Lacey man fled to Yauger Park after stealing from Safeway, assaulting worker, police say

A Lacey man was taken into custody Tuesday afternoon after police say he tried to steal items from the Safeway on Harrison Avenue and Cooper Point Road then assaulted an employee who tried to stop him.

The man was spotted shoplifting in the grocery store at about 2:45 p.m. before trying to leave the store. When stopped by a loss prevention employee, police say the man immediately became defensive and punched the employee multiple times before producing a knife.

Police say the man then threatened to kill the Safeway employee while holding the knife, then he dropped the bag of stolen goods he had been carrying. When the employee reached to grab the bag from the ground, the man lunged at him with the knife. Although the employee was able to grab the man’s wrist, the man pulled away from him and cut the employee on the hand. He then ran from the store and hopped the fence into Yauger Park.

Police found him in the park and were able to take him into custody. The Safeway employee received minor injuries that were most likely attended to at the scene, police say.

This story was originally published July 13, 2022 at 10:58 AM.