Spokane Valley, Washington



From the Spokane Spokesman-Review of June 2, 2004

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Man wounded in knife fight



A man with a “Crocodile Dundee” knife decided that flight was better than fight when his opponent pulled a .357-caliber pistol Monday, Spokane Valley Police said.



The quarrel began, police said, at a small apartment complex at 10625 E. Trent. A Spokane woman and a California man are co-owners of the complex, police said, and the woman had hired her brother-in-law to do electrical work at the building.



The California man came to the site Monday and found that the work failed to meet state building codes, police said. He complained to his female partner, who summoned the brother-in-law, Bradley E. Cooper, 19107 E. Riverside.



As Cooper, 33, and the California man argued over the quality of the work, Cooper pulled what officers described as a “Crocodile Dundee” knife, which was 1 1/2 feet long. He struck the California man in the head with the knife, police said. Uncowed by the Spokane man's bold but somewhat primitive technique, the California man retrieved the .357 from his car, police said. Cooper then opted to leave, police said.



A description of his vehicle was broadcast and Cooper was stopped a short time later at Trent and Pines by Washington State Patrol Trooper Dan Derrick.



Police booked Cooper into jail on a felony charge of second-degree assault. The California man didn't require medical treatment.