Man arrested after alleged assault of woman in Olympia 

A man was arrested early Saturday morning, May 17, after an alleged assault in Olympia left a woman with facial injuries. 

Just before 1 a.m. on May 17, Olympia Police Department personnel responded to multiple reports of a disturbance near the intersection of 5th Avenue SE and Capitol Way N in downtown. Callers reported hearing a loud altercation involving several people.  

Shortly after, a separate report was made about a man allegedly striking a woman near S & K Market on Washington Street NE. 

When responding officers arrived, they located a woman with a bloodied face who pointed at a man walking away from the scene as her assailant. 

The suspect, later identified as Manuel Villavicencio, initially ignored police commands and continued to walk away from authorities before being cornered in an alley behind the market. 

According to statements from the victim and a witness, the incident began after the woman and her friend approached a group smoking suspected narcotics in an alley to “tell them to stop since children walk through the alley.” 

The victim stated that suddenly, a man allegedly struck her in the face multiple times and that she passed out after that. 

When interrogated, the 49-year-old suspect denied assaulting the woman, claiming it was the other way around and that she had been harassing him.  

“Manuel (the suspect) said she started screaming and made comments about him being homeless and followed him and wouldn`t leave him alone,” an OPD officer reported. 

Because of the visible injuries on the woman’s face and the statements from the victim and the witness, the suspect was transported and booked into Thurston County jail for second-degree assault and obstructing a law enforcement officer. 

The woman was treated at the scene for her injuries by Olympia Fire Department medics.