Resident strikes brawler with hatchet near Seattle U

A resident who may have tried to break up a brawl in the street near his apartment at 13th and Columbia struck one of the brawlers in the head with a hatchet, according to Seattle Crime. The fight occurred around 12:45 a.m. December 17th. The alleged fighters said the resident was angry because the group was being loud. The resident told police he was trying to break up a fight and brought the hatchet for self-defense.

The loud group had just left a bar near 13th and Columbia when the fight, which was captured on a Seattle University camera, started. Witnesses told police the resident yelled, “Shut the [expletive] up!” from his apartment before coming outside armed with a hatchet and a buck knife. He also allegedly tried to sic his dog on the group.

One of the brawlers ran at the man, who struck him with the blunt end of the hatchet in the head several times. The man then tried to flee, but several people chased him down.

From Seattle Crime:

The suspect then took off running, and one of the group members gave chase.

The group member eventually caught up to the suspect, who told them “What I did was wrong. I’m sorry,” the report says.

Police showed up to the scene and contacted the suspect, who gave police a very different version of events.

The man told police he heard “people outside of his apartment building arguing possibly even fighting” and heard someone say “I’m going to kill you.”

The man armed himself with a hatchet to go break up the fight.

When he went outside, the suspect saw the victim run towards him, and struck him in the head with the hatchet, apparently to defend himself.

The victim of the hatchet strikes had a “severe” laceration on the left side of his head, but was not seriously injured. He was taken to the hospital. The resident also had cuts on his face and a swollen eye. He was placed into custody.

0 thoughts on “Resident strikes brawler with hatchet near Seattle U

  1. Different contexts or not, why does a guy living in an apartment even have a hatchet, much less think it appropriate to go outsite to break up a noise disturbance with one in hand? I’d love to know the criminal history of the guy with the hatchet. Considering where he lives, something tells me this isn’t the first time noise has bothered him.

  2. From seattlecrime.com (where this story was scooped)
    “Police reviewed footage from security cameras at nearby Seattle University, which showed there was a large brawl in the street at 13th and Columbia just before the suspect confronted the victim.
    The video also shows that the victim did run at suspect, the report says.
    The report say the victim and his friends were uncooperative when officers questioned them about the incident.
    The suspect, however, turned over the knife and axe to police, who booked him into the King County Jail.
    Authorities released the the suspect the day after the incident—apparently without a bail hearing—and prosecutors have not yet filed charges.”

    Apartment or house, I guess some men and women keep hatchets for various reasons. It’s not that uncommon of a tool. Luckily, it’s not that common of a weapon. The guy said there was a huge fight and he heard someone threatening to kill someone else and attempted to break up the fight. It doesn’t really seem like it was a noise issue as much as a vigilante issue. Noise and life threatening violence are totally different. If the guy with the hatchet had a criminal history I doubt if he would have been released so quickly without bail and without charges pressed.

  3. “If the guy with the hatchet had a criminal history I doubt if he would have been released so quickly without bail and without charges pressed.”

    You’re wrong there. I work in law enforcement and the courts release people everyday with criminal histories so large you need a special stapler to hold them all together for court. Visit any in-custody hearing at the King County Jail (held 6 days per week) and see what I mean. And it’s not at all unusual in a felony investigation for the suspect to be released after a probable cause hearing, with charges pending. If he has no recent history of failing to appear, release without bail is more common than not. The state then can file charges any time in the next year or more, depending on the jurisdiction. So quick release without bail is not and indicator that the person has no criminal history. Not at al.