Man assaulted by group after they accuse him of stealing EBT cards, Olympia police say
Olympia police are looking for suspects accused of assaulting a man Sunday night near the Fifth Avenue bridge, a spokesman for the department said.
One person is in custody on a related matter, Lt. Paul Lower said.
About 9 p.m. Sunday, the man was in his tent when a group of people stood outside it and accused him of stealing EBT cards, or what used to be known as food stamps.
The tent was then sliced open with what was described as a machete-style knife and the man was pulled out of it. He was assaulted by the group before they fled the scene, Lower said.
One member of the group also may have had a handgun, although another witness described it as a flare gun, Lower said. Although the man was cut and bruised, his injuries did not require hospitalization, Lower said.
A 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree burglary for his role in reaching into the man’s tent, he said.
This story was originally published May 11, 2020 at 11:01 AM.
