Bellevue man attacked with machete, defends with bear spray

BELLEVUE, Wash. - A 55-year-old man is recovering from a machete attack that happened in downtown Bellevue Friday night.

Police say they arrived on scene just before 9 p.m. to find an assault victim in the entryway of an apartment complex holding a bloody towel to his upper left arm.

Police said there was a large amount of blood in the main lobby of the property, located at the 200 block of 111th Avenue NE.

The victim and the attacker knew eachother, with the 66-year-old attacker alleging the victim had stolen his wallet at some earlier time. The interaction ended with the older man striking the 55-year-old victim with a machete, and the victim responding by spraying bear spray in his face, according to Bellevue Police.

Officers found the man bleeding heavily, applied a tourniquet and treated him until Bellevue Fire medics arrived to transport him to a nearby hospital.

According to the victim and eyewitness, the suspect then exited the building and fled the scene in his silver Nissan sedan.

The Kirkland Police Department later notified Bellevue Police of a report of a machete found matching the description of the assault weapon.

The machete was later collected by Bellevue officers and booked as evidence.

Police say the investigation of Friday’s incident is still ongoing and additional updates about the case will be forthcoming.