SEATTLE — A viral video is making the rounds, showing a violent attack at a Pride event this past weekend near Cal Anderson Park.
The video shows a man wielding a baseball bat like a samurai sword as the situation escalates. A peaceful Pride celebration was disrupted as a result.
KIRO 7 spoke to Tim, who took the video and lives nearby. He says he knew things would take a turn after demonstrators arrived.
“They specifically wanted that. They came here to cause that to happen,” says the Capitol Hill resident. “But I knew they picked the wrong location.”
“When they pulled up and there weren’t very many people protecting them at first…there was going to be a problem. That’s why I started recording.”
He also admits it’s upsetting that other groups are coming to his neighborhood to cause trouble.
“The right to demonstrate is different than the right to antagonize. So, I don’t think that they came wanting to lawfully exercise their rights,” he says.
“I think they came to do something that was unlawful. And, to provoke a reaction,” Tim said of the reason why he pulled out his phone. “And, they got a little bit of what they wanted.”
Meanwhile, the suspect was arrested by Seattle police. The video shows him attacking two people who were part of a small group that showed up to antagonize attendees, according to SPD.
“I saw ‘em start…well, they were pepper-spraying people,” Tim notes of the counter-clashers. “And, you can’t do that in a crowd. You can’t pepper-spray everybody.”
Authorities say they threw everything from water bottles and beer to eggs. Someone also used pepper spray in the commotion.
As for the suspect, an officer who happened to see the attack caught him a few of blocks away.
He was booked into the King County Jail for assault and obstruction. He’s scheduled to be back in court for another appearance on Wednesday, July 1.
KIRO 7 has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment.
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