Olympia man arrested for threatening a minor with a CO2 rifle

An Olympia man is accused of using a rifle to threaten a 17-year-old passing by his house.

Sean Mikel Sheldon Pippin, 29, was arrested on August 14 after Olympia police were alerted to a man with a rifle on the 3000 block of Hoadly Street SE

The reporting party told police that her 17-year-old son was on his usual walk when a man, later identified as Pippin, came out of the home with a rifle.

Pippin ordered the minor to come to his door and told him to “answer me” or else get shot, the mother said, citing her son.

The young man told police he panicked as he believed Pippin would carry out his threat. After giving Pippin his name, the teen told the suspect that he did not want any trouble, then ran off.

The minor said the gun was not pointed at him during the confrontation, but he believed that Pippin raised the gun toward him as he ran away.

The mother and son later returned to the suspect’s home to get his address. Pippin was on his porch at the time, and the reporting parties managed to take a photo of him. Police said the man in the photo matched Pippin’s photo in official records.

Police learned that there were two calls about a suspicious circumstance at the same address on August 6 and 8. The records for both incidents were linked to a phone number later confirmed to be Pippin’s.

The officer called Pippin and asked him whether the rifle incident indeed happened, to which the suspect replied, “I would hope not.” He also denied being involved in an altercation and refused further discussions with the police.

After establishing probable cause, officers arrived at Pippin’s address just as he turned onto his street. The suspect was unarmed and detained without incident.

Police then obtained a warrant to search Pippin’s home and located a large black Benjamin Bulldog .357 caliber CO2 rifle that matched the description provided by the teenager. The firearm was unloaded.

Pippin was booked into the Thurston County Jail for harassment – threats to kill.