Machete-wielding man subdued at Nite Owl

A man wielding a machete and a jackknife in the Nite Owl restaurant on Saturday afternoon was subdued, but it wasn't easy.

Carlos Seeley, 51, Columbia Falls, was arrested and charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor resisting arrest.

Dispatch received a report about 4:33 p.m. that a man with a machete had allegedly threatened a waitress. About half a dozen people were in the Nite Owl side of the restaurant at the time.

According to three waitresses who witnessed the incident, Seeley had finished eating and was paying his bill when he pulled out a jackknife and said he was "taking over." The waitress at the cash register tried to talk him down while another went to call for police. Seeley then pulled out a machete and hit it hard on the countertop.

Det. Steve Hughes, who responded to the call, approached Seeley with a Taser in one hand and his semiautomatic 9 mm handgun in the other hand. When he fired the Taser, however, one of the darts fell off, and Seeley turned to walk away.

Hughes then grabbed one of the man's arms. When Seeley allegedly turned as if to strike Hughes with the machete, Hughes struck Seeley in the head, knocking Seeley down.

Hughes' handgun, however, discharged from the impact of the blow. A bullet hit an overhead beam, richocheted through the nearby door to the women's restroom and went into a wall at the back of the restroom. Nobody was injured in the incident.

Police chief Dave Perry said Seeley was known to local police. He has had mental issues, Perry said, and his wife has a temporary restraining order against him. Seeley was likely carrying the machete in some type of scabbard hanging down the center of his back under his shirt, Perry said.