Olympia man allegedly hurls homophobic slur, threats to kill at bank teller

An Olympia man was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill a bank teller whom he allegedly called a homophobic slur after becoming upset with his transaction.

Steven Dennis Olive, 39, was arrested on May 20 after a call for service from the US Bank on Capitol Way S.

Dispatchers told police that a man, later identified as Olive, had walked into the bank and became frustrated over an issue with his card. The suspect then threatened to shoot an employee and rob the bank.

The bank teller, described by police as a man wearing an LGBTQ shirt, said Olive presented him with bank receipts and asked for help withdrawing his money.

When he explained that a withdrawal cannot be made using receipts, the teller said, Olive became upset and called him a “f*cking f*ggot.” An officer noted that Olive chose to go to the concerned teller “despite there being other bank tellers available.”

The suspect threatened to return to the bank to rob it, find the teller after his shift, and kill him using a shotgun, according to the police report. The teller said Olive grabbed the plexiglass on the counter and stared directly into his eyes as he made the threats.

The teller told police that he believed Olive could have harmed him if not for the counter separating them. Police said the teller was visibly shaken by the incident and spoke “rapidly,” appearing to be “out of breath.”

A second bank employee said he observed Olive grow louder and more disruptive. The employee said Olive threatened to “shoot him (the teller) dead by using a shotgun to shoot his face off” and stated, “I will come back and shoot this whole place up.”

A second witness, a bank client standing behind Olive, told police that he switched lanes because of the suspect’s behavior. The customer said he heard Olive call the teller a “f*cking f*ggot” then make threats to kill him and rob the bank.

Both witnesses said they believed that Olive could carry out his threat to harm the teller.

Police later located Olive walking westbound on Capitol Way, appearing to be “clearly agitated” and “throwing his hands in the air and yelling at no one in particular.”

An officer said he was “very familiar” with Olive from “numerous contacts and arrests over the past few years.”

The suspect told police that an ATM previously “ate” his debit card and he wanted to see if it came back out but claimed that the people in the bank were “judging” him, causing him to feel upset.

Olive was booked into the Thurston County Jail for harassment – threats to kill as well as an outstanding warrant for eluding police. Dispatchers also noted that the suspect had several Olympia warrants for possession of and concealing a weapon.

A search of Olive yielded a tube labeled “Northern Lights,” which contained green leafy specimen, according to the report.

Police also asked the Thurston County Prosecuting Attorney to review possible charges for malicious harassment against Olive due to his use of a homophobic slur against the bank teller.