Man sought in death at traffic circle is arrested

As a circle formed in a modest classroom at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Brian Keith Brown put his head down and tears streamed down his face.

The Rev. Phyllis Beaumonte, who recalled the scene, held the frightened man, prayed for his support and said turning himself in was the right thing to do. A few feet away, uniformed police officers waited to arrest Brown on suspicion of second-degree murder.

The group gathered Wednesday morning, two days after police said they were looking for Brown in connection with the death of James Paroline.

Paroline was watering a South Seattle traffic circle July 9 when he began arguing with several women who demanded that he move cones diverting traffic, prosecutors say. One of the women had been sprayed with Paroline's hose, and the argument was continuing when, police said, Brown drove up to the scene and punched the 60-year-old man. A day later, Paroline died of head injuries suffered from hitting the concrete.

Brown

On Wednesday, an aunt of Brown's, who was with her nephew in Federal Way, contacted Beaumonte through Chris Bennett, the owner of the community newspaper The Seattle Medium.

"It's my understanding he was fearful of turning himself in," said Beaumonte, adding that Brown had requested her counsel. "I prayed and encouraged him."

About 10:30 a.m., Beaumonte, acting as president of the Seattle/King County NAACP branch, went to her church along with Bennett. Police officers met them and, about an hour later, Brown arrived with his aunt and two friends. His aunt sobbed to a television crew and defended her nephew.

Brown surrendered peacefully, police said, after the prayer circle, which included his lawyer. He was booked into King County Jail with bail set at $500,000 and is scheduled to be arraigned July 28.

One neighbor who knew Paroline said the arrest "was like a weight lifted off the neighborhood."

Yalonda Gill Masundire, a community activist organizing a neighborhoodwide block watch, said she hopes Brown and the neighborhood get the support they need.

But Brown's tearful surrender was difficult for some friends of Paroline to accept.

"If I thought there was a distinct possibility I would be incarcerated, I might be crying, seeking mercy, too," said Chuck Benson, a neighbor who shared linguine and clams with Paroline just before he died. "I think his track record would indicate otherwise."

Brown, who had completed his GED and most recently lived in Renton, has a criminal history dating to 1998, including guilty pleas for second-degree malicious mischief, felony assault and third-degree theft. The 28-year-old also pleaded guilty to a 1999 drug charge in King County Superior Court.

He also has misdemeanor convictions for criminal trespass, driving with a suspended license, obstructing law enforcement and felony drug possession. In June 2004, he pleaded guilty to third-degree assault after attacking a woman in her Renton apartment building, court documents say.

Patrina Hicks, one of the women involved in the July 9 episode, said she doesn't know how Brown -- who was dating her sister -- arrived at the scene. She and the other women initially lied to police about details of the incident because they were afraid, Hicks said.

She and the others are being unjustly portrayed as malicious aggressors who contributed to Paroline's death, she said. "We want to put flowers where he died," said Hicks, adding that she called 911 at the scene. "I want people to know that I tried to do the right thing."

Tuesday night, about 200 people filled Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church for a community meeting and memorial honoring Paroline. Seattle Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske said the tragedy has affected the entire region.

Beaumonte, the minister who prayed for Brown, knows that well. When she moved to South Seattle 18 years ago, Paroline was among the first to greet her. She adored his yard work, and when she told him she didn't like to garden because she wasn't a fan of the spiders and bugs, he picked out "beautiful flowers like he had in his yard."

When the perennials he planted for her bloom each year -- as Beaumonte expects they'll do soon -- she thinks of Paroline. "That's why we're all here," she said, "to help people."