Man stabbed inside Seattle AT&T store, suspect arrested
SEATTLE - A man was stabbed inside an AT&T store in Seattle's Rainier Valley neighborhood on Monday.
According to Seattle police, a 37-year-old man was seriously hurt and quickly rushed to Harborview Medical Center.
Officers responded to the stabbing around 2:30 p.m.
According to witnesses, the suspect entered the store appearing to be "in crisis." The victim and suspect got into a conversation, which appeared to be non-confrontational.
At some point, the man "in crisis" pulled a knife from his jacket and stabbed the other man in the chest. The victim then ran out of the store to get help.
via Citizen App
The victim was treated on scene by paramedics before being taken to Harborview.
After getting inside, Seattle police say they found the 57-year-old suspect attempting to get into a storage room where the employees were hiding.
Adam Mekay, who was next door to the incident, said he heard screaming coming from the plaza when the stabbing took place.
"A lot of police cars swarming towards the back, just tackling the guy to the ground and there were a lot of people on this side calling the police as well," Mekay said.
Police said the suspect remained inside the store until officers arrived and arrested him. He was taken into custody without incident.
"You can just see all those police cars and more kept coming to like that side of the street, but at that point, he was kind of arrested," Mekay said.
With the holidays in full swing, the shopping center was quite busy.
"Ross was pretty busy over there, people coming in and out, a lot of people driving by as well," said Mekay.
Mekay says it's fortunate that no one else was injured, including children that were in the area at that time.
"There was actually a little kid on a scooter going towards the attacker," said Mekay. "A seven-year-old and eight-year-old and then like his parents called him over quickly and that was also pretty dangerous. The police came and apprehended him and the kid was right next to the attacker."
The suspect has since been booked into King County Jail for assault, and the victim is expected to survive his injuries.
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13
Emails reveal Jamie Tompkins fought rumors of affair with Seattle police Chief Diaz
2 suspects fire shots at Pierce County Transit bus in Puyallup, WA
Luigi Mangione pleads not guilty to state murder, terror charges
Who will receive the $1,400 stimulus check? Here's how to check.
Deputies investigating after Leavenworth, WA park was damaged before Christmas
Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group for $6.25 billion
‘You feel invaded’: Thief steals $8K of music gear from Tacoma musician’s car
Need a last-minute item? These US stores will be open on Christmas
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily Fox Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX Seattle FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national coverage, plus 24/7 streaming coverage from across the nation.