Police say the group also demanded a hate crime investigation, saying the property damage “was biased due to their religious beliefs,” but that the responding officer disagreed. According to the report, the officer arrested the speaker kicker at the scene and took them into custody for property damage for reportedly damaging the group’s loudspeaker.
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The religious group, according to the report, was less charitable, asking the officer to act on the property damage. Police say the speaker kicker admitted to damaging the equipment and said the group had been making hateful statements that made her feel threatened but that she did not want to be a victim for the pepper spray assault. The group also showed the officer video of the incident. Police say at least two people complained of being pepper sprayed by a religious group gathered outside the bar and “making rude comments towards everyone who was part of the LGBTQ community.”Īccording to the responding officer, a member of the group told police they were there “spreading their religion and beliefs” but deployed pepper spray in defense when the patrons “became hostile” and one person waiting in line to enter the bar kicked the group’s speaker. Seattle Fire says it was called to the scene to evaluate one person exposed to pepper spray but the call was canceled.Īccording to the SPD report on the incident, police arrived to find a large crowd and two groups in a dispute. Police made one arrest and Seattle Fire medics were declined after a melee outside Capitol Hill’s Queer/Bar early Sunday morning ended in a cloud of pepper spray and a busted loudspeaker.Īccording to Seattle Police and Seattle Fire, officers and medics were called to the 11th Ave bar just after midnight early on May 1st to a reported bias assault involving a group making homophobic statements and harassing patrons as they entered the venue.