SEATTLE — Seattle police arrested a 30-year-old man identified as a “High Utilizer Initiative” offender after witnessing him openly using fentanyl in the Chinatown–International District on Wednesday night.
Around 8:50 p.m. on November 20, officers conducting foot patrols near 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street observed the suspect using suspected narcotics on the sidewalk, according to police. When officers detained him for questioning, they discovered he had an active $1,000 warrant for his arrest.
The police report noted that the area around 12th and Jackson is heavily trafficked by pedestrians, and officers believed the man was exposing bystanders to fentanyl smoke. Officers arrested him at the scene and seized baggies of fentanyl along with drug paraphernalia.
Police say the suspect, a previously convicted felon, is currently under Department of Corrections supervision, which prohibits any criminal activity as a condition of his release.
He was booked into the King County Jail. Detectives with the Narcotics Unit have taken over the case.
Incident Number: 2025-341223
Police arrest “High Utilizer Initiative” offender during proactive patrols:https://t.co/Dn5YZgpFWA
— Seattle Police Department (@SeattlePD) November 22, 2025