AP: 7abb12bb-f761-4e5a-a2c1-29bbe377a3bc
This frame grab provided by the Seattle Police Department shows Ian Stawicki left, at Cafe Racer on Wednesday, May 30, 2012. (SPD)

Police credit hero in Seattle cafe shootings

BY MyNorthwest.com  on May 31, 2012 @ 2:32 pm (Updated: 6:17 am - 6/1/12 )

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He is a hero. Seattle police now say that a man named Lawrence is responsible for saving the lives of two, possibly three people, during the Cafe Racer shooting on Wednesday. Police say it's fortunate there weren't more people shot as an armed and dangerous man traveled across Seattle before finally claiming his own life.

On Thursday, Seattle Police Assistant Chief Nick Metz said that he had the opportunity of reviewing the surveillance video showing the slayings inside Cafe Racer.

"I've never seen anything more horrific, callous, and cold," he said.

Police described what they saw on the video. In the minutes before the attack, Ian Stawicki appeared to be calmly sitting at the bar of the cafe. When someone got up and headed toward the door, he opened fire.

Lawrence, a longtime patron of the cafe, was drinking his morning coffee when he overheard someone 'politely' telling Stawicki that he was no longer welcome at the cafe.

According to Lawrence, the popping of the guns was quieter than he expected, happening when he glanced down at his phone for just a moment.

That was when, according to police Stawicki started shooting people sitting at the bar.

Fighting back by throwing bar stools, Lawrence survived.

"During that time, two or possibly three, people made their escape," Assistant Police Chief Jim Pugel said.

Lawrence said he was defending his friends. "I just threw the frigging stool at him, legs first," he told police. "My brother died in the World Trade Center. I promised myself, 'If something like this ever happened, I would never hide under a table.'"

When he finished shooting, Stawicki put his guns back in his pockets, put his hat on, and walked outside.

While many are calling Lawrence the hero, he said that a wounded cafe employee who was able to call 911 was the "real hero."

Police have said Stawicki used two .45 caliber handguns during the attack. Lawrence told police that Stawicki had looked back at him like he didn't care. "He was on a mission to kill my friends."

From there, witnesses are coming forward to help piece together the puzzle of how Stawicki got from the University District to First Hill, where he would claim his next victim, and take her car.

One woman said that she saw him on 45th, trying to flag down her car.

The SeattlePI.com reports Stawicki took a truck from the Ravenna neighborhood and abandoned it near Town Hall where he encountered Gloria Leonidas.

She had parked her car and was at the receipt machine, paying for her spot. She walked back to the car and was approached by Stawicki.

Witnesses saw a fight, and one called 911. Police said that Stawicki hit Leonidas several times, but she managed to knock the gun from his hand. He picked it up, shot her, jumped in her car and sped off.

The witness who called 911 was on the line with a dispatcher as Stawicki fired the shot, and then gasped and said that he had run over Leonidas.

Stawicki reached out to someone police described as an "old acquaintance" that lived in West Seattle. That person broke off contact with him when he began talking erratically, and described Stawicki's comments as "nonsense."

Despite the rejection, Stawicki headed to West Seattle.

He abandoned Leonidas' car in a no-parking zone. He left one of his guns behind and when one woman tried to warn him that he couldn't park there, he ignored her and walked on.

He roamed in very crowded areas for some time after that. Finally, he was spotted by an officer in plain clothes. As authorities closed in on him, he took his gun and shot himself in the head, dying at Harborview Medical Center later that night.

In all, six people were fatally shot, including Stawicki.

The only survivor of the cafe shooting, Leonard Meuse, was upgraded from critical to serious condition at Harborview Medical Center.

Police say they still do not have a motive for the shooting.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MyNorthwest.com, Staff report
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Comments (24)


