Innocent bystander wounded in shooting near Space Needle
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SEATTLE - An innocent bystander was wounded in a shooting at Seattle Center during the Folklife Festival on Saturday evening.
Police say it was around 7 p.m. when two men began fighting near the Space Needle's valet station.
One man walked up to another and said, "you from Yaks" -- the second man said he thought he was being asked if he was from Yakima, said Detective Renee Witt with Seattle Police.
The second man walked away, but then moments later, the first man came back and struck the second man in the face with a skateboard, Witt said.
The second man pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and started firing toward the attacker.
"I looked over and the guy was thrusting his gun forward and shooting at a guy (a few feet away)," said witness Paul Allard.
The gunman fired about three or four shots down the street at the man, but instead a bullet struck the right leg of another man who was just waiting on the corner to cross Broad Street, Witt said.
The gunman then ran off.
Police say the gunman ran right for Center House in the middle of the Folklife festival. Officers stationed nearby were right behind.
"Once they got into Center House, they were able to take him into custody," said Seattle Police Deputy Chief Nick Metz.
The shooter was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of assault. Police say the man told detectives he's from Kent and is associated with a street gang. Witt said the shooter didn't know the man who struck him with the skateboard.
The main entrance to Center House was blocked off for hours after the suspect was captured.
Meanwhile, the victim was put into an ambulance and taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he was treated and released.
Witt didn't give any additional information about the man who used the skateboard.
The shooting is the second during the Folklife Festival in recent years. In 2008, a gun went off during a scuffle, with the single bullet striking three people.
That shooting led then-mayor Greg Nickels to ban all guns from city-owned property, but the law was later struck down by appeals courts.
It's also the second time this week an innocent person was hit by gunfire. On Thursday, Justin Ferrari was driving his young children and his parents in the car through Seattle's Central District when he was struck and killed by a bullet meant for someone else.
Police say it was around 7 p.m. when two men began fighting near the Space Needle's valet station.
One man walked up to another and said, "you from Yaks" -- the second man said he thought he was being asked if he was from Yakima, said Detective Renee Witt with Seattle Police.
The second man walked away, but then moments later, the first man came back and struck the second man in the face with a skateboard, Witt said.
The second man pulled out a .22-caliber handgun and started firing toward the attacker.
"I looked over and the guy was thrusting his gun forward and shooting at a guy (a few feet away)," said witness Paul Allard.
The gunman fired about three or four shots down the street at the man, but instead a bullet struck the right leg of another man who was just waiting on the corner to cross Broad Street, Witt said.
The gunman then ran off.
Police say the gunman ran right for Center House in the middle of the Folklife festival. Officers stationed nearby were right behind.
"Once they got into Center House, they were able to take him into custody," said Seattle Police Deputy Chief Nick Metz.
The shooter was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of assault. Police say the man told detectives he's from Kent and is associated with a street gang. Witt said the shooter didn't know the man who struck him with the skateboard.
The main entrance to Center House was blocked off for hours after the suspect was captured.
Meanwhile, the victim was put into an ambulance and taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he was treated and released.
Witt didn't give any additional information about the man who used the skateboard.
The shooting is the second during the Folklife Festival in recent years. In 2008, a gun went off during a scuffle, with the single bullet striking three people.
That shooting led then-mayor Greg Nickels to ban all guns from city-owned property, but the law was later struck down by appeals courts.
It's also the second time this week an innocent person was hit by gunfire. On Thursday, Justin Ferrari was driving his young children and his parents in the car through Seattle's Central District when he was struck and killed by a bullet meant for someone else.
