Kent officers catch repeat thief at Fred Meyer store

After a short pursuit on foot outside of the Fred Meyer store on the West Hill, Kent Police arrested at gunpoint a 19-year-old man suspected of stealing cash and other items as many as four times from the store in the last two months.

Officers responded to the store, 25250 Pacific Highway S., at about 10:25 a.m. Feb. 18 after store security reported the man took a backpack, shirt and food items without paying for them, according to the police report. Store security also told police it appeared to be the same man who had stolen cash from the store during three incidents in December.

Police saw the man running through the store’s parking lot. He jumped down an embankment near the gas pumps. The man reportedly refused orders from officers to stop running, so an officer drew his gun. A second officer entered the chase. The man stopped running, but refused orders to get to the ground. Officers were able to take him to the ground and handcuffed him.

Officers arrested the man for investigation of third-degree theft, criminal trespass and obstructing an officer. In earlier cases at the store, the man allegedly would bring a drink to the cash register to buy and then when the cashier opened the register, he would reach over, grab cash and run. The man reportedly committed similar thefts at a Chevron and EZ Mart in Des Moines.

The man told police he stole the money for his mother who spent a lot of the cash on marijuana. The man also had a felony warrant out of King County for attempting to elude an officer and third-degree theft.

Woman attacks woman

Officers arrested a woman for investigation of fourth-degree assault after she allegedly punched another woman during a dispute at about 2:27 a.m. Feb. 16 at a house in the 26900 block of 132nd Avenue Southeast.

Both women involved in the dispute called 911 to report assaults, according to the police report. The women aren’t related, but one is girlfriend of the man who owns the house and other woman is the girlfriend of the owner’s son. They all live together.

The son’s girlfriend told officers she got up about 2 a.m. to let the dog out and went outside to smoke a cigarette. She said the girlfriend of her boyfriend’s father then locked her out of the house. When her boyfriend let her back inside the house, the woman started to attack her in the hallway.

The owner’s girlfriend told police said she fell asleep on the couch after drinking wine and when she walked down the hallway her boyfriend’s son and his girlfriend attacked her. The son’s girlfriend was bleeding from the nose when police arrived at the house.

Man harasses man

Police cited a man for harassment after he reportedly threatened another man with a tire iron because he thought the man might be gay.

The threat occurred at about 9:59 a.m. Feb. 18 in the 600 block of West James Street after a man had parked his vehicle in the ShoWare Center parking lot, according to the police report. The man told police after he parked, another man parked next to him, took a tire iron out of his trunk and held it over his head as he came around to the man in his driver’s seat before walking away.

Officers found the man at a nearby outdoor basketball court in the 900 block of West James Street. The man told police he approached the man because he thought he was gay.

Man hits girlfriend

Officers arrested a man for investigation of fourth-degree assault after he reportedly punched his girlfriend because she hadn’t brought his morning coffee to him on Feb. 17 at a home in the 700 block of First Avenue South.

The woman told officers the man had been attacking her and beating her for a long time during their relationship, according to the police report. She said he became upset after he wanted to know where his coffee was.

The boyfriend told officers the woman had hit herself in the face with a door.