Woman allegedly maced by AM/PM clerk in altercation

On the early morning of September 27, an AM/PM employee allegedly assaulted a woman with mace, leaving her injured.

The incident transpired at the AM/PM convenience store located on Sleater Kinney Road SE in Olympia.

The suspect, Frank Schatzer, allegedly assaulted a woman with mace after the latter refused to leave the convenience store. He was charged with assault charges.

Officers from the Olympia Police Department responded to the scene after a 911 call from the victim’s son, who, according to the police report, “advised his mother was just maced by the AM/PM clerk for no reason.”

The incident began around three in the morning, the woman and her son, stopped at the AM/PM store to purchase gas and groceries.

The victim, in her statement to the authorities said, that a male wearing a hoodie approached her, attempting to sell her a cell phone.

Needing a new phone, the woman asked the man if she could check the fit of the sim card to her phone and they went inside the store, where the suspect was manning the counter.

Schatzer informed the woman and the man that they couldn’t conduct their transaction inside the store.

The victim then explained that she was planning to buy items and getting gas at the store but Schatzer allegedly responded aggressively, insisting that Ostrom leave the store, using profanity, and mockingly repeating what she had said back to her.

According to her, “the suspect then approached them, pulled out an OC spray, and sprayed it on her face,” causing her to flee the store in pain.

During the interview with authorities, the son said he was in another part of the store when he heard the commotion and went to check up on his mom.

Upon seeing his mother in pain, he called 911 for assistance.

Schatzer, when questioned by officers on why he sprayed OC spray on Ostrom, explained that he didn`t know what the son was going to do and that “I was scared at that moment and that’s all.”

When asked if the woman or her son threatened him in any way, Schatzer stated that neither of them nor the man in the hoodie had displayed any weapons or made verbal threats, nor had they acted in a manner that indicated an intent to harm him.

After questioning, Schatzer offered to show the authorities the store’s surveillance footage.

The responding officers, in their statement, after watching the CCTV footage, observed that “[the son] was not engaged in his and [the victim]`s dialogue and was never seen being aggressive”; therefore, they saw that “Schatzer spraying [the victim] was not a reasonable defense to his fear of Fouts doing something.”

The authorities have also observed that “at no point during the incident does [the victim] become physically aggressive toward Schatzer, who (sic) arms are seen at her side and her body language does not depict someone who is becoming aggressive.”

The reporting officer observed a canister of “OC-17 Police OC spray” on the counter and asked the suspect if that was the mace he used to spray the woman, and he responded that it was. The canister was secured as evidence in the case.

The authorities saw probable cause, arrested Schatzer, and booked him in Thurston County Jail for second-degree assault.