Man faces judge in off-duty Seattle-area officer’s killing

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A 58-year-old man accused of fatally stabbing a Seattle-area police officer on the Las Vegas Strip made an initial appearance Monday before a judge who scheduled his next court date next month.

Freddy Allen spoke in court only to acknowledge that he faces a murder charge. He was not asked to enter a plea before he was returned to jail, where he is being held without bail.

Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia had ordered Allen brought to court on Monday “by any means necessary” after Allen twice refused last week to attend court.

Allen’s appointed public defender, Melissa Oliver, declined to comment after Monday’s court hearing.

Allen is accused of killing Tyler Steffins, 33, an Edmonds, Washington, police officer who was visiting Las Vegas, following an argument late March 26 about Steffins petting another man’s dogs on a pedestrian bridge over Las Vegas Boulevard.

Las Vegas police said Steffins was not armed and officers who chased Allen saw him toss a hunting knife into a fountain, where it was retrieved following his arrest.

Records show that Allen had been released from jail in February after serving a 90-day sentence on a misdemeanor battery conviction following his arrest last November in an attack on a man on the Strip.