A thirty year old Seattle man is now facing charges after authorities say he damaged a King County Metro bus with a machete earlier this month. The case has drawn attention because of where it unfolded, on a public bus route in the middle of the night, and because of the weapon involved.
The man at the center of the case is Daniel Damien Couch. He was arraigned in King County Superior Court for the attack, which prosecutors say took place on the second of July. The court appearance formally set the criminal process in motion after the incident earlier in the month.
The attack itself happened around midnight, when the machete was used to damage a Route 7 bus. The timing, in the overnight hours on one of the county's bus routes, is part of what has made the case stand out among the string of incidents reported across the Seattle area.
According to prosecutors, the confrontation began before Couch ever boarded. They say he was denied entry to the bus because he was wearing a machete, and that it was the same machete he had allegedly used in another incident. That detail has become a key part of how the case is being described in court.
In court, Couch entered his response to the charges. He pleaded not guilty to the allegations against him. With the plea on the record, the matter now moves forward through the county's justice system, where the accusations will be tested.
For now, Couch is not free while the case proceeds. After his arraignment, he was sent back to jail on thirty thousand dollars bail. The case remains before the court, and further hearings are expected as prosecutors and the defense move ahead.