Man accused of child assault at pump track won’t face charges
Published 3:55 pm Wednesday, July 29, 2026
The Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has officially declined to charge a local man of assaulting a child at the Buckley pump track earlier this month.
A 46 year old man was arrested on July 1 for allegedly pushing the child at the track, causing serious injuries, according to the Enumclaw Police Department.
The man posted bail on July 5, and a court return date was scheduled for July 8.
However, the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office asked the Buckley Police Department on July 7 for additional information before it potentially filed charges, and the return date was canceled.
The attorney’s office officially announced July 29 that charges will not be filed.
Prosecuting attorney’s office spokesperson Adam Faber said the case was “carefully reviewed by our Special Assault Unit,” but the country determined it could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the man pushed the child.
“Buckley P.D. conducted a thorough investigation. The injuries were caused by the older child going over the handlebars of his bicycle and hitting the ground,” Faber said in an email. “There is video of the incident, but it is very low resolution and grainy. Unfortunately, with the low resolution and the angle of the camera, the video would not be particularly useful at trial on the question of whether the rider was struck or not.”
Faber added that witness statements were mixed. One adult said the suspect rode up to the child and elbowed him, but another said the child was “riding aggressively” with others and did not see an assault.
“Given the conflicting witness accounts and the inconclusive video, it is unlikely that a jury would find that a charge was proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Faber said.
BPD Chief Alfano declined to comment on the decision to not file charges, but added that “We will continue to hold people accountable for what we believe was a criminal act in our community.”
