Olympia police arrest man suspected of smashing windows downtown
Olympia police arrested a 28-year-old Olympia man early Tuesday on suspicion of first-degree malicious mischief after he was seen smashing windows with a table leg in downtown Olympia.
The man also was booked on suspicion of second-degree burglary, Lt. Paul Lower said Tuesday.
About 1 a.m., police were dispatched to the 700 block of Fourth Avenue East to help the fire department after a fire alarm was activated in the area. Fire officials discovered a broken window, then saw a man break another window and enter the business.
The man came out of that business and started to walk down the sidewalk when he was approached by police. Before he was stopped, officers saw him throw a large object off to one side. That turned out to be the table leg, Lower said.
In all, the man is suspected of shattering 13 windows at seven businesses on either side of the 700 block of Fourth Avenue East. Courtyard Antiques and Home Decor is one of the businesses that suffered damage.
An officer at the scene estimated the damage at more than $10,000, Lower said.
Downtown Olympia has experienced this type of vandalism before but arrests are rare. The difference was that fire officials witnessed the window-breaking and an officer was in the immediate area, Lower said.
This story was originally published October 22, 2019 at 11:51 AM.
