Man Pulled Knife During Bellevue Vaccine Card Dispute: Police

BELLEVUE, WA — A man was arrested on suspicion of assault earlier this month after Bellevue police said he threatened restaurant employees with a butcher knife during a dispute over a vaccine card.

According to the police blotter, officers responded to an Applebee's on BelRed Road shortly before midnight on Feb. 5. Employees told police the man attempted to enter the restaurant to use the bathroom but was denied entry because he did not have a vaccination card. Police said the man left the restaurant and sat on a bench near the door as he removed a large butcher knife from his bag and began waving it around.

After one employee opened the door and asked the man to leave, police said he lunged toward them with the knife over his head. Investigators said the employee was able to shut the door before the man could reach him, and the man fled the scene on foot. He was found a short time later, with assistance from a K-9, and booked into jail on suspicion of assault.