UPDATE: ‘Assault with weapons’ call in The Junction

(WSB photo)

1:21 PM: If you’ve seen/heard the big emergency response to 42nd/Alaska, it’s an “assault with weapons” call. We’re en route, no details yet, except that the SFD response has been scaled back. More to come.

1:36 PM: A private ambulance was called to Jefferson Square; it and SFD have left and the SFD call on this has closed. A patrol car is still there and we’re hoping to find officers to ask what this was about. Whatever it was, apparently not major.

1:49 PM: Finally talked to officers and got a bit of information. The victim was a man who was slashed in the arm with a boxcutter. He couldn’t tell them anything about who did it or why.

3:36 PM: A commenter says the victim reported trying to stop shoplifters before getting slashed.

newnative May 8, 2016 (1:34 pm)

That’s odd they said it was scaling back just another truck came by. heavy rescue truck came too.

WSB May 8, 2016 (1:39 pm)

The original call was the standard “send everybody” that an AWW call draws. But it is now not just scaled back, it’s completely closed, meaning no SFD units are on it any more. As I just mentioned above, we’re now staking out a patrol car, as the officers are nowhere in sight.

56bricks May 8, 2016 (2:03 pm)

The new normal.

Double Dub Resident May 8, 2016 (2:41 pm)

So the victim couldn’t or wouldn’t? Is this a random attack or did the victim know the perp?

TKB May 8, 2016 (3:23 pm)

I witnessed this. The victim said he tried to stop one or more individuals from shoplifting inside the Safeway, then followed them outside. This is where there was an ‘altercation’, which was happening when I arrived on the scene. The perps dropped some of the shopping items in the parking lot, then gathered them back up, got in a chevrolet van and sped off (somebody gave the license plate to the police). Somehow during the altercation the victim got slashed in the arm by a box cutter. It was a pretty deep cut (it needed stitches). Inside the Safeway nobody knew what had happened. I was a little puzzled by the police response. They helped the victim immediately, but did not seem super interested in witness statements. Somebody made a video of the whole thing so may be that suffices.

WSB May 8, 2016 (3:35 pm)

Thanks, TKB. Was hoping a witness would have some additional information – this all cleared really fast, we got out the door as fast as we could but that still wasn’t fast enough.

SDT May 8, 2016 (4:22 pm)

I also witnessed this disturbance. The “supposed” victim had been verbally assaulting the two being implicated in this disturbance inside of Safeway and was acting aggressively. The two saw no other option but to leave the store but the man continued to follow them out into the parking lot. The man forcefully assaulted the woman by grabbing her and ripping her bag from her person. The other man acted in self defense against the “supposed” victim in order to protect the woman and himself.

Marty May 8, 2016 (4:24 pm)

Is there a description of the shoplifters?

dsa May 8, 2016 (6:33 pm)

Most people don’t carry box cutters around with them.

Jay Koster May 8, 2016 (8:12 pm)

DSA, back when I used to work retail I did. I had at least one on me at all times, usually as a result of being on my way to or from work.

Not that it explains anything, but it is possible.

dsa May 8, 2016 (9:39 pm)

That is why I said most Jay, not all. Some would have a use for one. I used to work stocking shelves in my teens at a mom and pop, but they had a special box cutter that stayed in the store.

Jon May 9, 2016 (3:05 am)

Tons of people carry box cutters and knives. That’s not odd at all.

I hope we can get some more information. SPD Twitter said there were two commercial burglaries at Jefferson Square.

56bricks May 9, 2016 (5:07 am)

Yeah,I usually carry a crowbar. Because I used one once.

waikikigirl May 9, 2016 (3:06 pm)

@56 BRICKS…Ditto!!! LOL!!!!

erikpnw May 9, 2016 (3:16 pm)

The “victim” wandered into the back bar at the Maharaja still bleeding and asked for a smoke from someone then left. He seemed either intoxicated or just belligerent not making a lot of sense saying someone slashed him. He mentioned needing stitches and something about stopping shoplifters.

Jack May 9, 2016 (11:03 pm)

I talked to someone at that Safeway today, who’d seen it happen. What they told me was this:

A man and a woman were together in the store. As they were leaving, another man who was in the store thought that this couple was shoplifting, and went to confront them in the parking lot. When he got out there, he accused her of shoplifting and tried to take the groceries away from the woman. The man who had been shopping with the woman, thinking she was being attacked/assaulted, pulled out a box cutter and used it to fight off the assailant, resulting in said assailant getting cut on the arm. So in actuality, there was no shoplifting happening, just somebody who mistakenly thought he was helping stop a crime, but instead created an incident where there was none to start with, and ended up getting himself hurt.

Sorry, comment time is over.