Authorities say a drunken man stabbed five people during a bar fight south of Tacoma in Spanaway.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department says a 45-year-old man was arrested Thursday night on suspicion of five counts of second-degree assault.
Police were called to TJ's Tavern just before 10 p.m. Thursday on reports that multiple people had been stabbed and the suspect was still at the scene. When officers arrived, they found a fight in progress in the bar parking lot.
One man was unconscious on the sidewalk with cuts to the man's head. Multiple witnesses told deputies their friends had been stabbed and needed help. Others told deputies the man had fled on foot.
A sergeant ran to the side of the tavern and found the suspect standing next to a van, drenched in blood and barely able to stand. The suspect's hands had multiple wounds. Deputies found a bloody folding knife on the ground nearby.
According to witnesses, the incident started when the "heavily intoxicated man" started causing problems with bar patrons. An argument ensued and then reportedly turned into a physical fight in the parking lot, where punches were exchanged. When others tried to break up the fight, "that's when all hell broke loose," and the intoxicated man pulled out a knife and began swinging and stabbing people.
One victim tried to stop the suspect by swinging a crutch at him. The victim said that caused him to fall to the ground. That's when the suspect stabbed him in the head, he said.
The suspect and victims were transported to area hospitals. The suspect was later booked into Pierce County Jail on five counts of assault int he 2nd degree.
