overtime.