Federal Courthouse Locked Down (Seattle)

[maddezmom]

SEATTLE -- Police with guns drawn have surrounded the new federal Courthouse in Seattle and they are telling bystanders to get out of the line of fire.

There are reports a man has been shot.

The courthouse, at 7th and Stewart, is locked down.

Streets in the area are blocked off.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/4630739/detail.html?rss=sea&psp=news

Any DU'ers in that area?

[digno dave]

1. John Cornyn will be happy to hear about this

[Sydnie]

2. Another activist defendant, by any chance?

Or a disgruntled former employee? end :scarcasm:

I hope all are well and the situation is under control soon.

[David Zephyr]

7. Exactly: Another Court Room Murder as Prescribed by John Cornyn

Give credit where credit is due.

[Straight Shooter]

3. Oh, fugh. I don't live there but I have friends there.

Oh, jeez.

[Missy Vixen]

4. I'm on the Eastside

and trying to listen to the radio. Unfortunately, Dori Monson is on, and can't spare one minute from his elected-official bashing to actually report on what's happening downtown.

I wish Seattle would actually get a radio news station that is not overrun by right-wing wackos.

Julie

[Heddi]

8. I'm watching NWCN

and all they're showing is continuous coverage of roped off streets and file footage of the federal building.

Apparently, the man was noticed outside having a weapon, they think it was a grenade. He had a backpack. Bomb technicians are making their way towards the lobby to check out the green backpack.

They shot the man (no reports that he's dead, so i'd assume he's not, although they've not reported that he's been taken to the hospital either).

Now they're interviewing people "on the street" who were evacuated from the area.

I'm glad I don't live in Seattle anymore just because today would have been the day that I had a Dr's appointment or SOMETHING going on where I was reliant upon the bus system, and would have been TERRIBLY inconvenienced by this whole bruhahahahaha.

I loathed taking the busses on Mariner's Game Days. I'd have to take the 10/12 from First Hill down to 1st and Madison, then wait for the 15/18 to Ballard. Game days were the WORST. Not only would the busses run 15-20 minutes late, BUT the busses would be filled with lost tourists who would ask, right around the Ballard P-Patch "So, uh, how long until we get to the Space Needle?" and get quite upset when they found out the Space Needle is, oh, about 10 stops back.

[flamingyouth]

5. Police shot him; he was allegedly carrying a grenade & making threats

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002342068_webfedshooting20.html

[The Stranger]

9. Was he a Terrorist -- or was he White?

[baby_bear]

6. Yep, it's a mess - hand grenade but didn't go offf

From various sources, I gathered that a man carrying a hand grenade went into the courthouse lobby and police shot him.

b_b

[Debi]

10. That's about 4 blocks from where my SIL works...

:scared:

[freeplessinseattle]

11. We need you to protect us 'merkin's GW! terra terra terra!

coincidental timing, hmm.

[icymist]

12. Isn't the West Precinct (police) just half a block away?

Sounds to me that this guy isn't very bright or maybe trying 'suicide by cop'. This court house is new, just opened 2003, so it has all the new security updates. It is twenty two stories high. This guy, apparently, got inside the lobby with a grenade.

2:04 p.m.(pst) update: WWII vintage grenade. Man is dead. Wearing a yellow backpack on his front. Courthouse is still sealed off. Still investigating what is in backpack.

[flamingyouth]

13. More info at KOMO's link:

http://komotv.com/stories/37528.htm

[icymist]

14. 2:39 p.m. (pst) Update.

Streets around the courthouse are now open. Courthouse remains closed. Police briefing to the press at 4:00 p.m. (pst)

[newswolf56]

15. From the latest info, sounds like it might have been...

...suicide by cop rather than terrorism.