Police are investigating after two men were injured in a baseball bat and pickaxe melee at a Yesler Terrace apartment building on Thursday.
Around 4:30 p.m., the victim, a 24-year-old man, left his apartment and was walking out of the building when another tenant, a 45-year-old man, shoulder-checked him and accused him of making negative statements about a family member.
The victim noticed the suspect was holding a pickaxe and was gesturing as if he was going to swing it at the victim.
The victim retreated to his unit, armed himself with a baseball bat, and again attempted to exit the building. He encountered the suspect in a stairwell, and the suspect began swinging the pickaxe at him.
During the fight, the suspect struck the victim with the pickaxe, fracturing his arm.
The victim swung his bat at the suspect, striking him in the head. As the suspect fell to the ground, his pickaxe slipped out of his grasp and onto the floor. Based on the nature of the suspect’s head wound, it appears the suspect’s head struck the pickaxe or a step, causing significant injury.
Following the fight, the suspect returned to his apartment where officers found him lying on the bathroom floor in a pool of blood, apparently from his head injury.
Both men received medical aid, and the suspect is currently receiving ongoing treatment at Harborview Medical Center and is under hospital guard.