Judge denies release request for suspect in Seattle machete attack

A judge denied a request to release the man accused of attacking two people with a machete last week at Seattle’s Hing Hay Park.

Oneil George Bygrave, 44, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to first- and second-degree assault. His bail is set at $500,000.

Seattle police said the two men who were attacked are lucky to be alive.

Investigators said the attack happened just after 5 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the popular park in the Chinatown-International District. Police received multiple 911 calls about a man attacking people at the park.

Cameras captured machete attack as one victim tried to intervene

When officers arrived, a 31-year-old man waved them down. He had a large cut to his head, police said. Witnesses told officers the suspect was still in the park and pointed him out. Officers saw the man holding a machete and called out to him. The suspect went into nearby bushes and later came back out without the weapon, according to witnesses.

“Officers also found a 48-year-old man who said he had been walking through the park when the suspect slashed him in the back,” Seattle Police Department (SPD) Detective Shane Weatherford said. “The man fell to the ground, and the suspect continued attacking him.”

Real-time crime center cameras recorded the assault, according to the detective. The footage showed the suspect chasing the 48-year-old with a machete. The 31-year-old then tried to stop the attack by shoving the suspect, who turned toward him. As the 48-year-old tried to run, the suspect struck him in the back, causing him to fall, and continued the assault, Weatherford said.

Witnesses also told police Bygrave may have argued with one of the victims before the attack.

“Both of them were actively bleeding when police arrived,” Weatherford said. “Officers provided aid, and then Seattle Fire also provided aid to them.”

Bygrave’s trial is set for December. If he posts bond, he will be required to wear an electronic home monitor and have no contact with the alleged victims.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.

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