The suit was brought by Robert West, then 14, who survived the attack but suffered catastrophic injuries that have left him permanently disabled.
minute read
A second teenager who was shot in the 2020 attack that killed 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. during Seattle’s Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ) has filed a lawsuit against the City of Seattle. This follows a historic $30.5 million jury verdict finding the city negligent for allowing the deadly occupation to occur.
The lawsuit, filed by Robert West, who was 14 years old at the time, argues that Seattle’s decisions during the occupation of six blocks of the city by BLM and Antifa activists in the summer of 2020 created the dangerous conditions that led to the shooting and delayed emergency response that followed. West survived the attack but suffered catastrophic injuries that have left him permanently disabled.
The suit comes after a King County jury found the city negligent and liable in the wrongful death case brought by the estate and family of Antonio Mays Jr., awarding approximately $30.5 million in damages.
According to court documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Antonio Mays Jr. and Robert West were shot in the early morning hours of June 29, 2020, while driving through the CHAZ zone in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The two teenagers were inside a Jeep Cherokee when they were ambushed by armed individuals described as self-appointed “CHOP security,” after protesters changed their name to the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, who opened fire with an estimated 100 rounds. Mays Jr. was hit multiple times and ultimately died. West survived, but he was shot in the head and suffered life-altering injuries.
In the chaos that followed, protesters and volunteer medics attempted to transport Mays Jr. out of the zone to reach medical help, but the path was obstructed by barricades. Seattle Fire Department medics reportedly did not enter the area, citing safety concerns. The result, according to testimony in the Mays family case, was a devastating delay in professional care. Medical experts argued Mays Jr. might have survived if emergency aid had reached him sooner.
The shooting has remained unsolved for years, with no arrests and no criminal charges filed in connection with Mays Jr.’s death. But the civil cases moved forward.
West's attorney Evan Oshan told Hoffman, "The City, through its Former Mayor Durkan, told the world that CHOP was a 'summer of love' with a 'block party atmosphere' — 'not a lawless wasteland' but 'a peaceful expression of our community's collective grief.' Robert West was fourteen years old. What the City didn't tell him was that someone had already been killed inside CHOP, that response times were three times as long as normal, and that the City had stopped sending police and paramedics into the zone."
"Robert was shot multiple times by armed strangers who had appointed themselves CHOP 'security,'" he added. "He lost his right eye. Part of his skull was replaced with a titanium plate. He has a seizure disorder and traumatic brain injury. His injuries have left him permanently disabled. More than five years later, no one has been arrested, and the Seattle Police Department has never
interviewed him."
An email attached as an exhibit to the lawsuit from former Mayor Durkan called an earlier CHOP shooting "foreseeable and avoidable" that "cannot be repeated" nine days before West was shot. Oshan noted that by the city's own admission, no officers were assigned to patrol CHOP that night.
In the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the Mays estate, the family argued that Seattle created a “state-created danger” by abandoning the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct, fortifying the protest zone with barriers, and preventing police and emergency responders from entering, effectively leaving the area outside normal public safety protections.
After a month-long trial, jurors agreed the city was negligent and that the negligence was a proximate cause of Mays Jr.’s death. The verdict awarded the family roughly $30 million, making it one of the most significant legal outcomes tied to CHAZ.
West’s lawsuit now adds a second major claim stemming from the same night. The filing argues that Seattle’s actions and policies during CHAZ not only contributed to Mays Jr.’s death, but also contributed to West’s injuries, trauma, and permanent disability. While Mays Jr.’s case centered on wrongful death, West’s suit focuses on survival damages: medical costs, long-term care needs, lost earning capacity, and the irreversible impact of the shooting on his life.
The new lawsuit comes as the Mays family is also pushing for public access to evidence that remains sealed. Following the verdict, the family publicly called on Seattle to release 116 body-camera videos that were produced during litigation under a protective order limiting access to attorneys. The family argues the footage should not remain hidden, especially after a jury concluded the city’s negligence contributed to the teen’s death.
