Man instigates fight Sunday night, stomps on victim’s head, Olympia police say

A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault Sunday night after he allegedly instigated a fight and then stomped on the victim’s head, according to Olympia police.

The 40-year-old male victim was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital for his injuries and later was transferred to an intensive care unit, Olympia police Lt. Paul Lower said.

About 10:40 p.m., police were dispatched to the 100 block of Pattison Street Northeast, which is just north of Martin Way and near the main offices of Intercity Transit.

Police arrived to find a group of people in the street, waving them down. The victim was lying on the ground, bleeding from his mouth, Lower said. Medical aid was called to the scene. An officer also tended to the man. The man was unconscious and non-responsive, but was breathing, Lower said.

According to witnesses, the suspect, allegedly agitated, was walking through the area and tried to engage several people to fight him, according to Lower. He violently shoved a 46-year-old woman, he said.

It was not immediately clear if the victim responded to the shoving because the suspect then turned on him and punched the man in the face, sending him to the ground, according to police. He then stomped on the man’s head, Lower said.

Police later searched the area for the suspect with the assistance of a Thurston County Sheriff’s Office K9. The 27-year-old man was found several blocks away, hiding behind a truck, Lower said.