A transient man allegedly threatened a business owner and his staff with a hammer and used a racial slur against one of them after they asked him to leave.
Olympia police arrested Seth D. Gideon, 40, on March 24 after a report of a suspicious person on the 9700 block of Lathrop Industrial Drive in Tumwater.
The business owner told police that he had been having issues with a transient male, later identified as Gideon, who had been camping in his truck near the establishment and leaving trash everywhere.
The owner said he went out with two employees to speak with Gideon and ask him to leave.
“We asked the man how long he was planning on staying,” the business owner’s witness statement read. “He said as long as he wants.”
The owner said “everything seemed to be fine” as they walked away when Gideon shouted a racial slur at one Black employee.
The situation “escalated,” the business owner said, with Gideon allegedly grabbing a hammer and swinging it at them while threatening to kill them.
One of the employees said he feared for his life when Gideon started swinging the hammer, believing that the suspect was capable of killing them.
An officer noted that Gideon yelled “I didn’t do anything” when they arrived at the scene.
Gideon told police that he got into a verbal confrontation with the employees when they spoke with him about his trash and asked him to leave.
The suspect said he used a racial slur but ultimately agreed to leave. Police said Gideon denied having a hammer and picking it up as well as making threats to harm anyone with it.
Officers found a five-pound, 14-inch-long ball-peen hammer in Gideon’s truck.
The suspect’s girlfriend wrote in a witness statement that “Seth never threatened anyone with a hammer.”
The girlfriend said they agreed to leave after the business owner and employees asked them to, but the group allegedly made a comment about Gideon's car prowling, prompting the suspect to get “upset about being accused of something he didn’t do.”
The suspect “got a little mouthy” with the group, the girlfriend wrote, “at which time they turned around and came back at him (Gideon), so he grabbed the hammer, feeling threatened, [and] said he has a right to protect himself.”
The girlfriend said Gideon used a slur against one of the employees, causing the employee to chase the suspect around the truck. Gideon was backed against the driver’s side when “the other two guys had got their friend and they walked away.”
Gideon was booked at the Thurston County Jail for felony harassment.
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Sethika
That is a big fat lie!! None of them felt threatened by seth except seth!!! All 3 of them were bigger than seth!!!! And the black man has tattoos all over his face!!! They were the aggressive ones.seth DID NOT THREATEN TO HIT ANYONE WITH ANYTHING.HE FELT THEY WERE GOING TO JUMP HIM ALL AT ONCE!!!! IF SETH WAS THE AGGRESSIVE ONE WHY WAS HE CHASED AROUND HIS TRUCK AND PINNED AGAINDT THE DRIVERS DOOR??! Y WOULD THEY CHASE HIM IF THEY FELT THREATENED??! WOULDN'T IT HAVE to be him chasing them than.?! But that's not how it happened.they chased him. Ifhe was gonna hurt anyone WOULDN'T he have done it when they came after him?!!but no he still didn't do anything but try to get away from them. So who was really in fear of their lives??! Who??! The person who tried to get away from three people?! Or were the 3 guys who chased one guy around his truck, and had him backed up against the driver side door, were they in fear of their lives?!! Which one sounds like the actions of some being afraid??! U tell me!!!!
Thursday, April 7, 2022 Report this
Sethika
Also when they first cme up they said that they have hd to point guns at people to make them leave, and they didn't want that to happen here. Does that sound non confrontational to u?
Monday, April 11, 2022 Report this