A private security guard grabbed a rifle from a man at a protest on a Seattle street in a show of heroism that potentially averted disaster and saved lives.
Live video during a Saturday news report on KOMO-TV, an ABC-affiliate, showed a man wearing a hoodie with the hood up and a bandanna over his face while holding what appeared to be an AR-15 next to a vehicle with broken windows.
Within moments the private security guard, wearing a hoodie and a backpack, ran up, pointing a handgun at the individual and grabbed the rifle with his other hand. The man with his hood up had his hands up when he was dragged away by another person as the guard proceeded to take apart the rifle.
KOMO quickly pulled away from the scene, with one anchor saying, “We’re going to break away from that shot there. Not sure who that person is, but obviously a very scary and fluid situation.”
Naveed Jamali, a Newsweek editor at large and former FBI double agent, tweeted about the incident.
“White guy in #seattle protest open carrying, what appears to be an AR15, has his weapon taken away by an undercover police officer at gun point,” he tweeted along with a clip from KOMO. “From a police source ‘yes they busted the window of a police car and took the rifle.’ Amazed he wasn’t shot,” he added.
From a police source “yes they busted the window of a police car and took the rifle.” Amazed he wasn’t shot.
— Naveed Jamali (@NaveedAJamali) May 30, 2020
Zachariah Beam, a freelance photographer who was on the scene, told the Washington Examiner in a phone conversation that the man identified himself as a private security guard but did not reveal his name or who he was protecting.
Brandi Kruse, a reporter for Q13 News, reported that it was her security guard who took the AR-15 away from the rioter.
“As I explained on air, our security guard felt that the public was in danger. He took the AR 15 from the rioter and disabled it. We called 911 and waited to hand it over and continue our reporting. Protesters surrounded us, calling us police,” Kruse tweeted.
“I repeated over and over I was press. One protester told me to leave the area because I would not be safe there,” she added.
The private security guard was yelling, “Put the gun down,” as he approached the protester who had taken the rifle out of the back of a police vehicle, according to Beam. After being disarmed, the other hooded and masked protester who pulled the first away said it wasn’t worth getting into a confrontation, Beam added.
Beam said he stayed with the private security guard, who also had in his possession another disassembled rifle that protesters had stolen from an abandoned police vehicle, as they looked for police for about 10 minutes to return the guns. After calling ahead, they found some officers and returned the guns.
The handgun appeared to be the only firearm that the private security guard owned.
Kruse said that one of the rioters who had stolen an AR-15 started firing it into vehicles. “No one hurt that we know of,” she said.
She also shared video of the incident.
We have video of them firing one of them and were there when it happened. Witnessed it all. They shouted for people to “clear the block” then fired and everyone ran. #Q13FOX https://t.co/bz42bbxowA pic.twitter.com/krHGrekZFk
— Brandi Kruse (@BrandiKruse) May 31, 2020
The Seattle Police Department acknowledged Kruse’s reporting and thanked the security guard for recovering both rifles.
“Earlier today two rifles were stolen from SPD patrol cars that were set on fire. We have since recovered both rifles,” the police department said. In another tweet the department acknowledged the video from Kruse, saying, “We are now unable to say if the rifles had been fired. Also thanks to her security guard for safely recovering both rifles and potentially saving lives. We’ll follow up if we get additional info.”
The city of Seattle issued an alert asking all residents to disperse as the protests downtown got violent, saying a 5 p.m. curfew had been instituted.
Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee also activated the National Guard at the request of the city of Seattle.
In a statement released overnight, Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said 27 people were arrested on a variety of offenses ranging from assault, to arson, to destruction and looting. Best also reported multiple officers and civilians had been injured.
Protests have popped up in major cities across the country after 46-year-old George Floyd died in the custody of Minneapolis police on Monday. Floyd, a black man, died after white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin restrained him by placing his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
Chauvin and three other officers involved in Floyd’s detainment were fired on Tuesday. Chauvin was taken into custody on Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Since then, large and often violent protests have broken out in Minneapolis, St. Paul, New York City, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and dozens of other cities.
