A year later, plea deal in Capitol Hill gay bar water pellet drive-by case

Last April, two people were charged in a hate crime investigation after a water gun pellet drive-by that struck a patron outside Capitol Hill gay bar Pony.

A year later, justice has been partly served though restitution in the case remains an open issue.

Court records show the two adults charged in the incident struck plea deals this fall, pleading guilty to reduced attempted hate crime charges. the defendants received suspended sentences of a year in jail under the plea agreement plus two years of probation and restitution to be determined.

The case echoed with other bias incidents reported over the years by the neighborhood’s queer venues. In this late night February, 2025 incident outside Pony, the suspects including the two adults and a 17-year-old were reported circling their vehicle near 12th and Madison yelling “die faggots,” and firing pellets at people from a “water bead” gun.

A Lexus matching the appearance of the suspect vehicle was easily tracked down on social media. The vehicle reportedly made a loud banging sound when its engine roared.

The Seattle Police Department said that one interview with a suspect revealed the involvement of the son of “the minister at an Episcopalian church in Puyallup.”

The 17-year-old’s case, meanwhile, was handled in juvenile court.

The defendants were ordered not to contact the E Madison bar or the person that the water pellets struck. Court records indicate the court’s investigator has not established restitution in the case.

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