What happened at Capital Mall the afternoon of April 7? Police are investigating

A post on social media about an alleged assault at Capital Mall the afternoon of April 7 has prompted The Olympian to make inquiries about it.

About 4:25 p.m. that Sunday, a 49-year-old man was walking through the mall when 5-7 juveniles knocked his hat off his head, said Olympia Police Lt. Paul Lower, who cited the original police report and a supplemental report that followed it.

The juveniles then followed the man outside the mall where one of the juveniles allegedly hit the man in the back of the head, causing him to fall to the ground. The juveniles then allegedly continued to punch the man.

The man later told police that he “temporarily blacked out.” Police could see some bruising and swelling behind an ear, according to the report, but the man did not receive medical treatment at the scene and did not plan to go to the hospital, Lower said.

After the incident, information about it was posted on Olympia’s page on social media site Reddit. That post prompted people to call police, Lower said. Detectives are now investigating the incident as second-degree assault and following up with the juveniles, he said.

So what provoked the alleged assault? That isn’t clear. But a witness told police they allegedly overheard one of the juveniles accuse the 49-year-old man of “groping a girl.”

A witness also saw the juveniles run from the scene. Another witness thought they heard the sounds of them “cheering.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Olympia police at 360-753-8300.