A store employee was stabbed in the leg during a robbery in the Beacon Hill neighborhood this afternoon. The suspect was arrested by officers following a K-9 track and foot pursuit.
At approximately 12:30 pm, a man was attempting to shoplift items from inside the store in the 2300 block of Rainier Avenue South when employees confronted him. The suspect fought, stabbed an employee in the leg, and then fled on foot. South Precinct officers and the Seattle Fire Department responded to the scene. Fire treated the victim for his non life-threatening injury and he was later transported to a hospital for treatment.
Officers broadcast the description of the suspect and set up containment. A K-9 team arrived and began a track. Shortly after the track began, an officer saw the suspect near Jose Rizal Park. The suspect ran, at one point running onto Interstate 5. The suspect fled on foot up the off ramp and was eventually taken into custody underneath I-5 at Dearborn.
Witnesses positively identified the 31-year-old suspect. Robbery detectives will handle the follow up investigation. The suspect was later booked into the King County Jail. This remains an active and on-going investigation.