Man arrested after alleged vehicular assault on window salesman 

A 58-year old man was taken into custody after he allegedly drove his pickup truck toward a pedestrian in a residential neighborhood, according to the Tumwater Police Department. 

The incident occurred just before 3 p.m. on Friday, June 20, in the 700 block of Tartan Drive SW, where a door-to-door window salesman had been working.  

According to the salesman, he was visiting a residence when the suspect, identified in a police report as Douglas Nedrow, started "yelling profanities at him" from an adjacent home. The salesman then began walking along the sidewalk when the suspect started following him in a gray Dodge Ram. 

The victim said the truck appeared to veer off the road and onto the sidewalk. Fearing for his safety, he reportedly jumped a fence into a neighbor’s backyard to avoid being struck.  

One neighbor saw the suspect’s car go into the sidewalk, but was not sure if the suspect intended to hit the victim. 

The suspect is known in the area for previous confrontational behaviour.

“I spoke with other neighbors in the area who were all very familiar with Douglas and they all stated that Douglas will often yell and scream profanities at anyone who is near his home,” the responding officer stated in the police report. 

After a neighbor informed police of the suspect’s return, officers responded quickly and set up a perimeter before contacting the man at his home. After initially speaking through a small window, Nedrow exited the home and was taken into custody without incident. 

When questioned, the suspect admitted to shouting at the salesman but denied intentionally trying to hit him. Despite that claim, officers noted that the behavior, combined with statements from multiple witnesses, supported a finding of probable cause to arrest him.  

The suspect was booked into Thurston County Corrections Facility for vehicular assault. No physical injuries were reported in the incident, though the pedestrian did suffer minor property damage when his phone screen broke when he jumped away from the suspect’s vehicle.