Man arrested after pulling knife in Yelm robbery
Yelm Police arrested a 47-year-old man Thursday afternoon after he was caught stealing from an auto parts store and pulled a knife on an employee and citizen who chased him down.
About 3:20 p.m. Thursday, the suspect stole items from AutoZone on the 1200 block of Yelm Avenue East and fled through a fire door, Assistant Police Chief Rob Carlson told The Olympian.
A store employee and a citizen chased the man to a nearby Dairy Queen, where the suspect fell and dropped the basket of stolen goods, Carlson said. When the two tried to detain the suspect for police, he took out a folding knife and became aggressive.
The employee and citizen backed away, and the man fled toward a fast food restaurant on the other side of Yelm Avenue, according to Carlson, where Yelm officers arrested him without incident.
The man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree robbery. He also had an active Department of Corrections warrant, Carlson said. His driver license showed a Federal Way address.
Records show the man was in Thurston County jail as of Friday morning. The Olympian generally does not identify suspects before they have appeared in court.
This story was originally published May 8, 2020 at 10:42 AM.
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