Community Police & Fire

Gig Harbor Police Blotter | Nature called, but so did police

A 36-year-old Tacoma man said he fled from a traffic stop in Gig Harbor on June 10 because he really needed to go to the bathroom.

A Gig Harbor officer saw the man speeding and swerving in and out of traffic on Highway 16 around 3 a.m. He pulled the man’s Subaru WRX over on Olympic Drive.

When the officer walked up to the car, the man put his manual transmission into gear and laid on the accelerator. But he killed the car in doing so.

The man restarted the vehicle and fled from the traffic stop. But the officer already had recorded his license plate.

Officers contacted the man the next day. He told them he ran because he “really needed to take a s*!# The man added, unnecessarily, that he did so in some bushes on a quiet street.

Officers arrested the man on suspicion of eluding police and reckless driving.

Discharged patient assaults nurse

A 27-year-old man tackled a nurse at St. Anthony Hospital early on May 18 after she and other staff members told him he needed to leave the facility.

Gig Harbor police arrested him and booked him into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of third-degree assault.

The nurse, a 44-year-old woman, told police that the hospital had discharged the patient, but he refused to leave. He laid down on his stomach as staff members told him he needed to go.

When the nurse told him she would call police if he didn’t exit, he pushed himself up to his knees and tackled her. The police report described the man as 6-feet tall and about 300 pounds.

The nurse told police she was not injured.

Suspected in theft of $12K worth of merchandise

Gig Harbor officers arrested a 49-year-old woman suspected in a series of thefts from Home Depot stores in several Pierce County communities. Police and store security believe the woman stole nearly $12,000 worth of merchandise between March and May.

A store security staffer alerted police after seeing the woman load up a cart with construction material. Police responded and arrested the woman, who the store said was connected to previous shoplifts in March and April in Federal Way, Tacoma, Gig Harbor and elsewhere.  

Officers arrested her and booked her into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of first degree organized retail theft and second degree burglary. 

Bad driving, bad timing

Officers arrested a 54-year-old Gig Harbor man after he nearly collided with a police car while turning out of a Burnham Drive tavern on May 9.

A Gig Harbor officer wrote in his report that he had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the 54-year-old’s Ford pickup. The officer turned around and followed the truck, which swerved over the fog lines several times on Harborview Drive.

The suspect admitted to having had “several” beers at the Burnham Drive tavern over the course of about 90 minutes, and a few more at another bar before that. He had no recollection of nearly running into a police car, though.

Officers issued a citation for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Bad driving, part 2

A 54-year-old Tacoma woman tried to drive around a parked Gig Harbor police car, ignoring an officer’s directions and entering the wrong lane of traffic, on May 12.

The officer had blocked a lane of Stinson Avenue while he helped another person, whose vehicle was disabled. The 54-year-old looked directly at the officer, who was signaling for her to turn. She then swerved around him and tried to continue on her way.

The officer had to stand directly in front of her car to get her to stop.

He later arrested her on suspicion of driving under the influence.

‘Door kick challenge’

A social media craze led to an expensive bill for a Gig Harbor family last month.

A man walked up to a home on 43rd Avenue NW early on May 9, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and kicked the door several times. It apparently is part of a fad on the social media app TikTok called the “door kick challenge.”

The suspect must have strong legs, because he broke the door frame. At last report, deputies were attempting to identify the suspect.