Last Monday, a homeless man in Seattle with a long history of convictions walked up behind a random woman and swung a baseball bat at the back of her head with all the force he could muster. Here’s video of the attack:

Shocking video surveillance captured in Seattle this month shows an African-American male suspect swinging a bat at a woman’s head from behind.

Wantez Tulloss, a career criminal, has been charged. The woman is believed to be Asian. pic.twitter.com/yjulZqKVsK

— Asian Dawn (@AsianDawn4) February 8, 2022

Fortunately, a witness heard the attack and called 911. The victim has been hospitalized with a fractured skull and will need surgery to repair the damage.

After the attack, the suspect went to get a slice of pizza. He was identified by police as Wantez Tulloss thanks partly to his distinctive facial tattoos. Tulloss was arrested after he returned to his apartment where he attempted to hide the clothing he’d worn during the attack in an oven:

Police learned Tulloss lives at the A.L. Humphrey House, which is run by Plymouth Housing for low-income and transient people who have experienced homelessness. It is located on Cedar Street less than 500 feet from where the woman was hit, say the charges.

While an officer was at the apartment building reviewing security footage, the charges say Tulloss came into the lobby, then went to his unit while the officer called for backup.

Following Tulloss’ arrest, officers obtained a search warrant and found the clothes he was seen wearing in the video footage, hidden in the oven, say the charges. While the bags Tulloss was seen carrying were also recovered, police did not find a baseball bat in his apartment.

Plymouth Housing is a housing first charity that relies on significant public grants.

Plymouth Housing provides permanent supportive housing services for homeless individuals. It’s part of the Housing First strategy where the homeless are given homes with no conditions before being provided wraparound services to address the underlying causes of their homelessness.

And at Plymouth Housing, they approach their work using a harm reduction model for the residents who are drug addicts. According to its website, Plymouth Housing creates a “nonjudgmental space” for its residents “to make changes if, and when, they are ready.”

These types of housing programs, which are purposefully placed in densely populated neighborhoods, often take in dangerous felons. They pose a significant danger to the community, but activists, politicians, and media members shame you for pointing this out…

Is Tulloss an addict or mentally ill? I have no idea. But free housing isn’t helping.

Housing first may actually help some people who need a start getting their life back on track. But the lack of structure also comes with a risk that someone like Tulloss, who has a long history of convictions including two previous felonies, will simply continue on the destructive path they are on. There was a warrant out for his arrest at the time of the attack, so it doesn’t seem like he was making much progress.

According to Tulloss’s Washington State criminal background, he has been convicted of two felonies for robbery and breaking into someone’s home.

He’s also been convicted of nine gross misdemeanors.

At the time of the Belltown attack, investigators said he had a warrant for theft out of the Kirkland Municipal Court.

Tulloss has now been charged with 1st degree assault and is being held on $150,000 bond. He faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted. Hopefully he’ll get close to the maximum. Society has given Wantez Tulloss enough 2nd chances. Here’s a local news report on the attack.