Man shot 3 times during attempted robbery, gun battle in South Seattle

SEATTLE — A man survived being shot three times during a gun battle that erupted during an attempted robbery in South Seattle Tuesday night, the Seattle Police Department said.

At 11:09 p.m., police were called to the 5000 block of South Thistle Street for reports of a shooting.

Officers arrived to find a 30-year-old man outside who had been shot once in each leg, with a third gunshot wound to one of his feet.

The victim, who had already put a tourniquet on one of his legs, was helped by officers until medics from the Seattle Fire Department arrived and took him to Harborview Medical Center.

The man told officers that he had just gotten home with his wife and two children. When he got out of the car to start getting his children out of the back seat, two armed suspects approached the couple and demanded they hand over their belongings.

At that point, the victim pulled out a handgun and exchanged gunfire with the two suspects.

The man told police that as he was shooting, he moved away from his family to try to distance them from the gunfire. His wife and children were not hurt.

The suspects fled in two cars.

No descriptions of the cars or suspects have been provided by police.

Robbery detectives are leading the investigation.

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