Convicted murderer charged after Auburn pepper spray spree

Auburn Police say a Seattle man pepper-sprayed the faces of at least three people at various South Auburn locales, then sprayed a police officer before the officer dropped him with a taser during the early afternoon of Feb. 11

On. Feb. 15, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Royce Daniel Hendrix, 43, with three counts of third-degree assault. At Hendrix’s earlier bail hearing, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kyu-Hee Yi asked the court to order him held in jail on $50,000 bail.

“The defendant attacked numerous random victims in broad daylight. If released, the defendant is a danger to the community,” Kyu-Hee Yi told the court.

According to court records, Hendrix’s record includes numerous convictions, including two counts of first-degree murder, for which he was sentenced on Aug. 11, 1994, to more than 26 years in prison when he was only 16 years old.

According to the Auburn Police Department Certification for Determination of Probable Cause, here is what happened in the Feb. 11 incident.

Shortly before 3 p.m., according to the police account, Hendrix allegedly approached an employee of Grocery Outlet, 102 Cross St. SE, with a question, and when the employee turned to answer, Hendrix sprayed bear mace into his face. According to the police account, Hendrix then walked east to Burger King where he sprayed all the employees and customers inside with bear mace.

According to the police account, Hendrix then approached another man near Clean Wheels Car Wash, 220 Auburn Way South, and sprayed him in the face. When an Auburn police officer chased Hendrix after the last incident, Hendrix allegedly tried to run away at first, but then turned and sprayed the officer.

“The officer reported that his face and eyes were in immediate pain and his skin felt like it was on fire. Even after 2 hours had passed, officer reported that his skin continued to feel to hot and felt pain in his eyes,” according to court records.

Police arrested Hendrix at 100 Auburn Way South. Court records do not indicate whether Hendrix has provided an explanation for his actions.

According to court records, the 1993 murder of 7-year-old Angelica Robinson happened at a run-down house when Hendrix and two other youth appeared there to get revenge on a man whom they claimed had swindled them in a $100 cocaine deal. While one youth waited outside in a car, Hendrix and a second youth went through the house, firing at least nine rounds from handguns. One of the bullets went through a door and struck Angelica, who was asleep on the floor on the other side of the door.