City Hall homeless campers may have moved to Pioneer Square

SEATTTLE — A man is recovering tonight after a violent confrontation with two men at Occidental Park this morning.

This altercation happened just weeks after the City Hall Park homeless encampment was removed and, many say, picked up and moved just a few blocks away to Pioneer Square.

There’s no word on whether the men involved in this morning’s attack were from City Hall Park.

But a new encampment has sprung up in Pioneer Square since City Hall Park closed.

Then today, a resident walking his dog was attacked right here.

Sarah Perez was walking to her law office in the Smith Tower when she came upon a violent confrontation involving a friend that unfolded in Pioneer Square’s Occidental Park.

“Alex and the two dogs and the woman and her dog were all about here,” said Perez.

She said a man in the park repeatedly approached the 39-year-old, yelling profanities.

“Alex, at one point, when he got close enough and pepper -sprayed him,” she said.  “At that point, the man left and then came back and came back.”

She said as Alex tried to defend himself, the man pulled something from his pocket.

“And then I saw,” she said. “It looked he punched him (Alex).  But he had it in his hand. And then Alex had a cut on his cheek.  And then it was really bloody.”

The altercation comes less than a month after the city cleared out a homeless encampment in City Hall Park amid much fanfare.  But it appears many of those living there simply decamped a few blocks west in Pioneer Park, known to locals as Pergola Park.

Most of those in this new encampment did not want their picture taken. But they did acknowledge that many had moved here from City Hall Park.

Elio Dieguez said no one has offered services since then, but he would accept them, “gladly, happily.”

But, he said, “Nobody has offered anything to us that I know of.”

After Monday’s violent attack, Seattle police arrested two men, ages 47 and 29, respectively.

Seattle police said they recovered a knife from the scene.

Both men were booked into the King County Jail on assault charges. One of them has already been released.  He also has an extensive criminal history.

As for the victim, he had emergency surgery.   But he is now back home.

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