A suspect has been arrested and a 71-year-old female is recovering at the hospital following a robbery and assault that occurred earlier this afternoon in a West Seattle store.
At approximately 12:20 pm, officers responded to an assault call in progress in the 5900 block of California Avenue SW. The call indicated that a male was assaulting a female inside the store and that the woman was screaming for assistance. A delivery driver and another customer happened to walk into the store while the assault was occurring and pulled the victim to safety. The suspect then retreated to the back of the store and ran out the back door just as officers were arriving.
Officers gave chase and took the 51-year-old suspect into custody several blocks away after deploying a Taser. Seattle Fire responded and treated the victim for multiple puncture wounds she sustained while being stabbed and hit by the suspect. The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center where she is being treated for her injuries.
Officers discovered that the suspect attempted to access the cash register drawer during the assault. The suspect was transported to headquarters where he was interviewed by robbery detectives. Following the interview, the suspect was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of robbery and investigation of assault.
This remains an active and on-going investigation.