Video Shows Seattle Police Backing Down After Bystanders Intervene

A YouTube video has been released showing Seattle East Precinct police officers preparing to engage with a man standing outside his apartment, only to pack up and drive away. The video shared with Capitol Hill Seattle Blog is only four minutes long but does include the back-and-forth exchange between civilians and the police and shows one officer putting his gun back in his car.

Police were responding to a 911 call that suggested there may have been gunshots in the area of 12th and Mercer in Capitol Hill, Seattle. Witnesses say there was no threat, just a person in the midst of a crisis. No gun was found at the scene.

In the video, the individual (wearing yellow) can be heard telling officers he doesn't have a weapon. The bystanders can also be heard telling police he's holding a phone. As the back and forth continues, you can hear one civilian tell officers they're "much more scared of the f***ing police" than of the man wearing the yellow jacket, before yelling at the officers to calm down.

The Seattle Police Department released a statement, saying that no gun was found at the scene and no gunshot victims were reported. The statement also stated that "Based on the number of community members becoming involved and their unwillingness to comply with officers’ commands, it became clear there was no safe means to detain the subject without unnecessarily endangering everyone that was now involved." The decision to leave was made because the investigation could not continue.