SEATTLE — A business owner in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood said he is worried about the safety of his staff after his flower shop was vandalized Saturday.
Bill Rieg, the owner of Seattle Flowers, said a woman entered the store around noon on Saturday and began swinging a decorative stick. She shattered vases and flower pots.
Rieg estimates roughly $3,000 in damage.
“She broke everything and was just using [the branch] like a baseball bat, just swinging away,” said Rieg.
Seattle Police arrested 47-year-old Cortina Fletcher in connection to the incident. Data from the Department of Corrections indicates that Fletcher has been to prison 11 times.
Rieg believes things would have been worse if his neighbor Dan Suh hadn’t run into the store to help.
“I jumped at her, I tackled her to the ground, the doors fly wide open, I grabbed the stick and I huck it. And once she’s on the ground, I’m on top of her and she stops resisting,” said Suh.
Downtown Seattle business owners have raised concerns about repeat offenders targeting shops in the past.
In September, a report commissioned by six business associations found the Seattle City Attorney’s Office declined to file charges on nearly half of non-traffic related criminal cases.
Rieg said he didn't know why his business was the target. He said he’s joining the list of businesses concerned about the future of Pioneer Square.
He's questioning whether or not to hire an extra person so there are two people in the shop at once.
“Do I really want to stay downtown in the Pioneer Square area once my lease is up?” said Rieg, “I really have to question that.”
