SPD: Homeowner uses samurai sword to stab suspected burglar armed with a pitchfork
SEATTLE - Police say a suspected burglar attacked a homeowner with a pitchfork in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood, but the man fought back with a samurai sword.
Officers were called around 1:30 p.m. Sunday to reports of a burglary at a home near Beacon Ave S and 11th Ave S.
Police located and detained two men on arrival—one with a sword and minor injuries, and the other with a stab wound to the torso.
In Seattle Police body camera video, released though a public records request, shows video of the homeowner explaining the situation to officers. He is heard saying, "My house has been burglarized. He was inside my house. He was inside my house and he attacked me with a pitchfork."
After investigating, the officer discovered that the suspect attempted the burglary while no one was home, but the 71-year-old homeowner came back mid-burglary.
Pitchfork used by burglary suspect in home invasion attempt.
After finding misplaced items and a shattered window, the homeowner saw a man standing in his living room. The two fought with each other, and at one point, the suspect held the homeowner down and used a pitchfork to stab him.
The homeowner's eye was gouged in this attack.
The victim slipped away to his bedroom to grab a gun, which jammed when he tried to shoot the suspect, so he grabbed a samurai sword and stabbed the suspect.
The homeowner was heard in the body camera video telling officers, "I grabbed the samurai sword and defend myself with the samurai sword."
A 61-year-old woman in the home tried to lift the suspect off of the man, and the suspect fled the home to a nearby residence where he was detained by officers. The victim followed the suspect to tell the neighbor who the man was.
Seattle Fire arrived later to take care of injuries—the male victim suffered non-life-threatening injures to the face and torso, and the 61-year-old suspect was brought to Harborview Medical Center for treatment of his non-life-threatening stab wound.
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The suspect was later arrested for first-degree burglary and will be booked in the King County Jail after he is released from the hospital.
Police said in any suspicious situation, the safest option is to call for help.
"Think about your safety. Get to a safe location, call 911. Wait for the arrival for police so that we can make sure the location, or whatever circumstances, is safe and that there is no harm that comes to you or potentially others," said Detective Judinna Gulpan, public information officer for Seattle Police Department.