Seattle smoke shop owner exchanges gunfire with burglars, store targeted twice in 24 hours
SEATTLE — The Seattle Police Department is investigating after thieves used a vehicle to crash through the front of a south Seattle smoke shop twice in 24 hours.
Police said the owner of The City Smoke Shop in Seattle’s Brighton neighborhood arrived at his business while the suspects were still at the scene early Friday morning and exchanged gunfire with at least one of the suspects. Photos and video from the scene showdozens of shell casings on the ground and at leastone bullet hole through the windshield of the business owner’s Jeep in the front of the business.
... Police said a passerby on their way to work saw the burglary in progress and yelled at the group of at least eight suspects as he called 911 to report the incident. One of the suspects “approached the passerby aggressively” and the passerby, who police said was worried for his safety, struck the suspect with his vehicle.
Police said another suspect then fired two shots into the air and the passerby “retreated to safety.” The suspects then left the area in two other cars, leaving the truck behind. The SPD said the truck that was used to smash through the front of the store was reported stolen out of Seattle earlier this month.