Gun Fired Inside Restaurant Restroom
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Updated: 12:09 AM Oct 5, 2009
Gun Fired Inside Restaurant Restroom
Patron helps officers locate gunman
A man was arrested Sunday night after opening fire in the restroom of a Bellevue Village Inn restaurant. No one was hurt.
Posted: 10:54 PM Oct 4, 2009
Reporter: Justin Joseph
Email Address: sixonline@wowt.com
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A man was arrested Sunday night after opening fire in the restroom of a Bellevue Village Inn restaurant. No one was hurt.

The call came in to police around 6:30 p.m. as a small explosion in the men's restroom. At first no one could find the gunman who had fled the restaurant until police got another call directing them to a nearby No Frills supermarket.

Bruce Chapin wanted to spend a nice, quiet Sunday evening starting with his first trip to the Village Inn at Fort Crook Road and Avery. “We came by to grab some stuff to do some work at the house, grab something to eat, go home and watch a move. That was it."

Things didn’t go as planned. “I can only think that by the grace of God we were at that spot to see him and to help bring him down and maybe save a life or something. It’s really weird, really kind of weird."

Chapin was eating before the crime scene tape went up. “I heard this loud bang and I looked at my wife and I thought, what in the world was that?”

It was gunfire and a waitress heard it and called 911.

“I tell the officers that's the guy and about the same time they're responding on him, drawing on him and telling him to drop to the ground and I just told the dispatch operator that's him, that's the guy I saw,” said Chapin.

“He was very good, he was in the restaurant,” Bellevue Police Sgt. Tom Dargy said of Chapin. “He actually followed the gentleman and gave us updates.”

“Had it not been for my call they would have never got him and he still had the weapon on him,” said Chapin. The 29-year-old man was taken in custody. His name has not been released.

Police say they recovered a gun on him, but they don't know why he shot a wall out inside the restaurant. “There is a hole from where the round went into the wall,” said Sgt. Dargy.

That's why Chapin was back at the restaurant a second time. “My legs are a little shaky. I’m going to go in here and get a piece of pie and a cup of coffee just to settle down before I drive back home.”

It is still unclear why the man did this. Police say Chapin could have prevented something much worse from happening.


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