Federal prosecutors have charged a Department of Homeland Security detention agent with assault for allegedly pointing her sidearm at her supervisor, prompting an evacuation at the agency’s Tukwila offices.
A complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle alleges Peggy Lee Robbins unholstered her handgun and pointed it at her boss Thursday after he asked her to sign documents related to an employee “performance improvement plan” aimed at correcting unspecified “issues” with her job performance.
Her supervisor fled through an emergency door and, according to the complaint, “recruited other employees to help him evacuate the workspace surrounding the cubicle.”
Other employees said they heard Robbins crying in her cubicle and asked if she was OK. She reportedly responded that “I am not going to say anything until the police arrive,” saying that she had called 911 herself.
In the meantime, several other Homeland Security agents approached Robbins’ cubicle with their weapons drawn, and Robbins reportedly stated, “I am at peace, are you coming at peace?”
She then showed her hands and surrendered her firearm, according to the charges.
Robbins was arrested, charged with assaulting a federal officer, and booked into the Federal Detention Center in SeaTac, where prosecutors have asked that she be held pending trial.
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