A man who police say was randomly attacked by a stranger with a knife inside a Renton bar has been released from the hospital and is sharing his story for the first time with KIRO 7.
>>RELATED: Knife-wielding man killed by officer at Renton bar
Police shot and killed the knife-wielding man who is seen lunging at Donald Chromy in cellphone video obtained by KIRO 7 Sunday.
Chromy said he can’t get the man’s face out of his head.
“I saw his face when he got shot the first couple times, and that’s still there, right inside my head,” said Chromy. “And it hasn’t left me yet.”
Chromy, a grandfather, said he was out of town on a business trip but flew home to Washington for Father’s Day. He stopped by Cheers Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Renton with family and friends Saturday night.
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“This guy came running in with a knife, yelling and screaming obscenities – he wanted to hurt somebody,” said Chromy. “His eyes were the size of saucers.”
To protect himself, Chromy said he grabbed a pool stick and tried to talk the man down, putting himself between the man and other people in the bar.
“I just said, ‘take it easy, calm down, no one wants to hurt you,’” said Chromy. “He was just working his way around and there were just those women behind me and some other people and I didn’t want him to get to that point.”
Renton police said they received a 911 call about the man threatening to hurt people while waiving a knife, just after 10 p.m. outside of the bar. Investigators say officers then followed the man as he ran inside the bar where he stabbed Chromy.
“He lunged at me,” said Chromy. “I just tried to block him a little bit, but he got me.”
Cellphone video shared with KIRO 7 captured the man apparently lunging at Chromy followed by the sound of gunshots.
“When the shots rang out, he turned around and went after the policeman,” said Chromy, who told KIRO 7 the Renton police officer who opened fire on the man saved his life. “If he hadn’t been there, that last swing could’ve went anywhere.”
Despite being slashed, stitches required, Chromy said he feels bad for the man who attacked him.
“He was messed up somehow,” said Chromy, who’s thankful he survived. “It could’ve been different, and I know that.”
Chromy said in the same situation, he would again put himself in harm’s way to protect others. He plans to return to work Monday.
Officials have not yet released the identity of the man killed by police. No officers were hurt.
The officer-involved shooting remains under investigation.