Christopher Teel: The Ballard Car Dealership Rape Case

Christopher Teel is a Seattle man who was sentenced in December 2021 to eight and a half years to life in prison for the May 2018 rape of a woman in a portable restroom at a Ballard car dealership. The Christopher Teel Ballard rape case drew national attention because Teel was living at a city-sanctioned homeless encampment at the time of the attack, because he was found mentally incompetent to stand trial three separate times, and because he assaulted his own defense attorney and threatened a judge during court proceedings.

What Happened at Carter Volkswagen

On May 14, 2018, a 40-year-old woman dropped her car for service at Carter Motors, a Volkswagen dealership on the 5200 block of Leary Avenue Northwest in Ballard. The dealership was under renovation, and its restrooms had been replaced by portable units at the end of a long ramp. While waiting for a shuttle to work, the woman walked to one of the temporary restrooms. Teel, then 24 and described in reports as six feet three inches tall and roughly 250 pounds, followed her in.¹

He locked the door, forced open her stall, grabbed her by the neck, and threw her to the floor. According to court records cited in news reports, he choked her and told her “you want this, God wants this” before sexually assaulting her.² She fought back and punched him. The dealership’s shuttle driver, unable to find her, heard screams and pounded on the door, prompting Teel to stand up so the woman could unlock it.¹

Teel tried to walk away but was tackled and held by dealership employees and at least one customer until Seattle police arrived.³⁴⁵

Why the Case Took Three Years to Resolve

Courts found Teel not competent to stand trial three separate times. He had been diagnosed with “unspecified schizophrenic spectrum disorder or some other psychotic disorder,” and defense reports noted a family history of mental illness, with symptoms first emerging when he was about 19 or 20. Arresting officers and mitigation specialists said he showed signs of a psychotic break at the time of the assault, ranting about “poisonous” air and talking to himself.¹

While awaiting trial, he deteriorated physically and mentally and was at one point forcibly injected with antipsychotic medication. His competency was ultimately restored after a yearlong stay at Western State Hospital.¹

The Courtroom Attacks

On February 13, 2020, during a competency hearing before Superior Court Judge Karen Donohue, Teel punched his court-appointed defense attorney, Reid Burkland. At least four King County sheriff’s deputies restrained him and removed him from the room. Burkland was not injured. The next day, a notice of withdrawal was filed removing Burkland and the King County Department of Public Defense from the case. Burkland publicly said he held “no ill will” toward Teel and did not want charges filed.⁶⁷

Two weeks later, on February 27, 2020, Teel erupted again. Handcuffed for the appearance, he shouted and appeared to step toward the judge. Officers tackled him. While pinned to the ground he screamed threats, including “I will kill you.” The judge postponed the hearing and ordered future proceedings moved out of courtroom 1201, the overcrowded room where both incidents had occurred.⁸

The Guilty Plea and Sentence

After his competency was restored, Teel pleaded guilty to first-degree rape and unlawful imprisonment. In December 2021, King County Superior Court Judge Sandra Widlan sentenced him to an indeterminate term of eight and a half years to life.¹²

The eight-and-a-half-year minimum is not a guaranteed release date. Under RCW 9.94A.507, the state’s Indeterminate Sentence Review Board can extend the sentence if it determines Teel is “more likely than not to commit another sex offense if released.” If he is eventually released, he must register as a sex offender and remain under Department of Corrections supervision for life.¹⁹

The Homeless Encampment Connection

Teel was a resident of Ballard Nickelsville, a city-sanctioned homeless encampment, when he committed the assault. That fact turned the case into a flashpoint in Seattle’s homelessness debate.¹⁰

Nickelsville had screened Teel against the King County sex-offender registry, which came back clean, since sex offenders are barred from the site. The camp did not run criminal warrant checks on its residents. Staff were unaware that Teel had an outstanding bench warrant from March 2017 for failing to appear on a gross misdemeanor charge of first-degree criminal trespass.¹⁰³

Seattle Police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said police could not randomly check encampment rosters for warrants because doing so would raise constitutional concerns about privacy and unlawful searches; warrants are checked only when an individual is stopped for a specific legal violation. Daniel Malone, executive director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center, said imposing background-check requirements on shelters and encampments would keep the most vulnerable people from getting help and likely push them into living outdoors with no assistance. Sara Rankin, a law professor at Seattle University, called the moment a “reckoning” for the city over “how we should approach homelessness and poverty.”¹⁰

1
Seattle Times. Man Who Raped Woman in Restroom of Ballard Car Dealership Sentenced to Minimum of 8½ Years in Prison
2
KOMO News. Christopher Teel, Ballard Rape Suspect, Ordered to Prison After Conviction
3
Seattle Times. “Just Sickening”: Man Accused of Raping a Woman in Restroom of Ballard Car Dealership
4
KOMO News. Christopher Teel, Ballard Rape Suspect, Punches Lawyer in Court
5
KOMO News. Homeless Man Arrested for Raping Woman in Ballard
6
CBS Austin. Christopher Teel: Defense Lawyer Drops Case After Courtroom Punch
7
KOMO News. Attack on King County Defense Lawyer Reignites Courtroom Safety Concerns
8
KATU. Christopher Teel, Ballard Rape Suspect, Gets Violent in Court Again
9
Washington State Legislature. RCW 9.94A.507 – Sentencing of Sex Offenders
10
Seattle Times. Seattle Homeless Camp Did Not Check for Warrants on a Resident Before Ballard Rape