Two Olympia officers hurt after scuffle with suspect allegedly resisting arrest

Two Olympia officers were hurt after a physical struggle with a suspect who was allegedly resisting arrest.

The suspect, Samuel David Acosta, 29, of Olympia, was charged with third-degree assault and resisting arrest on April 7 by the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney.

Olympia police arrested Acosta on April 4 after a reported disturbance at the Super Supplements store on Cooper Point Road.

The reporting party, a store employee, said a man and a woman were yelling at one another at the back of the building.

One officer said a man, later identified as Acosta, yelled “Oh sh*t” and ran off when he saw police approaching.

Acosta stopped when he saw another officer in his path, according to the police report. The suspect sat down following an officer’s orders. He then noticed a hammer on the ground in front of him.

One officer said he stood between the suspect and the hammer, effectively preventing access to it. .

Asked about the reported yelling incident, Acosta denied that anything physical occurred between him and a woman who later identified herself as his girlfriend or “maybe” ex.

The suspect initially told police that his name was Samuel D. Murphy. When authorities failed to find records under that name, Acosta told officers check his identity out of Idaho.

When no records came back from Idaho, dispatchers conducted an investigation that led them to the name Samuel Acosta. There were two warrants for felony harassment and second-degree burglary under the name.

Once the warrants were confirmed by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, Olympia police informed Acosta that he was under arrest.

One officer said Acosta “widened his eyes as he gritted his teeth together” then balled his fist.

The officer attempted to restrain Acosta and instructed him to place his hands behind his back. The suspect refused to comply and demanded he be allowed to stand up.

A scuffle broke out between Acosta and the two officers. Both officers recounted hearing Acosta say, “I’ll f*cking kill you with my bare hands.”

After Acosta was handcuffed and taken to a patrol vehicle, one officer noticed “a stream of blood” flowing down from an abrasion on his right leg.

Another officer felt pain in his left wrist and thumb, then took off his gloves to find his hand swollen and “a purple color.” The officer was brought to the emergency room of Providence St. Peter Hospital, where he learned that his hand was sprained.

A third officer spoke with Acosta’s girlfriend, who said the suspect had been awake for three days and recently used methamphetamine. She denied any physical altercation between Acosta and the two officers.

Acosta was booked into the Thurston County Jail for third-degree assault, resisting arrest, and an out-of-town warrant.