On July 3rd around 7:30 pm, deputies were dispatched to an armed robbery of a pharmacy store at the 9500 block of 176th St E in Puyallup. Employees reported a known shoplifter walked into the store carrying a katana sword and was grabbing items from the shelf. When employees asked the suspect to leave, he used the sword to intimidate and threaten the employees before taking off on foot. The suspect headed towards the Fred Meyer off 176th St. E and Meridian, where Friday evening shoppers were all around.
Our Pierce 1 Air Operations Team was able to locate the suspect with the sword heading towards the busy grocery store. Deputies were able to get real-time location of the suspect from Pierce 1 as they came into the area to make contact. A nearby WSP Trooper heard the call and quickly came to support as deputies arrived in the area. The male suspect threw the sword as he was confronted by WSP and the deputies. A short foot pursuit ensued through the parking lot. The male was tased and taken into custody before anyone could get hurt. The Katana sword had a 24-inch metal blade in a sheath, and it was collected for evidence.
The 24-year-old male was booked into the Pierce County Jail for burglary in the first degree, intimidation with a weapon, and resisting arrest. Thank you to our Air Operations Team and Pierce 1 for being a second set of eyes in the sky, and thank you, WSP for jumping in. Great work by all.