KEY POINTS

  • Michael Dousa, 58, swung a meat cleaver at an Applebee's bartender after being told to leave the restaurant
  • The Bellevue resident was not allowed in the establishment because he refused to show proof of his vaccination
  • Dousa was charged with felony second-degree assault and was jailed in lieu of a $75,000 bond

A 58-year-old man in King County, Washington, who was told to leave a local restaurant for refusing to provide proof of vaccination, lunged at the establishment's employees while he was holding a meat cleaver.

Michael Dousa, of Bellevue, was charged with felony second-degree assault after allegedly threatening the bartender of the Applebee's at 13856 Bel-Red Road on Feb. 5, The Seattle Times reported.

Before his arrest, Dousa had come up to the restaurant's bar to order a drink. However, he was told to leave the establishment after he was unable to provide proof of his vaccination, charging papers stated.

Dousa allegedly became angry and yelled before leaving the restaurant, and he stood outside the front door while waving a meat cleaver.

The bartender and another employee from Applebee's went to the door to ask Dousa to leave the property, but he approached the bartender instead and raised the cleaver over his head, the documents noted.

The bartender was reportedly able to retreat into the restaurant and lock the door just as Dousa started swinging the cleaver.

Bellevue police arrived at the scene shortly before midnight following reports of a customer threatening an employee with a knife and located Dousa nearby. Additionally, a meat cleaver and a knife were found on the ground next to the Applebee's.

Dousa, who told police he waved the cleaver to "egg them on," was arrested and booked into King County Jail. He remained jailed in lieu of $75,000 bail, jail and court records showed.

The incident happened while Dousa faced pending charges of third- and fourth-degree assault in Snohomish County from July 18, 2021.

Dousa's criminal history reportedly included convictions for theft and harassment.

It was unclear if he was vaccinated against COVID-19.

In response to Dousa's alleged attack, Levi Hudson, who frequented Applebee’s, said he does not believe violence "is ever the answer," according to a report by Komo News.

"I don’t think you should be violent because I think that is one of the most ridiculous things you can do. You’re not helping people by being violent," Hudson was quoted as saying.

"We’ve had family who has gotten sick and who has died from COVID. It’s kind of frustrating to see people just come in and not wear a mask and be violent," Hudson's sister, Angela Hudson, explained.

Prosecutors said there was a trend in these kinds of incidents.

"Maybe it’s because people are so close to being at the end of the pandemic or they’re getting so frustrated and we’re not done, but either way when you pull a meat cleaver on somebody, when you pull a gun at a gas station and we can prove that case, you’re going to get charged for it," Casey McNerthney, the director of communications at the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, said.

The United States has reported a total of 77,837,693 COVID-19 cases and 920,097 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began, data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

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