  • Add A Comment

  • Cash wrote...
    Bless you Lawerence
    May 31, 2012 4:26 pm
    You are truly a great man! Thank you for not giving up and fighting back!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Fighting back by throwing bar stools, Lawrence survived.
    May 31, 2012 7:01 pm
    He wasn't one of the liberal sheep. One of the helpless victims. He had already made up his mind about this. That is why he acted. He wasn't one of the weak who would look towards McSchwinn, Big Mouth Bruce and the rest of the liberal elitists to "save" him; he would save himself. I must confess, I don't believe this is a trait a vast majority of Seattle residents possess.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Rick1 wrote...
    HPD
    May 31, 2012 8:59 pm
    get a life dude... so this horrific incident is political to you. So this has something to do with how someone votes? this is a horrible tragedy and you my friend are a complete ignorant troll. Maybe the shooter was a conservative? Maybe the dead are libertarians? Maybe he voted for Clinton... who freakin cares? maybe they don't vote. Who gives a rip, they are family, neighbors, co-workers, friends... he lost it, now families are suffering. Have compassion. RIP
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Seattle is a cesspool wrote...
    Rick1...
    June 1, 2012 6:30 am
    Sit there and be the sheep you are. Enjoy.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    AS ARE YOU.
    June 1, 2012 6:46 am
    FOOL.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    YOU DO NOT KNOW HIS MIND.
    June 1, 2012 6:45 am
    STOP SPEAKING AS IF YOU KNOW HIM, AND HIS POLICITAL LEANINGS.

    THIS IS NOT A PLACE FOR POSTING YOUR HATE. YOU ARE A BAD PERSON.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Seattle is a cesspool wrote...
    oooh....
    June 1, 2012 9:11 am
    CAPS! AWESOME!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    comment on the story...
    June 1, 2012 11:43 am
    or go away, troll.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Chuck Gould wrote...
    HPD....Please indicate where you got accurate information
    June 1, 2012 7:42 am
    about Lawrence's political philosophies. I fail to find it in the news.

    Thanks.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • sportsguru wrote...
    That will never happen
    June 1, 2012 7:55 am
    Chuck, he makes it up as he goes and pretends like it is factual. I would be surprised if he was an actual police officer based on his post.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • moron wrote...
    HPD....Please indicate where you got accurate information
    June 1, 2012 3:19 pm
    Chuck Gould....Say HPD 5-0 would have worded it that "he was one of the liberal sheep", perhaps that may have prevented your nose from getting so far bent out of shape??
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • moron wrote...
    Fight Back
    May 31, 2012 7:33 pm
    Like Lawrence did, he is a hero. Saved many lives by doing what he did. Didn't think twice about it!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    Moron you are a . . . .
    May 31, 2012 8:13 pm
    moron.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • moron wrote...
    Moron you are a . . . .
    June 1, 2012 3:10 pm
    don't be jealous, ha!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • gomariners wrote...
    Indeed
    May 31, 2012 8:27 pm
    What an awful event. I'm sorry for all involved. Shelter in place, run or fight... make a plan. Lawrence, you told yourself you wouldn't be a victim and you weren't. Your friends would be proud.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • jerico1 wrote...
    This man is a hero!
    May 31, 2012 10:18 pm
    come on people we need to look at are family members and decide if they are loose in the head, try and spend the time with them if they are unemployed or went through a divorce, we need to be there for our family's, if on drugs you see them being distant and angry, make the call get them help! this is a sad story, just found out today a teacher at my kids last school was arrested for killing his wife, a year ago he lost his son to the war, why they would arrest him at the school is beyond me for my kid could see that and come home and tell me makes reason at all, the kids know that his wife died and were sad for him, we need some new people incharge!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • deltta wrote...
    If Lawrence had a gun
    June 1, 2012 12:27 am
    And the conviction to use it, this story might be different......
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • CH wrote...
    So who is cutting back on health care? . . . .
    June 1, 2012 5:10 am
    Bingo - the Republican't
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • moron wrote...
    CH wrote...
    June 1, 2012 3:07 pm
    you CH=Typical Seattle-lite liberal, you have nothing more than a few useless words to say...Enjoy your latte' and your laptop, violence happens (but shouldn't) everywhere. Sad, sad, loss for the community.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • HPD 5-0 wrote...
    Rick1 wrote...
    June 1, 2012 5:18 am
    Rick this goes to a bigger problem w/ Seattle & King County. You and no one else can deny this; look at the "press conference". Tell me did they liberal "leaders" of Seattle have any empathy or compassion? No. It became a political speech by both those idiots. Don't preach to me about empathy. I deal w/ it daily. Some people truly deserve it; some don't. The point of my post is Lawrence HAD MADE UP HIS MIND PRIOR TO ANY POSSIBLE INCIDENT, that he would survive to the best of his ability. He probably planned for a catastrophe too. IMO most residents here don't think that way. THey assume "the gubment" will fly in w/ their black helos and save the day...
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    MORE PEOPLE...
    June 1, 2012 6:47 am
    like this guy, please.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }