SPD detectives are investigating after a man was pepper sprayed by a private security guard earlier this week in the Magnolia neighborhood.
Officers were called to 27th Ave W and W Commodore Way around 11:15 AM on March 2nd, where they found a private security guard and a handcuffed 41-year-old man suffering from the effects of pepper spray.
Both the 41-year-old, who works in the neighborhood, and the guard provided differing stories about what had happened, but the incident apparently began when the guard knocked on the window of the 41-year-old’s parked Toyota sedan.
Both men told police they had become embroiled in an argument, but each claimed the other had escalated the incident with aggressive behavior. The 41-year-old said he had tried to film his dispute with the guard on his cellphone, before the guard followed him back to his vehicle while pepper spraying him. The guard said he pepper sprayed the man after he tried to open the door of his Humvee.
The 41-year-old man has also previously contacted Seattle police over a separate incident involving employees from the same security company.
After interviewing both men and ensuring the 41-year-old received medical treatment, officers searched the area for witnesses or security cameras which might have captured the incident, but were unable to find any.
If you have information about this case, please contact SPD investigators at 684-5550.