Charge: Man stabbed bar patron for taking his seat at Seattle watering hole The defendant finished singing karaoke and found someone in his chair, police reports say

A 56-year-old man is charged with second-degree assault after allegedly stabbing a bar patron at Madison Park's Red Onion for occupying his seat while he sang karaoke.

A 56-year-old man is charged with second-degree assault after allegedly stabbing a bar patron at Madison Park's Red Onion for occupying his seat while he sang karaoke. Photo: Edward McCain/Getty Images Photo: Edward McCain/Getty Images Image 1 of / 92 Caption Close Charge: Man stabbed bar patron for taking his seat at Seattle watering hole 1 / 92 Back to Gallery

When 56-year-old Joshua Schroeter finished singing karaoke at the Red Onion bar in the Madison Park neighborhood of Seattle about midnight Sept. 29, he found someone in his seat, police reports say.

It wasn't the first time someone tread on his territory that night; he allegedly shoved another man out of his chair earlier.

But this time, he used a different tactic to prompt the man to leave the seat, court records indicate.

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Prosecutors charged Schroeter with second-degree assault Wednesday, saying he stabbed the bar patron that night and punctured the man's lung.

Officers arrived at the bar at 4210 East Madison Street about 12:01 a.m. to find a man with a wound to his chest and another bar patron applying pressure to his injury, according to the incident report.

The man told cops he was seated next to a friend in the bar when a man, later identified as Schroeter, sat down next to him and told him he had to move. The victim refused to change seats, prompting back-and-forth shoving between the men, police accounts indicated. He then felt sharp pressure in his ribs and believed Schroeter had elbowed him. Schroeter got up and left the bar.

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The victim lifted his shirt, however, to find that he'd been stabbed.

A witness told police that he sat next to Schroeter earlier that night, but Schroeter shoved him out of the seat, reports claim. The then said he saw Schroeter return to his seat after signing karaoke to find the victim in his seat and watched the ensuing scuffle.

Witnesses persuaded Schroeter to stay at the bar and wait for police. Schroeter also allegedly removed a knife from his pocket and placed it on the sidewalk.

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Responding officers saw the folding knife, which included a three-inch blade, and found blood on Schroeter's hands.

Schroeter allegedly told police, "He assaulted me, I defended myself. That's all I have to say."

He was released from jail Oct. 2 on bail.

SeattlePI reporter Lynsi Burton can be reached at 206-448-8381 or lynsiburton@seattlepi.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LynsiBurton_PI. Find more from Lynsi here.