Olympia Police searching for suspect in Capital Mall armed robbery Sunday night

Olympia police officers were dispatched to reports of an armed robbery at the JCPenney at Capital Mall just after 5 p.m. Sunday.

Police Lt. Paul Lower said when officers arrived, they spoke to three store loss prevention employees who said a man entered and left with almost $500 in items without paying. When store security tried to contact the man in the parking lot, he tossed the items to the ground and retrieved a handgun from a small blue sports car nearby, pointing it at the employees.

Lower said the man left in the blue car before police arrived. He was described as a white, about 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds, wearing a blue jacket and black sweatpants with red, black and white shoes and a black hat.

Police are still investigating, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Olympia Police Department at 360-753-8300.

Ty Vinson

The Olympian

360-357-0201

Ty Vinson covers the City of Olympia and keeps tabs on Tumwater and other communities in Thurston County. He joined The Olympian in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at the Northwest Indiana Times, the Oregonian and the Arizona Republic as a Pulliam Fellow. Support my work with a digital subscription