Olympia police looking for woman accused of arson outside convenience store
Olympia police are looking for a woman accused of arson after she reportedly set a car on fire.
About 1:30 p.m. May 12, police and Olympia fire crews were dispatched to a convenience store in the 2000 block of Black Lake Boulevard Southwest where they found and extinguished a car that was set on fire. The car belonged to a store employee, according to police.
That morning, the suspect had asked if she could charge her cell phone in the store’s bathroom and the employee allowed her to do that, Police Lt. Paul Lower said. But after the suspect exited the bathroom, the employee reported that she began to steal food and water, so she was asked to leave the store.
Throughout the morning, the suspect would return and be asked repeatedly to leave the store, Lower said.
Police reviewed video footage that showed the suspect drive up alongside the employee’s vehicle. She then lights something on fire, drops it onto the passenger seat of the vehicle and leaves the scene.
The damaged vehicle was described as a total loss, Lower said.
The suspect was last seen driving a 2000s-era gray or silver Toyota Camry. She was described as having a large build and was wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans, according to police.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Olympia police at 360-753-8300.
This story was originally published May 21, 2024 at 10:28 AM.
