Community Police & Fire

Gig Harbor Police Blotter: Suspect who threw frozen shrimp could face robbery charge

Editor’s note: The Blotter is written based on information provided by Gig Harbor Police and Gig Harbor Fire & Medic One.

A man threw a bag of frozen shrimp at a store security contractor on the afternoon of Sept. 23 at the Safeway store on Point Fosdick Drive.

According to a report that the security contractor supplied to Gig Harbor Police, store security identified the man as a possible shoplifter while he was in the store. They watched the suspect carry a handcart filled with frozen and unfrozen shrimp out the door of the store, without paying.

When the security guards tried to speak with the suspect, he threw a bag of frozen shrimp at them. The bag struck one of the guards in the face.

The report indicates that the suspect also balled up his fists as if he was ready for a fight before fleeing in a maroon Honda Accord.

Officers tracked the Accord’s license plate to a 38-year-old Yelm man. His Department of Licensing photo matched the suspect shown on images from store security cameras.

Officers sent a report on the incident to the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, recommending a charge of second-degree robbery.

A similar incident happened at the same store a week later. In the second incident, a suspect walked out with a cartful of merchandise. When security confronted him, the suspect said “OK, fine” and left most of the merchandise behind in the cart.

But he tried to keep a case of beer and a bottle of liquor. The guard asked for the alcohol back, too, and the suspect shoved the beer into his chest, causing him to fall over.

Again, officers forwarded the report to prosecutors for possible charges of robbery. Legally, robbery is taking an item of value from another person by force or threat of force.

Suspect in stolen car rams two vehicles

A suspect driving a stolen car rammed into two other vehicles in the Target parking lot around 7 p.m. Oct. 2.

The owner of the stolen car, who had tracked the car to Gig Harbor, was inside one of the rammed vehicles.

The owner of the stolen Kia Optima called police to say he had located the car outside the store. He had left a phone in the car, and used location-tracking apps to figure out where it was.

While the waited for police, the car owner and a family member parked a pickup in front of the Kia, attempting to block it in. They saw a teen boy sleeping inside the car.

When the teen woke up, he rammed first the pickup and then another vehicle while fleeing the parking lot. He stopped long enough to pick up two young women who had been inside the store.

The stolen Kia was last seen speeding eastbound across the Narrows Bridge.

The note didn’t work for long

A Gig Harbor officer noticed an abandoned boat and trailer parked at the corner of Harborview Drive and Austin Street on Sept. 30. He checked again the next day, this time noticing a note from the owner requesting that it not be towed.

The officer called the phone number on the note and warned that it might be towed.

On Oct. 2, the boat was still there. It got towed.