Seattle Authorities Recover Machete, Hatchet in Area Previously Known as CHOP

Officers recover weapons, shields, and spike strips during park cleanup.
Seattle Police Department
Hannah Knudsen

Authorities in Seattle have recovered a variety of weapons, from a machete to an unexploded mortar, during the cleanup of Cal Anderson Park, the area previously occupied by anarchists and Antifa.

The cleanup of the area formerly known as Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone (CHOP) is underway, and authorities have recovered a number of items, including “spike strips, weapons and dozens of makeshift shields inside of tents in the area,” according to the Seattle Police Department (SPD).

Officers provided security during the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department’s Tuesday morning cleanup. Workers discovered several weapons during the process — a “machete, hatchet, homemade spike strips, an unexploded mortar, and multiple makeshift shields.”

“Officers removed the items from the tent and placed them into evidence,” SPD said. “No arrests have been made in this investigation at this time, but the investigation is ongoing.”

According to KING5, the project came with opposition, as demonstrators gathered in the area to protest.

“Police were seen getting physical with protesters as they tried to keep the crowd off the park,” the outlet reported, adding that there were at least two arrests.

Demonstrators gathered in Seattle on Tuesday night and reportedly gathered around the East Precinct. Video shows them throwing what appears to be incendiary devices at the structure:

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