UPDATE: About the police response in The Junction

8:52 AM: Thanks for the tips about a big police response in The Junction, in the alley just east of California/Alaska. It ended before we even got there but police wrapping up at the scene say it involved a man with what turned out to be a BB/pellet gun. He is in custody. No one hurt. Mike Lindblom, West Seattleite who happens to also be a Seattle Times journalist, was there as this unfolded – on his way to catch a bus – and tweeted:

Some very nervous @seattlepb with rifles and K9 just arrested a man in WS Junction whom neighbors say had fired a pellet pistol. No injuries or police-force used.

— Michael C. Lindblom (@MikeLindblom) August 29, 2018

He also says Husky Deli owner Jack Miller confronted the man. We’re headed over to see if we can talk to him.

9:24 AM: More from Mike in this comment. Meantime, WSB’s Patrick Sand talked with Jack Miller, who says it was an Airsoft-type pellet pistol and that the man who had it claimed he was just “shooting at the flowers.”

ADDED FRIDAY: Just discovered Instagram user @r_dabernathy‘s video of this. Adding for the record:

A post shared by Ryan Abernathy (@r_dabernathy) on Aug 29, 2018 at 10:39am PDT

Mike Lindblom August 29, 2018 (9:15 am)

I wouldn’t quite say Jack confronted the man, who was seated at the crosswalk bench near Chipotle after being in the alley. They were calm and Jack handed the pellet pistol back afterwards. At least one of the police didn’t see all that, and confused when Jack returned into the store. Get the rest from him —

sam-c August 29, 2018 (9:58 am)

Are those types of Airsoft type guns illegal? I’ve seen kids running around, hiding, and playing with those types of guns in Schmitz park before. So when seeing that, I assumed they were just ‘toys’

Brian August 29, 2018 (10:03 am)

I was walking towards the BB gun man north on CA Ave as he raised his arms up and shot down the alley just as I was 5ft from crossing the BB’s path. After the loud “pop” I stopped and asked “are we cool?” in which he said “yeah we good”. I told him that it was probably not a good idea to be shooting down the alley that he could hit somebody but he didn’t seem to be concerned. I then crossed the street to ask Jack at Husky if we should call it in. Jack went over to talk to the man and on his way back the Police were onsite handling the situation. We were on the sidewalk telling them that it was a BB gun not a real one but it sure looked real when I was next to it. What a way to start the day.

James Clark August 29, 2018 (11:54 am)

Airsoft pistols or guns have a bright orange tip on the barrel not illegal at all

22blades August 29, 2018 (12:01 pm)

I was in the Starbucks as it unfolded. It was kind of a ridiculous scene as policemen took up a safe line-of-sight position with passer-bys running out to get a good shot with their cellphone cameras. The manager of the Starbucks locked down the store & told customers to back away from the windows…then people rushed to the windows to see. 🙄