BELLEVUE, Wash. — A Bellevue Safeway store employee is not facing charges after he chased and repeatedly stabbed a suspected shoplifter, according to police.
The suspect is the one facing charges, but is in critical condition.
Bellevue police said a suspected shoplifter tried leaving the store with liquor and other items just before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
When an employee tried to stop him, the shoplifter hit him on the head with a bottle and ran out.
The employee, a man in his late 40s, chased the man down the street and around a corner into the parking lot of a Bank of America.
They fought again, and police said the employee took out a knife and stabbed the suspected shoplifter several times in what police said appeared to be self-defense.
The man staggered onto the street and collapsed.
Several neighbors woke up to find the scene outside.
"They were going really fast. They were trying to, seems like they were doing CPR or something," said Chase Boyd.
KIRO 7 asked residents if they thought the employee was right in chasing after the thief.
"No, I think you should call the police. It's kind of too dangerous," said Agus Daud.
“Well, they always say you shouldn't ... you know you've got to keep safe let the police do their work," said Jennifer Barda, who works nearby.
But Barda doesn't think the employee should be fired.
"I hope he still gets to keep his job," she said.
The suspected shoplifter could face a first-degree robbery charge.
A spokesman for Safeway said, "At this point, it’s premature to comment until we have all the information. The matter is under police investigation and we are doing all we can to assist the Bellevue Police Department with that effort."