‘Deadliest Catch’ star arrested after alleged assault of Uber driver in Seattle

SEATTLE – Celebrity boat captain Sig Hansen was arrested and jailed early Thursday for investigation of assault and property destruction in connection with an early morning incident with an Uber driver in Ballard, Seattle police said.

Hansen, of “Deadliest Catch” fame, was arrested at a residence in Shoreline, though it was unclear early Thursday if the arrest came at his home, Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson said.

King County Jail records show he was booked at 4:05 a.m. in connection with assault and property destruction charges.

Hansen’s arrest came after he and two other people tried to take an Uber car from Ballard at about 2 a.m., Jamieson said.

“Apparently there was a dispute about how this group of individuals would pay the driver,” Jamieson said. “They tried to pay with cash, and when the driver told them that Uber doesn’t work that way, they can’t pay with cash, the suspect became insistent.”

After the driver refused to take the group to its destination and let them out, Hansen, who appeared drunk, got out and kicked the car, Jamieson said.

“He apparently kicked the car, putting a dent in it,” Jamieson said. “The driver drove away and called police.”

During the dispute, “There was also an allegation that somebody in the party spat on the driver,” Jamieson said.

Responding officers later went to Shoreline, about 10 miles north of downtown Seattle, and spoke with Hansen, Jamieson said.

“Based on what they said up there, the suspect was taken into custody.”

Hansen, 51, remained jailed Thursday morning in lieu of $2,000 bail, according to jail records.

Hansen is set for an in-custody arraignment Friday morning at the jail, according to Kimberly Mills, a spokeswoman for the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.

Hansen, the Norwegian-American skipper of the Northwestern, a crabbing boat featured on the cable TV series “Deadliest Catch,” has strong ties to Ballard and its Norwegian heritage.

Ballard celebrated Syttende Mai – Norway’s Constitution Day – late into the night Wednesday and early Thursday. The annual festival includes a parade and various events.

Melissa Eckstrom, 29, Hansen’s estranged daughter, is suing the cable TV star claiming her father sexually abused her as a toddler, while her parents were divorcing nearly three decades ago.

Hansen has vehemently denied the allegations, labeling them “an old-fashioned shakedown.”

The lawsuit prompted Snohomish County prosecutors to re-examine the abuse allegations, which date back to 1990 when Hansen and his daughter lived in Edmonds. The prosecutor’s office decided last month the case did not warrant the filing of criminal charges.