SEATTLE — On Wednesday, a road rage incident involving gunfire shut down the main entrance at Starbucks headquarters in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood.
Police say one person was injured, and the search for the two suspects who drove away is ongoing.
Around 4 p.m. as workers left Starbucks headquarters, they noticed police activity.
“The lobby was partly blocked off, they had tape across the doors and there were some security people directing us to go to different exits. When I came out into the parking lot, I could see that behind me at this intersection there were at least two patrol cars with their lights on,” said Steve Heller.
Police say they were in the area investigating a shooting related to a road rage incident.
“After 4 p.m., dispatch received a call that there were shots heard in the First Avenue South and the South Lander Street area, and so when officers arrived, they actually found the victim had run into that Starbucks business there,” said Judinna Gulpan, spokesperson for the Seattle Police Department.
Detectives say the victim is a man in his 30s. He told police the road rage incident started about half a mile away off Fourth Avenue South, and said two men in a car opened fire.
“The suspect vehicle was chasing the victim’s vehicle, which actually, the suspect vehicle began shooting at the victim’s vehicle, the victim then crashed near that intersection,” said Gulpan.
Police say the victim then ran into Starbucks headquarters for safety.
“You do hear about that kind of thing happening more lately, it seems pretty extreme,” said Heller.
The victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition with facial injuries.
Police are reviewing surveillance footage with the hopes of catching the two suspects who drove off from the scene.
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