Sunday morning domestic violence dispute in Olympia triggers fire response, police say
Olympia police and fire crews responded to a domestic violence dispute in west Olympia Sunday morning.
About 11 a.m., a woman in an apartment in the 1200 block of Evergreen Park Drive Southwest called 911 to report an assault, Police Lt. Paul Lower said. At the same time, Olympia fire crews were headed in the same direction because of reports of black smoke in the area, he said.
Police learned that a man and woman, both in their early 40s, had been arguing when the man backhanded the woman across her face, then began to grab items around a Christmas tree and throw them into a fireplace, creating a large fire that generated black smoke and triggered fire alarms.
He also threatened to throw photos of a child into the fire, according to police.
The man then fled from the apartment only to return later and be taken into custody.
Lower said the man was arrested on suspicion of fourth-degree assault/domestic violence. The fire was contained to the fireplace, he said.
This story was originally published December 5, 2023 at 10:43 AM.