A judge previously ordered the city to review the videos and identify portions that should remain sealed, but the city has sought reconsideration and the issue remains pending.
The lawsuit, filed by Robert West, who was 14 years old at the time, argues that Seattle’s decisions during the occupation of six blocks of the city by BLM and Antifa activists in the summer of 2020 created the dangerous conditions that led to the shooting and delayed emergency response that followed. West survived the attack but suffered catastrophic injuries that have left him permanently disabled.
The suit comes after a King County jury found the city negligent and liable in the wrongful death case brought by the estate and family of Antonio Mays Jr., awarding approximately $30.5 million in damages.
According to court documents obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, Antonio Mays Jr. and Robert West were shot in the early morning hours of June 29, 2020, while driving through the CHAZ zone in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. The two teenagers were inside a Jeep Cherokee when they were ambushed by armed individuals described as self-appointed “CHOP security,” after protesters changed their name to the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, who opened fire with an estimated 100 rounds. Mays Jr. was hit multiple times and ultimately died. West survived, but he was shot in the head and suffered life-altering injuries.
In the chaos that followed, protesters and volunteer medics attempted to transport Mays Jr. out of the zone to reach medical help, but the path was obstructed by barricades. Seattle Fire Department medics reportedly did not enter the area, citing safety concerns. The result, according to testimony in the Mays family case, was a devastating delay in professional care. Medical experts argued Mays Jr. might have survived if emergency aid had reached him sooner.
The shooting has remained unsolved for years, with no arrests and no criminal charges filed in connection with Mays Jr.’s death. But the civil cases moved forward.
West's attorney Evan Oshan told Hoffman, "The City, through its Former Mayor Durkan, told the world that CHOP was a 'summer of love' with a 'block party atmosphere' — 'not a lawless wasteland' but 'a peaceful expression of our community's collective grief.' Robert West was fourteen years old. What the City didn't tell him was that someone had already been killed inside CHOP, that response times were three times as long as normal, and that the City had stopped sending police and paramedics into the zone."
"Robert was shot multiple times by armed strangers who had appointed themselves CHOP 'security,'" he added. "He lost his right eye. Part of his skull was replaced with a titanium plate. He has a seizure disorder and traumatic brain injury. His injuries have left him permanently disabled. More than five years later, no one has been arrested, and the Seattle Police Department has never
interviewed him."
An email attached as an exhibit to the lawsuit from former Mayor Durkan called an earlier CHOP shooting "foreseeable and avoidable" that "cannot be repeated" nine days before West was shot. Oshan noted that by the city's own admission, no officers were assigned to patrol CHOP that night.
In the wrongful death lawsuit brought by the Mays estate, the family argued that Seattle created a “state-created danger” by abandoning the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct, fortifying the protest zone with barriers, and preventing police and emergency responders from entering, effectively leaving the area outside normal public safety protections.
After a month-long trial, jurors agreed the city was negligent and that the negligence was a proximate cause of Mays Jr.’s death. The verdict awarded the family roughly $30 million, making it one of the most significant legal outcomes tied to CHAZ.
West’s lawsuit now adds a second major claim stemming from the same night. The filing argues that Seattle’s actions and policies during CHAZ not only contributed to Mays Jr.’s death, but also contributed to West’s injuries, trauma, and permanent disability. While Mays Jr.’s case centered on wrongful death, West’s suit focuses on survival damages: medical costs, long-term care needs, lost earning capacity, and the irreversible impact of the shooting on his life.
The new lawsuit comes as the Mays family is also pushing for public access to evidence that remains sealed. Following the verdict, the family publicly called on Seattle to release 116 body-camera videos that were produced during litigation under a protective order limiting access to attorneys. The family argues the footage should not remain hidden, especially after a jury concluded the city’s negligence contributed to the teen’s death.
A judge previously ordered the city to review the videos and identify portions that should remain sealed, but the city has sought reconsideration and the issue remains pending.
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