Written by Correction to this story as of Friday 6:00 AM: See the third comment below for the account from a close friend of the victim…the news report below, from Thursday night, may be mistaken on the timing of the phone calls.
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By KOMO Staff RENTON, Wash. — A 73-year-old man was stabbed when he got involved in a fight between teenagers including his grandson, according to police.
Police said an alleged theft of a cell phone triggered the fight between two groups of teens at the Renton Transit Center on Thursday evening.
During the argument, one of the teens called home and told his father and grandfather what was happening. The two men arrived at the transit center several minutes later.
When the men got involved in the fight, the teen’s grandfather was stabbed several times in the torso, police said. He was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.
The victim’s name has not been released.
Police have three suspects in custody, and said they’re still looking for one or two more teens who may have been involved. The suspects are between 16 and 19 years of age, police said.
That is horrible!!
ugh!
The poor bugger from Jubilante got beat up up by a bunch of ‘teens’ from the Transit Center if I remember correctly.
Why the grandfather didn’t call 911 in addition to rushing over would be very interesting. The Renton Police are very good at quickly getting to where they need and probably would have arrived faster than the grandfather.
I’m not going to blame the victim, but the imagination does begin to wonder.
If anybody is scared about the Transit Center – don’t be too scared. Usually crime like this not directed at strangers.
Re: ugh!
The news was wrong. He (the theft victim) had called them (his dad and granddad) before the incident to pick him up from the center. His father and grandfather were onsite when it happened. It was random, and he is a very good kid. He had his cell phone out and they wanted it. Simple as that. The assault happened pretty fast. We are at the hospital now waiting for the grandfather who protected his son and grandson to get out of surgery. Have some compassion and check your imagination.
Re: ugh!
Sorry! Mea coupla.
That will teach me to rely on the reporting of the Seattle media. The only paper (besides our local Renton papers/magazines) that even bothers to try to get things right is ‘The Stranger’… I don’t agree with their politics but they are the only ones that even bother doing some investigative reporting and fact checking.
Still.. my fault for being an ass and an armchair pontificator.
The grandfather is a hero. I have someone good to look up to.
It really sucks that this was random. Renton is really safe if, like most cities, you don’t make friends with criminals. Anytime that boundary is pierced make it really scary for people to live in the city.
Whoever you are, thanks for being at the hospital, especially if you’re not part of the family. It probably means a lot to them that someone is by their side.
At the risk of more bad assumptions:
It’s pretty much a given that the stabby little thieves have done horrible things before and have most likely gotten slapped on the wrists instead of being removed from society.
We treat our criminals too kindly, and by doing so, we treat ourselves to cruelty. We built a beautiful Transit Center – and a few thugs have turned it ugly with fear.
And we treat the criminals to unkindly.
Once we *do* decide to send a criminal to prison, the prisons are so psychologically horrible that they fill the new criminal with more hate and greed – turning them even more evil. Prisons should be a place of reflection, hard work, and restitution. Instead they’re a place of gangs, rape, and avarice.
It’s a nasty cycle we’ve built for ourselves – we suffer and ignore crime until it reaches a level that no-one can predict, then we send the now stunned criminal to a place where their craft and evil is distilled to perfection.
All this, because of uncontrollable greed for a $35 cellphone.
In case you’re wondering, the solution isn’t giving away free cellphones to the poor. 😉
That’s why I am a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment. If dad or Granpa would have been armed, there would have been a different outcome. Just seeing a firearm would have had these punks running. I’m tired of seeing our society ruled by a bunch of gang type thugs. I pray for the victims for a full recovery. God Bless
If God was actively blessing people, there would be no need for guns.
It’s a trap!
Usually this thinking goes like this:
If God is all powerful and all ‘good’ then why do bad things happen?. God must not exist, or worse! He doesn’t care!
This ignores the possibility there is another premise: that God want’s us to have free will. And, that this is the “best of all possible worlds” that allows us to have free will.
More info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_all_possible_worlds
2nd Amendment
If grandpa pulled out a gun then maybe the teens would have too–so ya, a very different outcome—perhaps there would have been multiple deaths. If grandpa had a gun and pulled it out on the teens, don’t you think that makes him the same type of “thug” you are sick of “seeing our society ruled by”? And what exactly do you mean that our society is “ruled” by them? Fortunately, the law ruled here and had been able to catch some of the teens and bring them to justice, and grandpa was able to go to the hospital. I pray for his healing.
Re: 2nd Amendment
You have the right in this country to protect yourself. You go ahead and remain unarmed, and I will continue to carry. To think an honest, law abiding citizen with a concealed carry permit is a thug, is just plain silly.
Thanks Ben!
Anonymous: I tend to agree with the 2nd amendment concept, but according to the father and a witness, the group numbered between 12 and 15 individuals. There wouldn’t have been enough bullets! Then again, the simple visual deterrent may have been enough. Then again, the act of drawing down on a group of youths in a crowded area (most likely before the knife came out) could have made this story take a completely different angle.
Myself and my girlfriend left the hospital a little after 5AM (work, school for kids,) shortly after they FINALLY came out to say he was out of surgery. His immediate family remained, and I have yet to update since then.
There is something important to know: I may have agreed with rentonben when I heard some crap like this on the news any other time. But knowing this kid, he is only 14, and probably the ONLY 14 year old I know that has a job that he goes to willingly and manages his credit card better than many adults. He is NOT the type to be involved with what happened. Furthermore, that family stuck together in the face of a testosterone charged group of kids where mob mentality took over. The father took blows and had his knee dislocated as he took down one of the attackers with a choke hold. He was not even aware that his father (theft victims grandfather) was stabbed until he things had calmed down. It sounded like some of that shit we hear about only somewhere else, like a video on spike TV in a third world country.
The minor remained at home, and the father got a ride to Harborview yet refused to check into emergency in spite of his injuries because he insisted on being in the ICU waiting area until word of his dad came back to us. We finagled a couple of ice-packs from the triage nurse upstairs to at least mitigate some of his swelling. I am so proud of the guys. Soldiers, to the heart. I am related only by association, and not very close to be honest. His close family are by his side, which gave me a chance to reflect on this and make sure that the proper information gets out there. I would have to say, I know them now better than I ever have and could not be prouder of how they stood together. The goal now is to make sure they get the respect they deserve, the criminals get punished, and the minor gets all the support he needs to get through this and feel safe again. There is a significant amount of friends and family, all colors of the rainbow waiting anxiously to see what happens next. The youths/adults involved in the assault should be very thankful to be in police custody.
Enough with the pontificating!
The Transit Center is beautiful but we really need to get a hold on crime down there. Downtown Renton is growing and more people are enjoying walking the streets it’s a shame that people have to feel concern when they walk past the Transit Center. Especially since the Spirit of Washington Events center which holds so many community events is next door!
More Info
From: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004403269_webrenton09m.html
A 73-year-old man who was stabbed at the Renton Transit Center on Thursday night remains in serious condition in the intensive care unit at Harborview Medical Center.
A second stabbing victim, an 18-year-old, was admitted at Valley Medical Center. The teen suffered a collapsed lung in the incident, said Renton police Cmdr. David Leibman.
The elder man was helping his grandson after the youth had his cellphone stolen off a table at a Wendy’s restaurant in Renton earlier in the day, Leibman said. The grandfather, his son and his grandson tracked the alleged thieves to the transit center later in the night, Leibman said.
Police questioned several teens and eventually arrested a teenage boy for investigation of assault, said Leibman.