Selected reports from the Bainbridge Island Police Department blotter.

SATURDAY, OCT. 13

6:30 p.m. A 46-year-old Arlington man called police to report an assault at a restaurant in the Island Village Shopping Center.

The man was met by an officer in the outside dining area, and told police he was punched in the face by another man inside at the bar after they had a heated argument about politics and worker unions.

The man then told police he was kicked out of the establishment after the assault.

When the officer asked why he got thrown out when he was the one who got punched in the face, the man became strangely quiet about the details of that part of the incident.

An officer could find no visible marks on the man’s face, and he said he didn’t need medical attention.

Employees said they did not see the entire incident, but told police Arlington man had not been in town for long but had been frequenting the bar and had a bad habit of drinking too much and starting arguments with other patrons about politics. An employee said the man had been talking to another customer, a 64-year-old Bainbridge resident, then started an argument about worker unions.

Staff overheard the Arlington man hurl profanities at the other customer and call him ignorant.

An employee then saw the man being pulled away by other people at the bar, and the Arlington man was told he was done for the night and thrown out.

The other party to the argument said the Arlington man asked to sit near a mutual friend of theirs, and then started talking about how he was the CFO of a company before the topic of unions came up and the Arlington man said strongly how much he hated unions.

The Bainbridge man told him several times he did not want to talk politics and asked him to “let it go.”

After shouting profanities at the other man, the Arlington man lunged at the man he was arguing with, who admitted throwing a jab in his face, but added that he did it to defend himself from “some angry drunk guy.”

The patrol was asked if he wanted the Arlington man charged or if he was happy with the man just being ejected from the business. He said he was just there to enjoy the evening and glad the other man was gone.

Another witness said he saw the Arlington man yelling and shouting at the local man, before he was hit lightly once, in what appeared to be an attempt to get him to back off, as the Bainbridge man was corned at one end of the bar.

Other customers who did not want to get involved in the police call said the Arlington man deserved to get punched n the face.

Police told the Arlington man that it appeared he had started the conflict, and that officers would not forward the case to the prosecutor’s office. The man agreed to leave the area for the night.