Suspect tied to downtown shooting and robbery is in custody, Olympia police say
An 18-year-old man connected to a downtown shooting and robbery last month has been arrested, a spokesman for the Olympia Police Department said Tuesday.
The 18-year-old suspect was taken into custody Friday afternoon in the 1900 block of Berry Street Northeast, which is near East Bay Drive, Thurston County jail information shows.
About 8 p.m. Dec. 21, the 18-year-old man, along with two other people, asked a 65-year-old man in the 400 block of Franklin Street Northeast for a cigarette, Lt. Paul Lower said.
They then stole the pack from him, and the victim pursued the group until a handgun was displayed, Lower said.
Police responded to investigate the incident, then they learned that the Olympia Fire Department had been dispatched to an injured 56-year-old man on Capitol Way North.
That man had been shot in the chest, Lower said. Before the victim was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, police identified the 18-year-old as the suspected shooter, Lower said.
Police have also arrested a juvenile connected to the crime and have leads on the third person, Lower said.
The shooting victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition, The Olympian reported, although Lower did not have an update on his medical status as of Tuesday.
What court records show
The 18-year-old suspect appeared in Thurston County Superior Court on Monday. The court found probable cause for the crimes of first-degree assault and first-degree robbery. Bail was set at $350,000. He was still in custody as of Tuesday, according to the Thurston County jail log. His arraignment is set for 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Although Lower didn’t have an update on the victim, court records show police were able to interview him after he was treated for his injury.
This story was originally published January 6, 2026 at 11:47 AM.
