Police: Red Onion patron stabbed for not giving up seat

Seattle Police arrested a man early Saturday for investigation of assault after he allegedly stabbed a patron at the Red Onion in Madison Park for refusing to give up his seat.

Officers responded to the tavern in the 4200 block of East Madison Street around midnight Saturday, Sept. 29, where they found the alleged victim sitting in a chair while another patron was applying pressure to a stab wound. He had multiple lacerations, according to a police report.

The alleged victim said he’d been sitting in the Red Onion with a friend when the suspect came up and requested he give up his seat, but his friend said she didn’t want him to. He said the suspect started pushing him, trying to get him off the chair. He said he thought the man was “putting a deep elbow in my ribs? but it turns out he was putting a blade in my ribs,” according to the report. Another patron came forward and reported being “body checked” by the same suspect and in the same chair an hour earlier.

The alleged victim was transported to Swedish Medical Center in First Hill for treatment of his wounds.

Officers were directed to Cactus restaurant, where the suspect was found sitting on the curb outside. The police report states the 3-inch blade was found two feet to his right.

“He assaulted me, I defended myself,” the suspect allegedly said. “That’s all I have to say.”

Prior to being booked into King County Jail for investigation of assault, the suspect was interviewed at the East Precinct police station.

“There was an altercation?” he reportedly told investigators. “I probably didn’t handle it as well as I should’ve.”