Seattle Homeowner Wields Samurai Sword, Stabs Pitchfork-Toting Burglar

A sword-wielding Seattle homeowner clashed with a burglary suspect armed with a pitchfork over the weekend. The Seattle Police Department said the incident happened in the 2100 block of Beacon Avenue South around 1:30 p.m. Sunday (June 25).

Officers responded to reports of a residential burglary, where they found a 71-year-old man with a sword and "visible minor injuries" and a 61-year-old man with a stab wound to his torso. After detaining both of them, investigators learned the 61-year-old actually broke into the victims' home while they were gone.

The male homeowner returned home to a broken kitchen window and some misplaced items, according to police. He then spotted the suspect standing in his living room, and a fight broke out between them. Authorities said the alleged burglar pinned the victim to the floor and tried stabbing him with a pitchfork.

The homeowner reportedly managed to escape and ran to his bedroom to grab a firearm. The suspect chased after the victim, and they both started wrestling for the gun, police wrote. When the 71-year-old tried shooting the suspect, the firearm malfunctioned. But that's when the victim grabbed a samurai sword and stabbed the alleged burglar.

A 61-year-old female homeowner got involved in the fight by trying to pull the suspect off the 71-year-old. The suspect then ran outside to a nearby home and was later detained by officers, officials wrote.

Both police and Seattle Fire provided medical care to the homeowner and the accused burglar, according to SPD. Officers said the male victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries to his face and torso, and the suspect was taken to Harborview Medical Center for his non-life-threatening stab wound.

The 61-year-old suspect was arrested for burglary and will be booked into King County jail once he's medically cleared.