Two off-duty Seattle firefighters investigated for attacking homeless man
Mar 16, 2014, 7:53 AM | Updated: 9:08 pm
Police say a homeless man was attacked at the Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Pioneer Square Saturday night. Two of the suspects are Seattle firefighters. (MyNorthwest file photo)
(MyNorthwest file photo)
Two people being investigated for assault after a fight in Pioneer Square Saturday night were off-duty Seattle firefighters.
Police said at about 6 p.m. three intoxicated people, two men and a woman, were walking through Pioneer Square and spotted a homeless man “minding his own business” and sleeping on a memorial near First Ave. S and S. Main St.
Witnesses told police the woman yelled at the homeless man for sleeping on the Fallen Firefighter Memorial and then kicked him. One of the men, a Seattle firefighter, hit the man with a stick and the third, another firefighter, joined in the attack. The homeless man stood up to defend himself and stabbed one of the firefighters with a knife.
The stabbed firefighter was taken to Harborview Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The other two suspects were not injured and the homeless man refused treatment at the scene.
The man and woman were booked into King County Jail for assault. All three suspects will face assault charges.
Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Lt. Sue Stangl confirmed the involvement of the firefighters. She said the department is still looking at what happened and doesn’t have a full statement yet.
She said the firefighters are 15- and 17-year veterans of the Fire Department. The woman involved is not part of the department.
She said one of them has been on disability since January, while the other had last worked last Thursday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
