2 Drivers Arrested After Road Rage Hammer Battle At Pike Place Market

SEATTLE — A confrontation between several drivers at Pike Place Market this past weekend left one woman injured, and two of the drivers in police custody.

The incident took place just after 5 p.m. Sunday, SPD said, when a 32-year-old piloting a Toyota SUV pulled into Pike Place Market's main drag. It's unclear why, but officers say the man quickly got into some sort of verbal argument with another driver, a 45-year-old man in a van. The 45-year-old threw water at the other driver, then both men stepped out of their cars. They argued, and the younger man threw the older to the ground before hopping back in his Toyota. The 45-year-old man retaliated by punching the 32-year-old through his open window.

While that chaos was unfolding, a third vehicle, a Mazda driven by a 54-year-old man, pulled up and the driver also began yelling at the 32-year-old. The Mazda driver then parked, pulled out a hammer, and whacked the 32-year-old's Toyota, shattering the back window. Unfortunately for him, he left the hammer behind, and the 32-year-old grabbed it, and returned to shatter the Mazda's windshield. The Mazda driver then lurched forward, hitting the 32-year-old and an uninvolved woman, who police say worked at a nearby store in the market.

The severity of the woman's injuries is unknown.

The 32-year-old, however, bounced back from the hit, and began hitting the 54-year-old through his open window with the hammer.

While all this was unfolded, a crowd began to form and someone called police, who arrived shortly afterwards. Both the 32-year-old Toyota driver and the 54-year-old in the Mazda were arrested and booked into jail for assault.

Whether Pike Place Market should remain open to drivers has been a longstanding issue of contention in Seattle, but this is the time road rage has factored into the dialogue. The Seattle Times earlier this month published an op-ed saying the market should remain open to traffic, arguing it was "essential to the health of the retail and accessible short-term parking," but not even the Times can agree on the issue: just two days before the battle, the newspaper published a second op-ed arguing the opposite, calling the first "embarrassing" and arguing that removing cars would be more climate friendly.

While the issue is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, both sides can likely agree: this new incident is likely to remain a part of the conversation.