By Carolyn Bick
Pedro Gomez, the now-former director of external affairs in Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office, has been accused of alcohol-fueled sexual assault in the second degree, according to a report filed last summer with the Seattle Police Department (SPD). A spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office told the Northwest Asian Weekly that Gomez resigned effective Jan. 6, but that he had been placed on administrative leave on Sept. 24, 2024.

Photo credit: Seattle Police Department.
Sexual assault in the second degree is “usually used in cases of forced compulsion or when the victim is physically helpless (like being asleep) or mentally incapacitated,” according to SPD.
In the investigation timeline included in the report, SPD Officer Eric Whitehead noted that even though the survivor filed a report, when he called them to schedule an interview, they said that they were “hesitant to report the assault sooner because the suspect is a city employee and he made comments to [them] about being connected to the Chief of Police.”
The survivor said that Gomez told them he was the director of external affairs for the City of Seattle, and that the mayor had connected the pair for a business meeting involving the organization the survivor worked for.
The survivor told police that they had several meetings with Gomez prior to the alleged assault, but that they felt they were nothing outside regular business meetings.
According to the report’s incident timeline, on June 18, 2024, Gomez met with the survivor at the Charlotte Lounge inside the Lotte Hotel to discuss business matters in conjunction with Gomez’s business, Kolors Studio. Over the course of the meeting, the report reads, Gomez and the survivor had several drinks, enough that the survivor said they did not feel comfortable driving home without eating something. The survivor reported that Gomez offered to drive them both to Mercado Luna for food, until the survivor felt safe enough to drive home. Gomez also allegedly told the survivor he was an investor or part owner with Mercado Luna.
The survivor accepted the ride, and the business meeting continued. However, the survivor reported that despite continuing the business meeting at the restaurant, Gomez started speaking only Spanish to the staff at Mercado Luna, in a way that made them feel uncomfortable, since the survivor does not speak Spanish, and they could not understand what was being said.
The survivor said they excused themselves to use the restroom. When they came back, Gomez had two drinks waiting: A tequila shot for himself, and a cocktail for them. The survivor alleged that Gomez pressured them into drinking the cocktail.
At this point, the survivor said, they were drunk. They messaged their fiancé and another person, telling both of them that they were unsure about Gomez’s intention, but that they were making business moves and would head home after they were done at Mercado Luna.
“After [they] sent the text messages, things got fuzzy,” the report reads. The survivor said they did not recall whether they had finished their drink, but did remember eating. During the course of the meeting, they recalled Gomez asking about their fiancé, and asking what they saw in him and what they liked about him.
The survivor told police that they “later saw that [they] called a Lyft three different times (2210 hours, 2218 hours, and 2224 hours) but never got into a Lyft. [They do] not recall ordering the Lyfts but remembers feeling like [they] needed to get home.”
The report states that the survivor found themselves in Gomez’s car and then inside his apartment. They told police that they remembered awakening in what appeared to be Gomez’s bed, with Gomez allegedly performing a sexual act on them with his mouth. They also noticed that they were undressed. They did not recall how they got into his apartment, or how they became undressed.
Gomez allegedly threw the survivor onto the bed, after they managed to leave it, and were looking for their phone. Gomez then allegedly forced his way on top of the survivor, even after they said no and tried to push him off of their body. According to the report, at this point in the interview, the survivor did not wish to go into specific details of the alleged assault, but “made it clear that this was unwanted and non-consensual sexual contact with [Gomez], which they unsuccessfully tried to stop several times.”
After the alleged assault, the survivor tried to dress themselves, but could not, as their clothes appeared to be torn or damaged. They told police that they did not know how their clothes became damaged.
They also could not find their underwear, purse, mobile phone, or keys. They told police that Gomez “assisted” them in getting dressed and getting their phone out of his car.
Once out of his apartment, the survivor called a Lyft for a ride home at around 1:30 a.m. on June 19, 2024. They told police that they remembered telling their fiancé what happened, but did not recall what they said.
That day, the survivor reported, they texted Gomez for their possessions. He replied, they said, and told the survivor that he had not drunk that much in a long time, and that “he wanted to move forward with a partnership and said he was going to talk to him [sic] business partner about ‘bringing [the survivor] in.’”
The survivor said that Gomez returned their purse and keys via a third party. However, their underwear was nowhere to be found. The survivor believes it may be in Gomez’s apartment.
The survivor also went to the University of Washington Hospital to have a rape kit done to preseve any evidence of sexual assault.
“On September 24th, the former employee notified his supervisor that he was being investigated by SPD,” a spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office wrote in a statement to the Northwest Asian Weekly. “He was immediately placed on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation, prohibiting him from contact with City employees, engaging with external City partners, and returning to the office.”
“On January 6th, our office was made aware that an Incident/Offense Report was forwarded from SPD to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the employee resigned that day,” the statement continued, before concluding that the office is “committed to rooting out sexual violence and to supporting survivors,” and pointing to a 2022 executive order meant to support sexual assault survivors, as well as collaboration with the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center.
SPD declined to comment, and instead directed the Northwest Asian Weekly to reach out to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (KCPAO) and the Mayor’s Office for comment.
The KCPAO said that “our office is anticipating additional information from law enforcement sources in the coming weeks and expects to make a charging decision after that additional information is available.”
This is an incredibly disturbing situation, and my heart goes out to the survivor for having to navigate such a traumatic experience. It’s especially troubling to see the alleged abuse of power and authority here, as it highlights a pervasive issue in how positions of influence can be used to intimidate and manipulate victims into silence.
I seen Pedro in two community events, he has been fine at the beginning of the event, I think he has an alcohol problem, I have seen the transformation to arrogant, condescending, womanizer, when drunk, he is like a different person, and he likes to fight. too bad this happened I have no doubt he abused the victim. he must feel very sorry like every alcoholic after the storm.
This is the owner of Kolors Studio in seattle.
All these government programs need to be looked at an audited to see where and when government funds were used now that we know the corruption!
Lies
I know the owners also a women the men have been nothing but respectful. I have also had a a few drinks with them. This is crazy!