A man who’s accused of attacking the owner of a Vancouver antique store with a knife appeared Tuesday in Clark County Superior Court.
Sterling S. Steinmetz, 28, no address provided, is facing allegations of second-degree assault and felony harassment, court records show.
Vancouver police responded shortly before 1 p.m. Monday to a disturbance with a knife at Reliques Marketplace, 7601 N.E. Vancouver Plaza Drive. The caller reported there was a man inside the store who tried to stab an employee, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The suspect, later identified by police as Steinmetz, left the scene and was detained nearby. Police located a knife inside his right vest pocket, the affidavit says.
Reliques owners Chris Lutz and Scott Wyckoff said they had approached Steinmetz because he was yelling profanities inside the store, causing concern from other employees. Lutz said Steinmetz appeared to be under the influence of drugs, and he told him to leave, court records state.
Steinmetz cursed at Lutz and punched him in the mouth. Lutz then put Steinmetz in a headlock and took him outside, where he released him and told him to leave. In response, Steinmetz pulled a knife, with a 4- to 5-inch blade, from his pocket and swung it at Lutz. He repeatedly said, “I’ll (expletive) kill you,” according to the affidavit.
Lutz jumped back and tried to calm Steinmetz, who continued to swing the knife at him. Lutz then moved inside the store’s inner door and closed it, court records say.
Steinmetz put away the knife and began hitting the store window with his head or a hand. Lutz was concerned Steinmetz would break the glass, so he walked outside and told him to leave. When Steinmetz hit the window again, Lutz tackled him, according to the court document. Steinmetz then got up and left.
On Tuesday, Judge Jennifer Snider set Steinmetz’s bail at $75,000. He will be arraigned Feb. 28.
