Seattle-area police investigating after man pulls gun on peaceful anti-Iranian regime demonstrators

Police are investigating after witnesses say a man pulled a firearm and threatened anti-Iranian regime demonstrators during a rally Sunday afternoon at Bellevue Downtown Park.

Organizers told KING 5 that the event drew hundreds of people connected to “Voice of Iran,” a Bellevue-based group that regularly holds demonstrations calling for regime change in Iran. Sunday’s rally was reportedly celebratory, following the news that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had been killed in joint US/Israeli airstrikes on Saturday.

Saghar Amini, one of the demonstrators, told the outlet that she was dancing near the sidewalk after a caravan of supporters drove through the area waving American, Israeli, and Iranian flags. She heard shouting from a car stopped nearby and began recording on her phone, but said she did not realize there was a gun until reviewing the footage and speaking to others at the event.

In the nine-second clip Amini recorded, a man in the passenger seat of a dark-colored BMW yells at demonstrators as the vehicle moves past and turns right. The video appears to show the passenger holding an object that appears to be a firearm at the beginning of the recording while confronting at least one person near the roadway.

A Bellevue Police Department spokesperson told the outlet that investigators have not confirmed whether the weapon was pointed directly at anyone. Amini said one demonstrator in the area told her the passenger warned him not to approach and threatened to shoot, adding that families quickly moved away from the street, including one parent who grabbed two small children and ran.

Another witness video captured the passenger shouting “Free Palestine” as the car passed, Amini said.

Police have not announced any arrests or released a description of a suspect. Anyone with additional video or information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Bellevue Police Department.