A 39-year-old homeless man has been charged with assault after biting a clerk at a downtown Seattle 7-Eleven store, prosecutors say.
Charging documents say when William Ludwig tried to walk out of the store on First Avenue and Cherry Street without paying for a six-pack of beer on April 8, the store clerk tried to pull it away.
What police described as a “prolonged altercation” began, and at some point, Ludwig bit the clerk’s right arm. At that point, a customer intervened and put Ludwig in a headlock to protect the clerk.
According to documents, surveillance video showed the customer struggle with Ludwig and they both fell to the sidewalk outside the store.
Police said video showed the customer holding Ludwig down for about two minutes. During that time, Ludwig told the customer he had bitten him and that he has AIDS, according to the customer, who was not bitten.
Ludwig left the scene when the clerk told the customer to let him go. He was picked up a few blocks away from the 7-Eleven by Seattle police.
Police said when they later spoke with the clerk, he told them he had to go to the hospital after the altercation, where he was told a bone in his foot had been broken during the struggle.
Prosecutors asked that Ludwig’s bail be set at $50,000 because he has limited ties to Seattle, an out-of-state criminal history, mental health and substance abuse issues and no stable address.
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