Capital Mall assault suspect in custody; victim’s daughter speaks out about incident

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault for his role in a beating that took place outside Capital Mall the afternoon of April 7.

That’s according to Olympia police and the victim’s daughter, who reached out to The Olympian on Tuesday with more details about the incident. Lt. Paul Lower said the boy was taken into custody on Friday.

In the late afternoon of April 7, the 49-year-old man was visiting his daughter at the mall because she works there, said Molly Ith. He visits her and then typically walks around the mall during those occasions, she said.

Around 4:25 p.m., the man was standing in the mall, looking at his phone, when a group of teens knocked the cap off his head, Ith said. He reacted by saying something along the lines of, “Hey! What the hell?”

That then escalated the incident and the group of 5-7 juveniles began to heckle the man, ultimately following him outside the mall.

One member of the group recorded a video of the assault, which was ultimately shared with Ith who shared it with The Olympian on Tuesday. It shows an ugly scene as his cap is knocked off his head, then he is knocked to the ground and repeatedly punched in the face before the group scatters.

Ith said she then helped her father and spoke on his behalf to police, she said. She added that he did not seek medical treatment that day because he recently lost his health insurance.

However, he suffered serious injuries, according to police. An Olympia police detective followed up with the man who said he ultimately went to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia on April 10 to be treated for a broken nose and concussion.

The original police report also cited a witness who allegedly heard one of the teens accuse the man of “groping a girl.”

Ith said that is not true, adding that the group was making inflammatory remarks.

Olympia police Lt. Lower emphasized Tuesday that police continue to investigate the incident.

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