Bail set for Olympia man accused of starting fire, standoff with police Feb. 12
A 55-year-old Olympia man accused of setting fire to his apartment and refusing to leave is being held in Thurston County jail in lieu of $30,000 bail.
On Feb. 12, Olympia police arrested Danny Eugene Pollock at Bayview Apartments on suspicion of first-degree arson. Thurston County Superior Court Commissioner Nate Kortokrax found probable cause for the alleged crime on Thursday.
Firefighters responded to a stovetop fire in the city’s Eastside Neighborhood at around 3:45 a.m. that Saturday, The Olympian previously reported. All residents in the building evacuated except for Pollock who allegedly wielded a knife, demanding to stay.
This prompted Olympia police and the Thurston County SWAT team to respond to the scene. A long standoff ensued that ended about 9:30 a.m. with Pollock’s arrest, according to Kevin Bossard, assistant chief of operations at the Olympia Fire Department.
During the multi-hour standoff, evacuated residents sheltered from the cold in an Intercity Transit bus. They were later taken to the nearby Olympia fire station and fed, Bossard said. None of them were injured.
In setting the bail amount, Kortokrax reasoned there was a substantial danger Pollock will commit a violent crime. He also ordered Pollock have no contact with Bayview Apartments.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Cailen Cecil Wevodau asked the court to set bail at $50,000 based on the nature of the fire and his confrontation with law enforcement.
Wevodau also pointed to Pollock’s decades-old criminal history, including a fourth-degree assault conviction from Pierce County in 1990.
However, public defense attorney Ahmed Jenkins requested Pollock be released on his personal recognizance pending an evaluation with designated crisis responders.
A probable cause statement describes the incident and arrest from the perspective of law enforcement.
A neighbor called 911 at around 3:36 a.m. on Feb. 12, saying she woke up to the smell of smoke and the sound of two explosions, according to the statement.
When officers arrived at the scene, the statement says they saw smoke billowing on the first floor and fire inside one of the apartment units.
An officer heard Pollock inside the apartment and used his baton to break a glass window, per the statement. Another officer used a ram to breach the front door.
Officers observed Pollock inside the apartment and yelled at him to get out. However, the statement says Pollock yelled “no” repeatedly and disappeared into the smoke.
From the window, officers said they saw Pollock holding a 6–10-inch butcher knife and told emergency responders to back away from the unit.
Multiple officers called out to Pollock to exit the burning unit, according to the statement, but he continued to refuse and hold onto the knife.
Pollock allegedly “challenged” law enforcement to enter the apartment and began “amping” himself up by yelling, “here we go,” the statement says.
Meanwhile, firefighters doused the fire by spraying water from a distance. At around 5:14 a.m., officers called in Thurston County SWAT for assistance.
The SWAT team threw a phone in to Pollock and attempted to communicate with him. At one point, he allegedly stated he was “psyching himself up” to engage with law enforcement but deputies kept trying to dissuade him, according to the statement.
Eventually, Pollock yelled out for a cigarette. Officers tossed him a cigarette through a bedroom window, the statement says, but when he tried to grab it, they tased him and were able to take him in to custody.
With Pollock detained, a search warrant was executed on his apartment. Inside, officers found a V-shaped burn pattern on the stove and the knife in the bathroom sink, according to the statement.
If you or someone you know is struggling, the Crisis Clinic of Thurston and Mason Counties operates a confidential, anonymous crisis intervention hotline 24 hours a day, every day of the year, at 360-586-2800.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is another option for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a certified listener, call 1-800-273-8255.
