Two shop owners caught a criminal in the act of robbing their store and setting it on fire, but that person is free today after Seattle Police declined to show up to the scene and CHAZ security failed to keep the suspect in custody.
The owners can be seen on video attempting to work with CHAZ ‘security’ who seem interested in helping the store owners, but eventually, thanks to chaos and disorganization, the suspect managed to simply leave.
A YouTuber livestreaming from the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone in Seattle witnessed and documented the entire altercation between the two store owners trying to protect their business and a criminal who stole $5,000 and 20 car keys, according to witnesses.
The store owner attempted to call Seattle Police, but after “9 or 10 or 11” calls, the Seattle PD admitted they were not going to come because of the proximity to the CHAZ.
“An auto shop near the zone was broken into (Car Tender), property stolen, and a fire started. The owners called the police and fire dept but they were told they would not show up. Full THREAD with clips” wrote citizen journalist Shawn Whiting, who was documenting the entire situation as it unfolded.
In one clip the store owner can be seen confronting the suspect as he tries to enlist the help of CHAZ leadership. Several protest leaders attempt to engage the suspect, but multiple times he manages to slink away from the confrontation and eventually finally does escape.
“The man who broke in then returned to the scene of the crime while I was streaming. The owners knew what he looked like because they held him briefly to question him and to recover some of their property. He was released when a group from CHAZ arrived and broke down their gate,” Whiting reported.
The robbery occurred just outside the CHAZ and that’s where the owner confronted him, near the storefront. But the man eventually fled and was questioned by “CHAZ security” back in the autonomous zone. “The goal was to try to search his pockets and multiple bags since money and car keys were still unaccounted for.”
Suspect eventually emptied some pockets and bags but not all of them. Tempers began to flare as he “continually tried to walk away” from the confrontation.
According to Whiting, “Things started to get out of hand and a member of CHAZ security stepped in to pull the suspect away from everyone else. The suspect then fled further into CHAZ on foot and the shop owners didn’t manage to recover any more property besides a jacket he had taken from their shop.”
The media has tried to portray the CHAZ in a positive light, almost as if it were some grand new experiment. If these two shop owners
Here is the entire incident condensed into one longer clip: