Seattle Police this morning released this statement about an incident at the Idris Mosque, at Northeast Northgate Way and 15th Avenue Northeast, and Victory Creek Park, adjacent to QFC:
Police arrested a man armed with a stolen gun, a pellet gun and a baseball bat after he confronted two other men outside a mosque Tuesday in the Northgate neighborhood.
The two victims were reportedly standing in the parking lot of a mosque at 15th Avenue NE and Northgate Way around 1 p.m. when they saw the suspect striking trees with a baseball bat as he walked toward them. One of the victims also noticed a silver handgun in the suspect’s waistband.
The suspect asked them “where they were from,” according to the victims, and argued with them when they said they were from the United States.
The suspect then dropped his bat to the ground, pulled the silver gun out of his waistband, and began waving it around. Both victims walked away from the suspect, who smashed a passenger-side mirror of a parked car as he fled the scene.
Officers found the suspect sitting on a park bench at nearby Victory Creek Park and took him into custody.
Police found he was carrying a baseball bat and a silver replica handgun–actually a very realistic-looking pellet gun–as well as a very real pistol, which was reported stolen in Lakewood.
Officers arrested the 28-year-old for property damage, assault, and malicious harassment–Washington’s hate crime statute–and booked him into the King County Jail.
No one was injured in the incident.
Something similar happened there after 9/11, drunk hicks with guns no bueno.
I would assume this incident was caused by mental illness or severe intoxication, otherwise this would be a severely brazen cultural attack. Fortunately no shots were fired.
Gun owners – keep your guns from being stolen!
– 2nd amendment supporter.
Nice guy. I hope he does some time and thinks better of his life. Glad nobody was hurt.