This passage from the SPD report on the incident will give you some idea of the scene officers found Monday night around 11 PM when they arrived after a call to 911 reported a man was seen kicking in the front door of East Pike’s Maharaja:

 I observed the front door window was shattered. A small pane (approx.6 X 6 in) on a door inside was shattered. A couple tables were turned over on the floor, glass candle holders were strewn on the floor. One was broken. Blood was on some of the bench seats inside and a shot glass was on the floor.

A witness said the suspect is a regular customer but had been arguing with a man outside and then entered the Maharaja “looking for a fight.” Officers later learned that the suspect had demanded a cigarette from the man outside. The man told the suspect he didn’t have one. That’s when all hell broke loose.

According to the report, the suspect went inside the Maharaja and shook one male customer who told him to calm down. When he was told to leave the bar, the suspect walked toward the door, then punched another male customer. Then the suspect turned his attention to Maharaja’s front door, shaking it, punching it and, eventually, shattering a pane. The suspect then came back inside, grabbed a glass candle holder and threw it across the room. Next, he threw a shot glass at another patron who ducked. The glass hit a customer standing behind sparking a melee inside as the suspect fought with “several males.” The suspect eventually fled Maharaja leaving the Indian restaurant looking like a cowboy movie’s bar brawl scene.

Officers were able to arrest the man witnesses said was responsible for the mayhem a short distance from the restaurant and lounge. The suspect had cuts, a swollen mouth, swollen knuckles and dried blood on his head when arrested.

Seattle Fire responded to the scene. Injuries to customers were minor. The suspect was taken for further “medical evaluation” after a visit to the East Precinct.