Olympia police arrest man after he fired his gun at Saturday protest near the Capitol
Olympia Police arrested a 27-year-old man and Trump rally participant on suspicion of first- and second-degree assault after he allegedly fired his gun at counter-protesters during a clash on Saturday.
Olympia police also received reports that a counter-protester may have been shot. Police are asking that the possible victim come forward so the appropriate charges can be made, according to a news release from the city of Olympia.
The 27-year-old man who was arrested was part of a pro-Trump rally Saturday afternoon on the Capitol Campus. They eventually clashed with black-clad counter-protesters at Capitol Way South and 11th Avenue Southeast.
The fight, according to police, involved up to 200 people armed with bats, bottles, rocks, chemical sprays and guns, and took place near The United Churches of Olympia. The church’s pastor was shoved in the altercation, and she posted about it Sunday on Facebook.
“Yesterday I was knocked down in the church parking lot by (a) Trump supporter,” wrote the Rev. Tammy Leiter Stampfli. “This was after being screamed at for being a pastor of ‘such a Church.’ I had stopped with another member to use the bathroom. There had been a full on brawl between antifa and Trump supporters. People were beating each other, spraying chemicals in each others eyes, yelling, screaming obscenities.
“I am so disheartened that this continues in our nation. I think that every single one of us needs to do everything we can to bring peace. The way forward would involve careful and kind dialogue with people who see things differently,” she wrote.
After the fight, some of the counter-protesters marched through downtown, followed by about 15 Trump rally participants.
The city reported that Olympia Police called in extra staff and support from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, but much of the fight took place before they had enough officers to safely intervene.
Although the two groups exchanged insults during the march, there were no more violent interactions between them, according to police. Olympia police issued several dispersal orders, but police did not use chemical munitions to break up the two groups “because of the presence of holiday shoppers and families downtown,” the news release said.
Anyone with information about the fight is asked to call Olympia police’s non-emergency dispatch line at 360-704-2740, or call 360-753-8300 during regular business hours. Those with information also can email it to olympiapolice@ci.olympia.wa.us.
This story was originally published December 6, 2020 at 5:45 AM.
