‘Horrific:’ Blind man stabbed in Seattle apartment building

A blind man was attacked and stabbed in his Seattle apartment building on Sunday.

The Seattle Police Department (SPD) reported the building where the assault occurred was on Rainier Avenue South. The attack happened on the 4th floor near the elevators.

When officers arrived, they found a 60-year-old man bleeding and suffering from a stab wound to his abdomen, he also said his head was in pain. Police discovered the man was blind and “was struck feloniously in the back of the head” with his own walking cane, according to the report.

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When the man tried to defend himself, police said he was stabbed with a “three to four-inch (switch) blade.” The man stumbled backward and cried out for help, leading bystanders to call 911.

The man was treated by the Seattle Fire Department and transported to Harborview Medical Center in serious but stable condition. The officer who reviewed video evidence of the assault described it as “horrific,” according to SPD.

A woman was initially detained, as officers thought she was a suspect, but was subsequently determined to be a witness.

Police then identified a 47-year-old man as the suspect. Officers stated he went back to his home after the crime and refused to come out when directed by police.

Police negotiators with the Hostage Negotiation Team (HNT) arrived to help law enforcement get the suspect to surrender. However, SPD said the suspect refused to come out.

An officer then applied for a search warrant, which was approved by a judge. SPD said due to the nature of the felony assault and the weapon used, the department’s SWAT team was called in to serve the “high-risk warrant.”

SWAT was able to arrest the suspect who allegedly had a switchblade knife that officers believe was used to stab the man. Police said they also seized two other knives from the suspect.

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The suspect was arrested on two counts of assault in the second degree and booked into the King County Jail. SPD said the primary officer later updated the probable cause to assault in the first degree.

“After this incident was complete, I learned that (the victim) was in surgery for a laceration to the liver,” the officer said as reported by SPD. “Based on the location and severity of injuries from a deadly weapon, (the suspect) violated RCW 9A.36.011 assault in the first degree for the stabbing.”

MyNorthwest does not name suspects until they have been officially charged.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.

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