Gathering outside Trader Joe’s leads to 2 arrests, Olympia police say
A gathering outside Trader Joe’s in west Olympia on Saturday resulted in two arrests, according to Olympia police.
About 5 p.m. Saturday, store staff contacted police to say that about 30 people had gathered outside the store and were preventing shoppers from entering the business, Lt. Paul Lower said Sunday.
Police monitored the situation and eventually the group dispersed, he said.
However, one shopper was allegedly threatened with pepper spray, Lower said. The shopper provided a vehicle description and that vehicle was later stopped by police, he said. The passenger in the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of harassment, Lower said.
Police also discovered they had probable cause to arrest the driver on charges of obstructing police during a destructive gathering in downtown Olympia July 4.
Both were arrested on misdemeanor offenses and booked into the Olympia City Jail Saturday night, Lower said. A small group gathered outside the jail, but once the passenger and driver posted bail, the group dispersed, he said.
This story was originally published July 12, 2020 at 11:26 AM.
