A man entered the wrong apartment in Olympia and was hit by a sword, police say
A 58-year-old man, who police said suffers from a vision problem, entered the wrong Olympia apartment and was hit by a sword, according to Olympia police.
No one is in custody but possible charges of first-degree assault have been referred to the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office for review, Olympia police Lt. Paul Lower said Tuesday.
About 8:15 p.m. July 31, police were dispatched to a second-floor apartment in the 1200 block of Fern Street Southwest after a report of a burglary.
The 911 caller said a man had entered their apartment and was screaming at them. They shouted back.
Police later determined the apartment was occupied by three adults and two children. They were watching TV when the man suddenly entered the unit.
Fearing for their children, the adults grabbed one of the decorative swords from the wall of the apartment and one of them hit the man in the arm with it, Lower said.
The man left the apartment, but was found nearby with a “large amount of blood coming from his arm,” Lower said. The injury required stitches, he said.
After talking to the man, police learned he suffers from glaucoma. They found a plastic bag attached to his hip that contained magnifying glasses, and they learned that he lives in an apartment on the same street, in a building with a similar appearance and in an apartment on the second floor.
The swords were booked into evidence, Lower said.
