EVERETT, Wash. - Everett police are investigating whether a shooting took place around the time of a massive brawl outside a Mexican restaurant early Sunday morning that left a half dozen people injured, FOX 13 Seattle reports.
Investigators say a person stole a vehicle during the fight outside El Muchacho Alegre II at 23rd Street and Broadway and drove it into a crowd, hitting an estimated six people, before striking another car about a block away and fleeing on foot.
Everett Police spokesperson Natalie Given confirmed that a few gunshots were heard before the fight and that officers found a shell casing and a live round in the area where the brawl took place. Given said nobody was struck by a bullet and no property was damaged by gunfire, though witness accounts vary on when the shots were fired and the investigation continues.
Brent Levitt, who lives nearby, told FOX 13 he heard loud music from the restaurant from Saturday night into Sunday morning before things turned violent. "I heard the first gunshot and two more gunshots followed," Levitt said, adding that he then heard a man scream, a woman scream and the first officer on scene shouting at someone to get on the ground.
Another witness said he drove past the restaurant while picking up fast food and saw more than 30 people brawling near the back entrance, with people held against vehicles and fists flying.
Of the six people hit by the vehicle, one person remained hospitalized at Harborview Medical Center as of Monday, police said.