Deputies from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) were dispatched in the late evening of September 7 in response to a group of 40-50 rioters causing chaos outside Thurston County Jail.
The rioters set off fireworks, blocked the roadway, pulled out small trees, and even set the grass around the jail on fire, the TCSO deputies reported.
Deputies arrived at the scene and began preparing non-lethal devices to control the situation, which led the rioters to flee the area, leaving a sign behind bearing the message “FIRE TO THE PRISONS, EVERYONE GOES FREE.”
The Olympia Police Department and Tumwater Police Department provided assistance during the incident.
An arson investigation is now underway to determine the extent of the damage and identify those responsible for the disturbance.
One suspect has already been identified, arrested, and booked into the jail.
“For the record, Thurston County Jail is actually a jail, not a prison. It says “JAIL” on the front of the building,” Thurston County Sheriff’s Office clarified in their social media post.
Jails are short-term detention centers for suspects awaiting trial or sentencing, while prisons are for convicted individuals carrying out their sentences.
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Amandalosey
Isn’t this the statement the police released via social media? It doesn’t sit well with me when our journalists are publishing the police’s words as reporting. There haven’t been any photos released of any damage done, and the police being able to capture one of what they are estimating as “40 to 50” people is suspicious, or laughable.
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 Report this
FordPrefect
@Amandalosey,
Do you have any more information beyond your own simple distrust of the police? What about these reported events are you suggesting is false?
Tuesday, September 12, 2023 Report this
Amandalosey
I don’t think it’s the medias job to report word-for-word police statements, presented as articles. That isn’t journalism. The only information we have of this event is from this police statement, and one photo (released by police) that shows a single sign left in front of the jail. I would simply like more transparency, and I don’t want my local news source to be an auxiliary mouthpiece of the police, or any other organization.
Thursday, September 14, 2023 Report this
YurmaZahow
Amanda: Maybe the rioters and arsonists sent out a press release when they weren't throwing fireworks, pulling up trees or setting things on fire?!? Maybe there is some video. That should be interesting. Sounds like the cops are at fault for having trees that were just asking for it due to their provocative foliage and other attractively flammable stuff that these paragons of virtue and righteousness simply could not resist setting on fire in their zeal to make a better world. I suspect there may even have been some previous, smaller, more controlled fires, with small bits of foliage smoldering among the valiant revolutionaries prior to the event. At least they got the spelling right on their sign. Damn. I must be getting conservative in my old age. No one invites me to riots against the Po-lice Man anymore.
Thursday, September 14, 2023 Report this