Robbers using pepper spray in North Seattle attacks

SEATTLE — Fourteen-year-old Nick Otness was walking his family's little dog Tank along 21^st Avenue NW Saturday night when he saw a black Volkswagen Jetta with two people inside pass him twice.

“I didn’t see it stop, but it must have, and then a guy came toward me in a black hoodie, and he pepper-sprayed me as I was taking down my head phones, and he hit me in the face and I fell to the ground,” Otness said.

The pepper spray blinded the 14-year-old for a few seconds while thief grabbed his cellphone.

“It’s not just your eyes,” Otness said.  “Everywhere it goes, it burns, my ear burning my entire face was burning the entire time.”

After a moment on the ground, Otness was able to grab his dog and run two blocks home to his parents.

“All of a sudden I hear my husband screaming 'get up, your son has been mugged,'” his mom said. “Face swollen red just screaming in pain.”

When the police showed up, the family was told two other people in north Seattle had been attacked the exact same way Saturday night within about an hour.

A biker stopped at 24^th and 65^th was pushed to the ground, then the attacker yelled "look this way" and another mugger sprayed him in the face.

At 3^rd and 103^rd a man was sprayed just got off the bus.  Both men were also robbed.

Seattle police have not made any arrests in the cases yet.

KIRO